Whale-watching tour in Tadoussac: a wet and wild adventure

Ice-cold water in my shoes and bright orange overalls that are three sizes too big – that’s not really how I had pictured the whale watching tour in Tadoussac. But that is exactly the genuine experience when you choose a Zodiac to get close to the giants of the St. Lawrence River. Tadoussac is considered one of the best places in the world for whale watching.

Preparation: Fashion Faux Pas for a Good Cause

The meeting point for the whale watching tour in Tadoussac is at a cabin near the harbor. There, you first sign the attendance list and fill out the consent form. Fortunately, this is offered in several languages, so you actually understand what you are signing.

About 30 minutes before the official start, it was time to hand out the clothes! We were briefly sized up and then handed huge, bright orange overalls and an even larger orange jacket. My objection that the pant legs were a good 15 cm too long was dismissed with a knowing smile. Sure, there are smaller, but also tighter clothes. However, that would be extremely uncomfortable during the tour, and I should just keep them on – or so the answer went. Oh well, roll up the pant legs and trust the process!

Once everyone was dressed, we headed to the harbor. The large ship, which is also used for tours, and the Zodiac were docked there. We were assigned seats in the Zodiac, which we were not supposed to leave during the whale watching tour in Tadoussac. Then it was time to cast off, and we learned that we would be picking up more passengers on the other side of the Saguenay Fjord in Sainte-Catherine.

The Zodiac Adventure: Sea Spray Included

Even on this short trip to the other pick-up station, I was thankful for the waterproof clothing. The wind had whipped up the waves on the St. Lawrence River a bit that day, so the boat rode over the crests of the waves, sending the water spraying violently.

After the remaining guests had boarded, we found out how the whale watching tour in Tadoussac would proceed. The plan is always to ride on the river towards the coast. Then you drift on the water for a while and keep a lookout for the whales. If you are lucky and a marine mammal shows up, the boat follows it at a respectful distance for a while so that you can hopefully experience a few sightings. Depending on the schedule, a short detour into the Saguenay Fjord can then be made, where with a little luck, you can see more animals.

But for now, it was a matter of holding on tight, packing everything away waterproofly, and putting on the hood. The captain tore across the St. Lawrence River in the Zodiac for about 20 minutes. The water splashed over the low side of the boat. My shoes were completely soaked in no time – good thing we had spare shoes at the hotel (it actually took 4 days for them to dry completely). But it wasn’t just my feet that were wet. The water gradually found its way through the “waterproof” clothing.

When the captain slowed down, I looked around the river. There were several Zodiacs and a large whale watching ship in the immediate vicinity, drifting on the water. Now it was time to “keep your eyes peeled” and observe the water’s surface. The whale watching boats don’t use tracking devices to spot the animals. So no one knows exactly if there is really an animal nearby.

Marine Biology Live: The Underwater Buffet of Tadoussac

While we waited, a guide explained to us why the whales can be observed right here and which whales swim into the river in the first place.

There is a very practical reason why whales come to the St. Lawrence River (especially near Tadoussac) in such large numbers: It is a giant underwater buffet. Where the Saguenay Fjord flows into the St. Lawrence River, there is an enormous topographical anomaly: the bottom of the St. Lawrence River rises abruptly here.

The cold, salty, and very deep currents from the Atlantic (the Labrador Current) hit this obstacle and are pushed upwards. This process is called upwelling. Through this rising of the deep water, huge amounts of nutrients and plankton are brought to the surface. At the same time, the freshwater of the Saguenay Fjord brings a different temperature and a different salinity. Together with the tides, a kind of current barrier is created that literally traps tiny crustaceans (krill) and small fish (like capelin or herring) there. For the whales, it’s like being locked in a room full of food.

Which Whales Can You Observe?

There is a fascinating variety of whales in the waters around Tadoussac and in the St. Lawrence River. A distinction is usually made between the permanent residents and the “seasonal guests” who only drop by to eat.

Beluga (White Whale): Resident year-round. They are small (up to 4.5 m), completely white, and have no dorsal fin. They are known as the “canaries of the sea” because they are very vocal. In the Saguenay Fjord, they live in an isolated, threatened population.

Minke Whale: Very common in summer and autumn. At about 6 to 9 meters, it is the smallest of the baleen whales in this region. They are very agile and curious. Often you only see their dark back roll out of the water briefly.

Fin Whale: A regular summer guest. It is the second-largest animal on earth after the blue whale (up to 20 meters long!). It has a very high, powerful spout and an asymmetrical coloring on its lower jaw (white on the right, dark on the left). It is extremely fast.

Humpback Whale: The tourists’ favorite. Known for its giant white pectoral fins. It is the “show star.” Humpbacks love to jump and almost always show their impressive tail fluke when they dive deep.

Blue Whale: A rare guest, mostly seen from August/September onwards. The largest animal that has ever lived on earth (up to 30 meters). When a blue whale surfaces next to a small Zodiac, you finally realize how gigantic it is; its back seems to go on forever.

Occasional Visitors: Harbor porpoises (very small, often confused with dolphins, but very shy), blue sharks, or basking sharks can also occasionally be seen.

Eyes Peeled: The First Sighting

I admit, it was a bit boring at first to stare at the water and see NOTHING. You didn’t know where to look either; the animal or animals could be anywhere.

Then, suddenly, a Zodiac started moving. Our captain started the engine and followed at a distance, and then I heard a “look there,” and someone pointed in a direction. The water had rippled a bit, and you could actually see an air-water spout rising very slightly. A whale had just come up to the surface to breathe.

Now we knew – at least one animal was swimming around near us. Now the “staring at the water” made a bit more sense. We had a rough idea of what to expect. And indeed, over the next half hour, the animal surfaced to breathe multiple times, and we were even able to see its dorsal fin and its entire back.

Based on the fin, our guide could tell that it was a fin whale. Did you know how long whales can stay underwater? We always had to wait around 5 minutes before the animal resurfaced. However, this whale species is said to be able to stay underwater for up to 15 minutes.

For me, it was an indescribably beautiful experience just to see the dorsal fin of the marine mammals. Sure, I would have wished for animals jumping out of the water that you could also photograph perfectly. But having the opportunity to see an animal at all was absolutely worth all the water in my shoes.

The Peaceful Finale in the Fjord

After a while, it was time to “move on,” and we headed back to the Saguenay Fjord. There we sailed between the high rock walls on the water towards the inland. As soon as we moved away from the St. Lawrence River, the temperature changed.

It got warmer, the wind disappeared, and the water was very calm. We spotted seals on a rock that had been warmed up a bit by the sun. Our boat carefully moved a little closer. The animals didn’t let themselves be disturbed and looked at us with their big, round googly eyes.

Finally, we headed back to the harbor. We got out of the boat, and I don’t think there was anyone who wasn’t satisfied and happy. With squeaky, wet shoes, we walked back to the starting point of our whale tour in Tadoussac. Only when taking off the “waterproof” clothing did I realize that it apparently wasn’t really waterproof. I was soaked to the bone. Good thing our hotel wasn’t far away and we could take a hot shower there.

What an indescribably beautiful experience!!!

Visitor Information

Croisières AML Ticket Offices

In Tadoussac (Main Location)

• Address: 177, rue des Pionniers, Tadoussac, QC G0T 2A0, Canada
• Important note: The Zodiac boarding often takes place at the so-called “Cale sèche” (dry dock), which is only a short walk from the ticket office.

In Baie-Sainte-Catherine (Opposite Side)

• Address: 159, Route 138 (also known as Route de la Grande Alliance), Baie-Sainte-Catherine, QC G0T 1A0, Canada