This past week, I received a CD from one of our regular whale watchers and friend which documented her many whale watching experiences here on Brier Island and throughout North America. In her notes, she commented that no matter which whale watching cruise she was on, the common phrase seemed to be that every trip is different. And that is so true, especially here in the Bay of Fundy where we have been visited by varying species of cetaceans, the most common being; fin, humpback, North Atlantic right, and minke whales as well as Atlantic white sided dolphins, Atlantic white beaked dolphins and harbor porpoises. We never know what is going to appear on any given day, or the quantity for that matter. Hence, in the introduction to our whale watch, I always use that key phrase, "Every trip is different!" Over the years, we have been visited by a beluga whale, sperm whales, blue whales, pilot whales and also orcas.
Well, my different trip happened in 1991, when a lone Beluga whale made an appearance along the shores of Long and Brier Island. We were just heading home from a very successful whale watching cruise and we spotted something white travelling in the water. At first, the Chief Naturalist thought it was an albino seal and we kept going by it. Myself and another volunteer, who were posted on the bow that day, watched the "seal" behind us as we slowly moved away. I insisted that we turn around and have a better look because even though I was new, I knew that it just didn't look like a seal. As we got closer, the crew identified it as a beluga whale, a species that belongs further north. We only saw it on that day but it was something that I have never forgotten.
