So recently we heard that people often see whales off the coast of Deer Island, because of the largest tidal whirlpool in the Western Hemisphere-- and I am soo eager to see whales that it was a must on our list of things to do. We went to Deer Island near the beginning of my stay here in New Brunswick so we knew what it was all about. It also had a campground, so we thought we should make use of our set of camping gear we had acquired and spend a night at Deer Island. That's what we did on Friday---we went looking for grumps. (If you're not sure what I mean by grumps..you should really check out the movie One Week).
We left for Deer Island late afternoon and headed west..(ha..it really does sound like One Week). Anyhow, after we arrived at Letite, NB we took the ferry across the bay to Deer Island.
Deer Island Point Park
Our campground didn't strike us as spectacular...actually I think it was more because of the fact that we were super jaded from the 4 star campground/with heated outdoor pool that we stayed at in Prince Edward Island. This campground had 5 teenage kids running the show (I'm not sure that many were needed but...) they told us to pick any campsite we wanted and to just let them know. Great! Off we went. The only campsite we saw that was half-secluded had a pile of garbage my the garbage can, a fire pit in desperate need of cleaning, a picnic table with one seat missing and grass that desperately needed cutting. But...we stayed in the campsite anyhow. (The next morning, I will add, was when we found a beautiful secluded campsite right beside the water that was exactly what we were looking for. Too bad not one of the 5 youngens could have offered us any such advise).
Once our tent was erected and we had cleaned the fire pit out a bit we cooked hot dogs & cheesburgers (our little grill that goes over the fire is a splendid idea). By the time we were done eating it was already quite late, so we opted to just walk to the water and see what we could find. The moon was shining on the water directly in front of us, and it made for some spectacular photos. I, unfortunately could not get my camera to take any such "beautiful" night shots, but Alexander will put some up from his camera on his blog Steps of Foreign Soil later this week. We admired the view for a few minutes then decided it was time to head to bed. Right when we turned around we heard a snort...like a whale..in the water...AHHH!!!! Maybe grumps is there after all.....
I am going to imagine that was a whale we heard!.Afterall, the next morning other campers did say they heard whales snorting all night.
Once we got back to the tent we realized we had not brought pillows..in our rush to get to Deer Island to spot grumps our camping packing was lacking. Either way, I survived...with minimal sleep. (I have a hard enough time sleeping while camping..let alone without a pillow!) It didn't help that another ferry to Campabello Island starts up first thing in the morning right from the camgrounds and the fog horn must go every few seconds to warn the ferry boat where land is.
Once breakfast was cooked and eaten we decided we should find a spot to look for grumps. The whirlpool is also best to see about three hours before hightide so, we decided to pack up our tent and gear and take our chairs to the edge of the water. There we saw an array of interesting things:
1. Fog is very, very common in and around Saint John...so never forget that it most likely will be around in the early morning and late evening. Heat from inland meets up with the cold water of the ocean and voila--thick, thick fog. The good new for us was that it was already mid morning and the heat was sneaking through, pushing the fog upward. We did end up getting some interesting, but sort of dreary photos, with the fog.
2. Seagulls & Harbour Seals are very smart animals. They know that the fish get caught up in the whirlpool currents and float to the top of the water. When the fish do such an act that equals perfect feeding grounds for those animals. While we sat at the edge of the water we saw anywhere from 3-8 Harbour Seals and more Seagulls feeding of fish than we could count...
Sea Gulls having lunch...
You get the jist...(Harbour Seal & SeaGull)
3. Sea Diving is very common off Dear Island. We saw two sets of different sea divers entering the water in search of interesting things. From what I could hear there are interesting "caves" underwater plus the pull of the currents that offer divers a exhilarating experience in the water. One couple brought up a box full of sea life and allowed on-lookers to take a peek. There were such things as a Sun Star, Sea Urchins, Sea Cucumbers and a Brittle Star. They also said that they found huge crabs and lobsters hiding out in the caves...some bigger than they have seen in that area before.
Sun Star and other sea life...
By about 12:30 in the afternoon the whirlpool had died down and we realized that spotting any large sea mammals this time probably wasn't going to happen. It does seem like the perfect spot to see whales and maybe I will get to see the elusive grumps before we leave the maritimes.
Oh, also...from Deer Island we can actually see Maine, USA...this is a picture for you to see!
Maine is the land you see across the water
at the top(ish) tip of this photo...
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