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KILLER VIEW, JOHNSTONE STRAIT. PHOTO: GARY LUHM
PLACES
LOCAL EXPERTS REVEAL THE BEST PLACES TO SEE WHALES
CETACEAN VACATIONS
SAGUENAY QUEBEC SPECIES: BELUGA, MINKE, FINBACK, BLUE, HUMPBACK SEASON: JULY TO MID-SEPTEMBER
The Saguenay St. Lawrence National Marine Park protects two distinct components: the Saguenay Fjord with steep walled cliffs, brackish wa- ter, strong currents, 15-foot tides and ghostly white beluga whales; and the St. Lawrence River estuary with ice cold saltwater, 13-foot tides and minke, blue, finback and humpback whales. Camp at Marine Paradise near Les Escoumins and daytrip along the St. Lawrence coast toward Les Bergeronnes (22 km) and Tadoussac (40 km), or explore the fjord from Anse de Roche. Several companies provide guided trips, including a lodge-based excursion with Caribou Expeditions (
www.caribou-ex-
peditions.com). Due to tidal conditions and currents, only experienced paddlers should venture on their own.—Mike Petzold
THREE CAPES OREGON SPECIES: GRAY SEASON: MARCH TO AUGUST
Every winter, 18,000 gray whales head from the Bering Sea to birthing la- goons in Mexico. In March and April they truck north again, hugging the shore to protect their young from hungry great white sharks and orca. The Three Capes—Cape Meares, Cape Lookout and Cape Kiwanda—pro-
24 ADVENTURE KAYAK | SPRING 2012
trude into their path. During peak migration, 30 whales go by every hour. There are no guided trips: this is exposed coastal paddling. For Meares, launch at Oceanside and paddle north; for Lookout, launch at Cape Look- out State Park and head south; for Kiwanda, launch at Pacific City and head north. Kiwanda is the friendliest; Cape Lookout, with a challenging launch and tide rips, is the most advanced.—Neil Schulman
BAY OF FUNDY NEW BRUNSWICK SPECIES: FINBACK, HUMPBACK, MINKE, RIGHT SEASON: MID-AUGUST TO OCTOBER
Begin your day with a half-hour ferry ride to Deer Island at the mouth of the Bay of Fundy. En route to Campobello Island’s picturesque East Quoddy Head Lighthouse, paddle among small islands sheltering per- fect lunch stops. Monstrous finback, playful humpback and diminutive minke whales feed in these waters and up close encounters aren’t uncom- mon. If you are really lucky, you may even see an endangered North At- lantic right whale—gentle giants whose global population numbers just 470 individuals. After a break on Campobello, it’s back to Deer Island for the 5 p.m. ferry back to the mainland. —Doug Scott
JOHNSTONE STRAIT BRITISH COLUMBIA SPECIES: ORCA, HUMPBACK, MINKE SEASON: JULY TO EARLY SEPTEMBER
Johnstone Strait, along the northeast inside passage of Vancouver Is- land, is the preeminent location in North America for viewing orcas, or killer whales. During the summer salmon run, some 200 resident orcas pursue the spawning fish through the two-mile-wide strait. Launch at Telegraph Cove, where you can rent kayaks or join a guided trip from veteran outfitters like Sea Kayak Adventures (
www.seakayakadventures. com) and North Island Kayak (
www.kayakbc.ca). To maximize sight- ings, paddle a half-day east to Kaikash Creek, keeping inside the kelp line to avoid disturbing the whales. Set up camp here for prime viewing near the Robson Bight Ecological Reserve, a no-paddle zone famous for its orca rubbing beach.—Gary Luhm For guidelines on how to view whales safely, read “Dances with Whales” (Adventure Kayak, Summer 2008) at
www.adventurekayakmag.com/0032.
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