Whale Watching Eco Tours

"Thar she Blows!"

Imagine the excitement when you first view the blow of a whale spouting. The Bay of Fundy is teeming with wildlife and is a critical habitat for many species of whales and dolphins. For that reason, there are many whale watching tours in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia to provide guests with a close up view of these majestic creatures.

Commonly sighted aboard these whale watching tours are the Humpback whale, Minke whales, and Finback whales. The Bay of Fundy also has a Nursery for the Endangered North Atlantic Right Whale. Other whales occasionally sighted in the Bay of Fundy include the Sei Whale and Pilot Whale. A rare sighting would include the Blue Whale, Sperm whale, Killer whale, and Beluga whale.

If you want see whales and dolphins during your trip it's important to note that the Bay of Fundy whale watching season runs from June to October inclusive. The whales and dolphins of the Bay of Fundy are graceful and spectacular and sure to be a highlight of your vacation!

Facts About Whales

All porpoises, whales and dolphins are known as Cetaceans. The name Cetaceans comes from the Greek word Ketos meaning Sea Monster. They are mammals that breathe air, give live birth, are warm blooded and suckle their young. The whales skin can be 14” thick, the eye the size of a grapefruit, the heart the size of a car!

The common whales in the Bay of Fundy are "baleen" whales as opposed to "toothed" whales. The baleen is a series of plates similar in composition to our fingernails and with hair fibers that enable the whales to stain large schools of prey. The baleen grow out of the upper gum palate and are set up parallel to each other. The whales will feed by either swimming along the surface with their mouths open or by diving down and engulfing a large quantity of water.

Main food sources for whales and dolphins include plankton (microscopic plants and animals), krill (look like small shrimp), cope pods and small fish including herring or cod. The Bay of Fundy is an important feeding ground with the high tides, currents, and upwelling helping to concentrate the food source for these large mammals.

Minke Whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata)
Minke whales grow up to 30 ft in length and weigh up to 10 tons. This is a baleen whale with a V-shaped pointed snout, sharply curved dorsal fin and a white strip on their pectoral fin flipper and ventrally on the belly.

Humpback Whale
Playful whale that may put on a show including breaching (jumping up out of the water), spy-hopping (snout and eyes vertically out of the water to look around and see who is on board the whale watching tours that day), flippering and tail lobbing (slapping their fin or fluke on the water) or rolling on the surface. Humpback whales grow up to 60 feet in length and weigh up to 40 tons. The spouting is bushy and about 10 feet tall. The long white flippers, 1/3 of their body length, allows for body heat to distribute when in the warmer southern waters. The humpback whale can be identified and named according to the distinctive white pattern on the bottom of the tail fluke.

Finback Whales (balaenoptera physalus)
This is the second largest whale in the world after the Blue Whale. Finback whales grow up to 80 feet in length and may live more than 75 or even 100 years. A distinctive white patch on the right side of the jaw may be seen as they surface for air. Spouts up to 13 feet above the water can be viewed from a mile away and start the excitement as you approach for a closer viewing.

North Atlantic Right Whale (eubalaena glacialis)
Endangered species with fewer than 400 believed to be remaining. The Bay of Fundy provides an important "nursery" where the calves are raised. Right whales grow up to 50 ft and 45 tons. These are a dark colored whale with no dorsal fin. They can often be spotted resting on the surface and may be mistaken for a log in the water from a distance. The spouting is V-shaped.

Right whales have white callosity markings on their snout by which they may be identified, named and catalogued. The name originates from the days of whaling in which these were the "right" whales to kill being slow swimmers, easy to approach, large fat reserved for oil, and long baleen plates (used previously for umbrellas, combs, corsets). At times the Right Whales form SAG (surface active groups) averaging 6-15 whales rolling and courting each other, the water churning, snouts, flippers and tails displayed. This impressive sight can be seen in the video to the right.

Other Mammals Of The Bay Of Fundy

Harbour Porpoise (Pocoena phocoena)
The Bay of Fundy is the main breeding ground for this porpoise. It's the smallest cetacean in the Bay of Fundy and grows to 4-6 feet in length. Harbour porpoise are locally known as the "puffing pig" due to the spouting noise they make as they exchange air at the surface. Some characteristic features are their rounded snout, small triangular fin and they tend to jump out of the water when a boat approaches.

White Sided Dolphins
White sided dolphins grow 6-10 meters, have a tall dorsal fin, pointy snout, characteristic yellow strip along the side, black back, and white belly. Their exuberant behavior is a pleasure to watch as they play in the bow wave of the vessels.

Harbour Seals (phoca vitulina concolor)
These seals are 5 ft in length and average 200 lb. Grey to brown or black in color with mottled spots. Infants may be white and learn to swim very soon after birth. Harbour seals have cute large round eyes with a cocker-spaniel look to the face. They are best viewed on the seal rookeries or rocky ledges at low tide. They are known to be curious and will take a look at passengers on board of the whale watching tour boats. They compete with the fishermen for the herring fish stocks.

Gray Seals (Halichoerus grypus)
Gray seals weight up to an incredible 800 lb. and have a "horse-like" snout appearance. The young are white and remain out of the cold water for 2-3 weeks until they have accumulated enough of a fat layer to protect them from the cold water.

What To Expect From A Whale Watching Tour

There are many whale watching tours, Eco tours, and island tours around the Bay of Fundy including departures from St. Andrews, Deer Island, Campobello Island, and Grand Manan in New Brunswick, and Digby Neck, Long and Brier Island in Nova Scotia. All tours provide experienced guides to answer your questions. Many have a complimentary snack on board. A few will offer a licensed bar. Some vessels offer activities including taking the wheel and onboard aquariums including starfish, sea urchins, crabs and more. Other children's activities might include pirate costumes, face painting and even hauling up a sail .

You should be prepared with extra clothing as it is cooler on the water. Bring a camera and binoculars if you have them. Reservations are often required as the whale watching tours fill up quickly.

The whale watching tours follow the Bay of Fundy Marine Tour Operators Code of Ethics which includes no chasing, harassing or herding the whales. This is to ensure that the whales are not disturbed from their natural routine or injured. Occasionally a whale may choose to come within 25 feet of the whale watching tours vessel and provide a truly memorable experience.

Save The Whales

The GMWSRS (Grand Manan Whale and Seabird Research Station) in NB has a save the whales program. Families, individuals, businesses and school groups can adopt an Endangered North Atlantic Right Whale. See AdoptRightWhales.ca and GMWSRS.org. You will be presented with a certificate of Adoption of a specific whale.

Written by: Joanne Carney, Jolly Breeze Tall Ship Whale Adventures

"Thar she blows!" — Joanne and Rob Carney invite you aboard the "Jolly Breeze of St. Andrews" for a spectacular tour of whale watching and Tall Ship adventures from the historic port of St. Andrews, New Brunswick, Canada's oldest seaside resort town

Voyage aboard New Brunswick's most beautiful Tall Ship past sunning seals, eagles, lighthouses and beautiful landscapes to the playground of the porpoise and majestic whales of the Bay of Fundy. The "Jolly Breeze" has a licensed bar, washroom, and heated lounge. Children's activities include pirate costumes, face painting, steer the boat, haul up a sail, and whale coloring. On-board touch aquarium with starfish, crabs and more. Breakfast or homemade soup are included.

For more information, visit the Jolly Breeze online at: www.jollybreeze.com.

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"We had a great trip.  Thanks a lot.  All places were excellent and we enjoyed the quiet time on Grand Manan...  Great service." - Jim Lavin, Gila Leiter & Family, Teaneck NJ - Itinerary Planning Service August 2004