Cape Breton Island-whale watching question

NightTraveler wrote:
We went with capt Mark out of Pleasant Bay. It was a great experience. We saw plenty of whales and some other wildlife as well. The crew was informative, relaxed and genuinely excited to show us their beautiful waters. Above all, they were also safety cautious. You can't go wrong!

Thank you!

We went with capt Mark out of Pleasant Bay. It was a great experience. We saw plenty of whales and some other wildlife as well. The crew was informative, relaxed and genuinely excited to show us their beautiful waters. Above all, they were also safety cautious. You can't go wrong!

Outstanding: thank you!

We went up to te tip of the island and stayed at the Hideaway Campground at Dingwall in 2012. Nice place, some sites up the hill have wonderful views, and you can buy fresh local oysters and other seafood at the office.

We asked about whale watching, and they recommended Capt. Fraser and his boat Oshan, out of nearby Bay St. Lawrence. We went that afternoon about 4 pm before sunset and it was terrific. Very fair price, too, with a senior discount. Under $25, which I thought was a bargain. Lots of whales, right alongside the boat. A memorable experience, and a first for us, too.

We saw Pilot whales at two places when we went to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia back in 2008. We visited the lighthouse at Cape Enrage, NB and saw the whales out in the Bay of Fundy. On Cape Breton we saw whales in the Northumberland Strait from a hill adjacent to MacLeods Beach Campground. In both cases the whales were offshore and binoculars or a spotting scope were needed to see them well. The fact that we couldn't predict where they would next surface made seeing them more difficult.

IMO seeing whales includes luck in being at the right place at the right time.

spud1957 wrote:
I stand to be corrected but I don't think there's any place you can see the whales from land. There are many whale watching excursions by boat.

S

Thank you for the info. We weren't sure how it was done in Cape Breton as this will be our first trip there. We've never done whale watching before either. It's been decades since we had a trip of 'firsts' and this one will be full of them.

I stand to be corrected but I don't think there's any place you can see the whales from land. There are many whale watching excursions by boat.

S