So being a naturalist on a whale watch boat, we get ask a lot of questions, whether it be about the boat, the whales, the Bay of Fundy or of a personal nature. The most common question of a personal nature is whether I'm from Brier Island. The answer to that is no. I grew up in a small community called West Lahave which is on the South Shore of Nova Scotia. It was here that I was first introduced to Brier Island through a local interest program called "Land and Sea" which was produced (And I believe this show still exists) by CBC. The topic that evening was about whale watching with Brier Island Whale and Seabird Cruises, a newly formed whale watch company whose roots stemmed from research of humpbacks in the Bay of Fundy. I was in awe, and was so disappointed that the show was only a half an hour. I vowed that evening, that some day I would go to Brier Island to see the whales!
I was working in Halifax in 1990 when my friend, Paul, invited me to go along with him to Brier Island to watch whales. You can imagine how quickly I jumped at that! We decided to go the first week of July and take in a 1:30 departure. The cost at the time was $30 and I really had to scrounge to come up with the money for the whale watch, accommodation and for my share of the gas money. We both worked at Atlantic Photo Supply in Halifax and we were able to leave the same time on Friday. We stayed at a B&B in Sandy Cove and travelled to Brier Island the next morning. We stopped in at the whale watch office, checking that the departure was still on schedule and sure enough it was and I was pumped!
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| Our whale watch boat, the MV Cetacean Venture |
We got to the boat in plenty of time so we could get a prime seat, behind the Captain of course, knowing that he would keep the whale on the starboard side to be sure of its location at all times. It was a full boat that day and when the last of the passengers were boarded, a naturalist gave an opening speech, pointing out on a poster what whales we may see that day. And then we were off! It was so nice to be out on the water. I really had never been on a boat that much other that a couple of times on the Newfoundland ferry and on several harbour cruises in Halifax Harbour. It was nothing like the Bay of Fundy. I have to admit, I was a bit of a sceptic that day, thinking that we're not going to see any whales. My luck lately, had not been the greatest and I was being a bit of a pessimist. Then Paul said, "I see a spout." My answer was, "Yeah, right!" Of course I didn't believe him. But after a while, I saw it and started doing the thing that I tell our passengers not to do right away, is taking pictures. At that time, taking pictures from a long distance, was an expensive venture as it was slide film, expensive to buy and expensive to develop. No digital cameras then! We got so much closer and I was so excited to see my first whale, a large fin whale. I listened to everything that the Naturalist was saying about them being the second largest whale in the world and that they are also called the "Greyhounds of the Sea" because of their speed. I didn't take my eyes off that whale! And then, it started to surface feed! What a sight! I was really hooked! Eventually it was time for us to return to port and I vowed at that time, that I would return to Brier Island and see more whales! And the rest is history.
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| Fin Whale |
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| Surface Feeding! |
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| Whale Watch tourist visiting the wharf at Digby in 1990 |
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