Kathy Eastmond's Whale Watching in Tadoussac, Quebec

We had five days between meetings here in NY, drove 400 miles into Quebec with our camper and stayed in Tadoussac. Took our inflatable boat out for two days and saw these whales. We were at the mouth of the St. Lawrence River and the Atlantic Ocean so the water was salt with ten foot rise and fall in the tide. Minke Whale, measures 8 to 10 meters in length and weighs between 8 to 10 tons. It has a dark back, the belly is white and we can see its dorsal fin as soon as it comes up to the surface. Its spout can reach 2 meters in height. It is most of the time solitary and its movements are unpredictable. Diet: small fish and krill. Gray Seal, measures 2 - 2.25 meters and weighs 0.2 - 0.4 ton. Also called horse head seal. Lives in groups along rocky coasts. Diet: fish, mollusks and crustaceans. Beluga Whale, measures about 4 meters in length and weighs approximately 1 ton. Light brown at birth, it turns bluish gray then white as an adult. Diet: varied - mollusks, worms, fish, squid... Humpback Whale, measures up to 15 meters in length and weighs around 30 tons. Very spectacular. Its back is dark gray, its pectoral fins are white and are the longest appendices of the animal kingdom. Humpback Whale spout, shaped like a balloon, which makes it easily recognisable.