Brier Island Whale and Seabird Cruises

Brier Island Whale and Seabird Cruises Brier Island's Original & #1 chosen Whale Watch. Dedicated to research and education. An experience second to none!

Brier Island Whale and Seabird Cruises is in its 39th year in business and 41st year of cetacean research. Brier Island Whale and Seabird Cruises is in its 36th year in business and 38th year of research!! Join a scientific survey with Brier Island's Original whale watch as we explore the Bay of Fundy ! it will be an experience that you will never forget! Dedicated to research and education since 1984! Brier Island's Original and #1 Chosen Whale Watch!

Tuesday September 24, 2024 Mega Nova 1:30 pm Cruise PhotosHumpback whales sighted on this cruise were: Littlespot, Kalim...
09/25/2024

Tuesday September 24, 2024 Mega Nova 1:30 pm Cruise Photos

Humpback whales sighted on this cruise were: Littlespot, Kalimba, and Badge.

Brier Island Whale and Seabird Cruises operates in compliance with whale watching guidelines. Photos posted here were cropped and taken with a 100-400mm lens.

Data and photos are contributed to the North Atlantic and Gulf of Maine Humpback Whale Catalogs.

We encourage our guests to submit their ventral fluke photos to Happywhale.com

Monday September 23, 2024 Mega Nova 1:30 pm Cruise PhotosHumpback whales sighted on this cruise were: Littlespot, Kalimb...
09/24/2024

Monday September 23, 2024 Mega Nova 1:30 pm Cruise Photos

Humpback whales sighted on this cruise were: Littlespot, Kalimba, Badge, Lagoon, Pierce, and Bottleneck.

Brier Island Whale and Seabird Cruises operates in compliance with whale watching guidelines. Photos posted here were cropped and taken with a 100-400mm lens.

Data and photos are contributed to the North Atlantic and Gulf of Maine Humpback Whale Catalogs.

We encourage our guests to submit their ventral fluke photos to Happywhale.com

Saturday September 21, 2024  1:30pm Mega Nova Cruise PhotosBrier Island Whale and Seabird Cruises operates in compliance...
09/23/2024

Saturday September 21, 2024 1:30pm Mega Nova Cruise Photos

Brier Island Whale and Seabird Cruises operates in compliance with whale watching guidelines. Photos posted here were cropped and taken with a 70-300mm lens.

Data and photos are contributed to the North Atlantic and Gulf of Maine Humpback Whale Catalogs.
We encourage our guests to submit their ventral fluke photos to Happywhale.com

Saturday September 21, 2024  9:30am Mega Nova Cruise PhotosBrier Island Whale and Seabird Cruises operates in compliance...
09/23/2024

Saturday September 21, 2024 9:30am Mega Nova Cruise Photos

Brier Island Whale and Seabird Cruises operates in compliance with whale watching guidelines. Photos posted here were cropped and taken with a 70-300mm lens.

Data and photos are contributed to the North Atlantic and Gulf of Maine Humpback Whale Catalogs.
We encourage our guests to submit their ventral fluke photos to Happywhale.com

Due to the wind forecast, the Captains have come to the difficult decision to cancel all cruises for tomorrow, Sunday, S...
09/21/2024

Due to the wind forecast, the Captains have come to the difficult decision to cancel all cruises for tomorrow, Sunday, September 22nd which includes the Mega Nova and the Zodiac.

We are very sorry for the inconvenience but your safety is our number one priority.

Staff will be reaching out to our guests to confirm. If you do not hear from us, please reach out to confirm the cancellation of your tour. 1-800-656-3660 or email [email protected]

Thursday September 19, 2024 1:30 pmPhotos from the Mega Nova Whales sighted on this cruise were: Baton, Sunburst, Collis...
09/20/2024

Thursday September 19, 2024 1:30 pm
Photos from the Mega Nova

Whales sighted on this cruise were: Baton, Sunburst, Collision, Kalimba, Littlespot, Lagoon, and Badge

Brier Island Whale and Seabird Cruises operates in compliance with Canada's whale watching guidelines. Photos in this set were cropped and also taken with a 100-400 mm zoom lens.

Data and photos are also contributed to the North Atlantic and Gulf of Maine Humpback Whale Catalogs.

Our guests are encouraged to submit humpback fluke photos to Happywhale for more information about that whale.

Thursday September 19, 2024 9:30amMega Nova PhotosHumpback whales sighted on this cruise were: Kalimba, Littlespot, Badg...
09/20/2024

Thursday September 19, 2024 9:30am
Mega Nova Photos

Humpback whales sighted on this cruise were: Kalimba, Littlespot, Badge, Lagoon, Badge, Baton and Sunburst

Brier Island Whale and Seabird Cruises operates in compliance with Canada's whale watching guidelines. Photos in this set were cropped and also taken with a 100-400 mm zoom lens.

