HAVING A WHALE OF A TIME IN
QUEBEC'S SAGUENAY- ST. LAWRENCE
MARINE PARK RESERVE
by Jamie Ross
For Travel Writers' Tales

Some of the best whale watching in the world can be found in Quebec's Saguenay – St. Lawrence Marine Park, created in 1998 to showcase the spectacular scenery and marine wildlife of the St. Lawrence Estuary and the Saguenay Fjord. As I find out, it is also a great place to go for a snorkel in waters that are 2 degrees Celsius.

One of our "showboating" humpbacks is identified as Tic Tac Toe
so named because of the “X” mark on her tail

We had been following two magnificent Humpback whales for several minutes as they swam along the port side of our zodiac. Our driver kept a respectful distance, but the curious whales were not shy and seemed to want to give us a show. They surfaced arcing their long dark bodies, their backs and dorsal fins glistened in the sun, and then silently slipped back into the St. Lawrence. Then they were there again, close enough to see the barnacles attached on their scarred and scraped skin. Finally, together, they lifted their expansive tails high and disappeared into the steely depths.

“When they show their tails like that they are diving deep, and often won't surface for ten minutes or more,” we are told by our guide and naturalist Catherine Dube. “They could come up anywhere.” We scan the surrounding waters, cameras at the ready. Suddenly the pair shot out of the water in splendid synchronicity so high and with a grace and elegance I would have thought impossible for such huge animals. They both tilted right and came back down to the sea with a great splash, close enough for us to feel the spray. Our guide squealed in delight – while silence settled on the rest of us – who knew these 14 metres, 28 tonne creatures could fly?

Our two impressive humpback whales breech in splendid synchronicity – so high and with a grace and elegance I would have thought impossible for such huge animals. (Photo Credit: Guy Theriault Parks Canada)

We had set off that morning from the pretty little village of Tadoussac, 8 of us onboard the Sentinelle III, a compact and comfortable zodiac. “We are meant to observe and not disturb,” lectured Dube, as we set a slow pace out of the Saguenay fjord, carefully meandering through a pod of beluga whales. These are not the first of these famous belugas I had observed in the park. The previous day, having driven northeast the two and a half hours from Quebec City along the north shore of the St. Lawrence, the main highway was interrupted by a waiting ferry ready to shuttle cars across the fjord to Tadoussac. Our crossing was slightly delayed as we allowed a dozen or so beluga whales to clear, their smooth white bodies clearly visible bobbing in the leaden grey waters like ice caps. These endangered St. Lawrence belugas are the parks most famous resident.

Our humpback whales surface and arc their long dark bodies, before slipping silently back into the St. Lawrence. The humpback's name comes from the hump from which its dorsal fin extends.

The 1,245 sq km Saguenay – St. Lawrence Marine Park, a joint creation of the Quebec and Canadian governments, is reputed to be one of the best places in the world to observe whales, and these early impressions did not disappoint. The park protects an exceptional marine area from surface to seafloor, with more than 2,000 wild species ranging from microscopic algae to the gigantic blue whale. Our whale outing in the zodiac impresses not only with the quantity of whales that we see, but also in the variety. Besides the many belugas and humpbacks, we also see minke whales and fin whales. Often spotted are the enormous blue whales and, with good luck, even northern right whales, of which there are only a few hundred left in the world. In addition, we are told, even a single and confused narwhal from the Arctic has been regularly seen recently, after an evident wrong term brought it into these rich feeding grounds.

The park boasts unique oceanographic features that make it an attractive feeding ground for diverse animal species. The cold, salt waters of the North Atlantic, which flow in with the tide, encounter fresh water flowing out of the St. Lawrence, thus forming the Maritime or Lower Estuary, and the Saguenay-Fjord. The confluence of these two great rivers favours the accumulation of krill and fish species upon which whales feed.

The beluga and harbour seal are the only marine animals that live here year-round. In the summer, nearly a quarter of the St. Lawrence beluga population is found in the conservation area of the Upper Estuary. Female belugas and their young make intensive use of this part of the estuary of the Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park because it offers ideal conditions for them: choice food, shallow and warmer waters. Protecting the feeding, birth and rearing of newborns areas is essential for the recovery of this population. The other whales, including our show-boating humpbacks, migrate between the park where they come to feed and their mating grounds in the Caribbean.

Small groups on these fast Zodiacs allow guests to get to where the whales are quickly - but there are strict rules in place to protect the whales, including a mandated 400 metre distance between boat and whale. Our Zodiac was from Croisieres AML.

Skipping along across the frosty surf is just one way to observe these magnificent creatures, there are also many excellent viewing areas on land. Before our zodiac adventure, I try to expand my whale and marine knowledge in what has been labelled as the Discovery Network, a land-based circuit of spectacular lookouts, captivating exhibits and historical settings – the Cap-de-Bon-Desir Interpretation and Observation Centre, the Marine Environment Discovery Centre and the Marine Mammal Interpretation Centre. This is something that Parks Canada does so well, both educating and thrilling their visitors.

The Parks Canada Cap-De-Bon-Desir Interpretation and Observation Centre offered a great interpretation of what life we would find on the sea floor, and then we headed out on the rocky shoreline reputedly an excellent viewing place. At first the only objects we noted were the huge cargo ships moving up and down the seaway channel outside the marine park boundary, a not so subtle reminder of why this protected area was necessary. Then a minke whale broke through the surface only metres from our vantage point, slowly following the shoreline until it disappeared.

The Marine Environment Discovery Centre located just minutes from the park's northeastern boundary at Les Escoumins, acts as the principal location for educating people about the park's aquatic environment and lifeforms. Here you can participate in an underwater dive without getting wet, sitting in a theatre and watching as biologist-divers equipped with a camera and mic go live beneath the St. Lawrence River. Feeling very brave and wanting more, I don a wet suit, mask, snorkel and flippers and dive into the frigid waters. I am shocked, not by the frigid water, but by the colour and variety which I see; starfish, vivid sea anemones, sea cucumber, jellyfish and other marine life.

The Parks Canada Cap-De-Bon-Desir Interpretation and Observation Centre offers a great interpretation of what life we would find on the sea floor

Once you have decided to go whale watching, another place to go is the Marine Mammal Interpretation Centre in Tadoussac, where they keep a daily record of whale sightings. Within the centre is an impressive 13 metre skeleton of a sperm whale as well as a few other smaller whales. There are bones that you can touch and whale sounds that you can listen to, and pictures to help you identify some of the whales you will see.

Inside the Marine Mammal Interpretation Centre is an impressive collection of whale skeletons, including a 13 metre sperm whale.

I study the photos and recognize one of our humpbacks as Tic Tac Toe – so named because of the “X” mark on her tail. Identifying her I must admit to feeling a special affinity to this magnificent creature of the deep.

More Information:

Parks Canada - https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/amnc-nmca/qc/saguenay

Quebec Maritime - https://www.quebecmaritime.ca/en/company/saguenay-st-lawrence-marine-park/activities

Croisieres AML (Whale-Watching Tours) – www.croisieresaml.com

Photos:

All images by Jamie Ross Except Photo #2