A week of whales and whale study. While the holiday contributes to the world-wide census of humpbacks and other whales, there is also a strong focus on fun as we hang out with the world's largest gathering of acrobatic humpback whales and enjoy looking at other types of whales too. The holiday features whales, other marine wildlife, exciting days, and comfortable nights in the new world's first city St. John's, Newfoundland.
* Itinerary
- Day 1
Arrive (Sunday) on either July 2, 9, 16, or 23. We meet you at the airport, take you to your hotel, and provide a brief holiday overview. Overnight in St. John's. We stay in St. John's for the entire holiday (unless a dramatic and never-before-seen change in the ocean causes a redistribution of the whales - in which case we go to where the whales are).
- Day 2
An introduction to the whales and marine ecology of the North Atlantic as we take a 2.5 hour boat trip out among members of the world's largest gathering of humpbacks. Minkes, fin whales, dolphins, and lots of seabirds are also featured. The afternoon reviews some of the area's 9000 years of human history and we prepare for our participation in the local census and animal behavior studies. Enjoy a welcoming dinner with the group.
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- Day 3
World-famous whale writer and researcher Erich Hoyt descibes our holidays as so exciting and useful that they should serve as a model that other whale watching companies around the world should follow. Today we spend 6 hours on our own coast guard certified vessel looking at whales. We focus on fluke photography, individual whale recognition, behavioral observations, feeding ecology, and just enjoying the sights.
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- Day 4
Today we go whale watching from the land as we take in some of the range of the world's largest population of humpbacks. One world-calibre stop is a unique feeding beach where we often watch the humpbacks lungefeeding a mere 15 feet from where we are standing. Sometimes they even come closer! A caribou herd and seals usually add to the day's sightings.
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- Day 5
Today we spend another 6 hours on our boat watching the whales and letting them watch us. Typically we see dozens of humpbacks and minkes but fin whales (the world's second largest animal) and dolphins are also frequent sights. In fact there are 20 species of whale found in our waters so we can expect an occasional surprise. Our leader will also discuss the status of Newfoundland's orcas, right whales, sperm whales, and other species of interest.
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- Day 6
Today we further study the richness of the North Atlantic as we journey to the seacliffs found at the continent's 3rd largest (but most spectacular) gannet colony. In addition to the tens of thousands of seabirds with their chicks we typically enjoy some outstanding land based whale watching. From an elevation of 300 feet we watch the whales below us and gain an appreciation of their underwater behavior.
This is one of our planet's most spectacular marine spectacles and we enjoy it without using a boat! Tonight we enjoy a group farewell dinner. As always, our leader will lead discussions on whale biology and ecology. Our leaders have years of applied field experience and have worked with some of the world's best known researchers - so expect some useful insights and some great stories.
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- Day 7
Depart. If you have the time our leader will help you arrange for more whale watching. You can also explore the oldest North American city.
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Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
* Arrive (Sunday) on either July 6, 13, or 19 at St. John's international airport (YYT).
Price includes airport pick up, drop off, meals indicated,and all transportation, accommodations, etc. Tax of 6.5% (13% for Canadians is extra).
The order of events may be rearranged to accommodate the weather or whale distribution.
Also see tour packages in:
Canada
Newfoundland
Wildlife Viewing
Marine Biology
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