Data and photos are also contributed to the North Atlantic and Gulf of Maine Humpback Whale Catalogs.

Our guests are encouraged to submit humpback fluke photos to Happywhale for more information about that whale.

Tuesday September 17, 2024 1:30 Mega Nova Cruise ReportWe woke up to fog this morning. It had rolled in very thick overn...
09/18/2024

Tuesday September 17, 2024 1:30 Mega Nova Cruise Report

We woke up to fog this morning. It had rolled in very thick overnight but the sun was shining through it by the time the crew met at the boat and we were hopeful that we might have some visibility out on the water when we left the dock.
Whales have been staying in an area well offshore lately but we were happy to hear that they’d moved up a bit closer when Petit Passage Whale Watch let us know that they’d found three just below northwest ledge. Even better, as we approached them for a look, the fog was steadily clearing and we could see for several miles.
The whales were a small group that have been spending a lot of time together this summer, Kalimba, Littlespot and Badge. We got to watch them spend a bit of their time running their rostrums up through seaweed that was floating at the surface, appearing to enjoy the sensations of it on their skin. We then got to enjoy one of our favourite behaviours called a close approach. All three of the whales swam towards us and, with the boat shut down, we were able to watch them swim under and alongside us.
There was another single whale that we’d noted in the distance and it eventually decided to join the trio causing Badge to tail breach a few times. This whale was identified as Hopper and, when we left them, he appeared to have successfully joined the group despite Badges objections!

Photos in this post were taken with a 70-300mm lens and in compliance with whale watching regulations. Photos and data are contributed to the Gulf of Maine and North Atlantic humpback whale catalogues.
We encourage our guests to submit their ventral fluke photos to Happywhale.com

Monday September 16, 2024 1:30pm Mega Nova Cruise ReportYesterdays cruise found us in an area quite far from where we ge...
09/17/2024

Monday September 16, 2024 1:30pm Mega Nova Cruise Report

Yesterdays cruise found us in an area quite far from where we generally find whales and today we were very near the same spot.

Our first sighting was a humpback identified as Sunburst. At first, he was taking longer dives but, after a little while, he began staying up much better. During one dive he surprised us with a little tail lob and then startled everyone by surfacing directly at our stern.
During the stretches of time while we’d been waiting for Sunburst to resurface we began noticing water flying into the air in an area a couple miles below us. It was quite a ways from us and we were already a long distance from shore but, after noticing the whales were slowly heading towards us, we decided to go see who they were.
We were very happy to find Sockeye and Memorial. Both of these humpbacks are crew favourites and today they headed straight for us in a behaviour we call a close approach. With the boat shut off, we got to watch Sockeye roll over onto his side and lift his pectoral fins up into the air. He stayed alongside us for a long while and Memorial gave guests at the stern and on the port side an idea of how large these humpbacks are as well. After giving everyone a great look at his famous underbite, his pectorals and ventral pleats, Sockeye headed away from us with Memorial following closely behind.
There weren’t as many birds during our trip as we’ve been seeing lately. We did get to watch a few northern gannets, some small groups of phalaropes and Pascal spotted a great shearwater but the pelagic species seemed to be elsewhere today.

The photos in this post were taken with a 70-300mm lens and in compliance with whale watching regulations. Photos and data are contributed to the Gulf of Maine and North Atlantic humpback whale catalogues.
We encourage our guests to submit their ventral fluke photos to Happywhale.com

Sunday September 15, 2024 1:30pm Mega Nova Cruise ReportThis afternoons cruise started with the whales we saw on the mor...
09/17/2024

Sunday September 15, 2024 1:30pm Mega Nova Cruise Report

This afternoons cruise started with the whales we saw on the morning trip, Kalimba, Littlespot and Badge.

After some great looks at this trio we headed off to a pair in the distance but were briefly slowed down when we began to see dolphins and then were surprised to see a humpback surface amongst them! Sometimes, when dolphins are so near a whale it will stay down for long dives but we ended up getting quite a few good looks at Lagoon, as well as an interesting sighting of a grey seal having a meal, before moving on.

The pair of humpbacks that we’d been heading too ended up being identified as Sunburst and Scream. Scream spent a few minutes being curious around the boat, including spyhopping for a better look at us to the delight of everyone aboard.

