Whale's Tail

Out on the water in July 2018 in Bonavista Bay, Newfoundland.

Story is when Giovanni Caboto (John Cabot) first saw North America in 1497, his first words were “O buono vista!”  In English, it means “Oh happy sight!”, which very appropriately describes the town of Bonavista.  Bonavista is located about a 3 1/2 drive from the capital city of St. John’s which is where our adventure began.

The world's largest population of feeding humpback whales is found here in Newfoundland.  They migrate from the Caribbean and spend from April to October in the waters off Newfoundland and Labrador.

To ensure that we were able to get close we ventured out in a Zodiac

The first evening about the time we got to the whales feeding area, the wind picked up and the waves bounced us around.  Sitting in the bow with the waves coming over the top, I had to shield my camera inside my wet suit to keep it dry. It worked for the camera, but not so much for me.  

Out again before sunrise in the morning in calmer waters was an amazing adventure.  There were several whale species feeding in the area .  

While approaching a pod of humpbacks, one seemed to be attracted to our zodiac which made for some outstanding photo opportunities but also required some expert boat handling to avoid getting capsized.  One humpback seemed to be so attracted to our presence that I could have touched its fin on several occasions.

Humpbacks generally are 40-50 feet in length and weigh between 55-65 tons which dwarfed our 6 person Zodiac.  It also made for a very exciting

ride as the boat rode the swells created by the whales movements.