There were also quite a few birds during the cruise, including norther gannets, puffins, phalaropes and shearwaters. The whales, today, were in an area quite far from shore and during the long trip back in many of our guests were happy to watch murmurations of phalaropes. These tiny birds seem to be so attuned to the birds flying in their immediate vicinity that, as soon as a neighbouring bird changes direction, they do too. It is fascinating to watch and quite relaxing as well!

Photos in this post were taken with a 70-300mm lens and in compliance with whale watching regulation. Photos and data are contributed to the Gulf of Maine and North Atlantic humpback whale catalogues.
We encourage our guests to submit their ventral fluke photos to Happywhale.com

Sunday September 15, 2024 9:30 am Mega Nova Cruise ReportWe woke up to a beautiful, calm day and we were excited to be b...
09/16/2024

Sunday September 15, 2024 9:30 am Mega Nova Cruise Report

We woke up to a beautiful, calm day and we were excited to be back out on the water. We had cancelled the previous afternoon cruise due to the weather conditions at the time. We heard reports of whales further down the Bay and Captain Eddie decided to head in that direction. Everyone's eyes were on the horizon, scanning for blows. As we got closer to the area, we could see whales in the distance and we grew excited at the prospect of seeing those whales. As we approached, we could see the dorsal fins of the three humpback whales and immediately identified them as Kalimba, Littlespot and Badge, a faithful trio who have been together for quite some time in 2024. Our head naturalist, Shelley recalled that the same three were together in 2018 as well. We don't really understand the social behaviours of humpback whales but with these long term associations, we can only make assumptions. Do they recognize each other? We like to think that they do.

Brier Island Whale and Seabird Cruises operates in compliance with Canada's whale watching guidelines. Photos in this set were cropped and also taken with a 100-400 mm zoom lens.

Data and photos are also contributed to the North Atlantic and Gulf of Maine Humpback Whale Catalogs.

Our guests are encouraged to submit humpback fluke photos to Happywhale for more information about that whale.

A visit from the orca, Old ThomSeptember 12, 2024 Photos in this post were taken with a 100-400mm lens and in compliance...
09/13/2024

A visit from the orca, Old Thom
September 12, 2024

Photos in this post were taken with a 100-400mm lens and in compliance with whale watching regulations. Photos and data are contributed to the Gulf of Maine and North Atlantic humpback catalogues.

Thursday September 12, 2024 1:30 pm Mega Nova Cruise ReportTwo humpbacks and Old Thom, the lone killer whale!This aftern...
09/13/2024

Thursday September 12, 2024 1:30 pm Mega Nova Cruise Report

Two humpbacks and Old Thom, the lone killer whale!

This afternoon our guests were treated to a visit from Old Thom, the killer whale who visits our area at least once each season. We knew that he was across the bay previously but we were waiting for the day that he would find his way here. We had watched Tusk and Bungee earlier and Captain Trevor received a call from Captain Craig of Petit Passage Whale Watch that he had found Old Thom on his way back to port. There was no question, we were going to go see him!

He was travelling southwest and as we watched him he would roll on his side and show us his huge pectoral flipper and did this as he swam toward the boat. Shortly after his approach, he took a deep dive and was gone. We did see him surface but decided to leave him alone. On a side note, as is the case most times when we see this whale, there were many dolphins in the area, but this time, he was not travelling with them.

Photos in this post were taken with a 100-400mm lens and in compliance with whale watching regulations. Photos and data are contributed to the Gulf of Maine and North Atlantic humpback catalogues.
We encourage our guests to submit their ventral fluke photos to Happywhale.com

Thursday September 12, 2024 9:30 am Mega Nova Cruise ReportIt was a calm, clear day as we set off on our first cruise of...
09/13/2024

Thursday September 12, 2024 9:30 am Mega Nova Cruise Report

It was a calm, clear day as we set off on our first cruise of the day. As usual, we set off toward Northwest ledge and were greeted by a number of diving Northern gannets. We continued southwest along the rip searching for spouts. Finally, we got a call from Captain Sean who was on the zodiac and he had spotted a humpback. WE got some great looks at Sockeye who was travelling west and leading us further from home. Needless to say we were a bit late getting into port from our morning trip!

Photos in this post were taken with a 100-400mm lens and in compliance with whale watching regulations. Photos and data are contributed to the Gulf of Maine and North Atlantic humpback catalogues.

We encourage our guests to submit their ventral fluke photos to Happywhale.com

Wednesday September 11, 2024 1:30pm Mega Nova Cruise ReportThis afternoon we started our sightings with three humpbacks ...
09/12/2024

Wednesday September 11, 2024 1:30pm Mega Nova Cruise Report

This afternoon we started our sightings with three humpbacks from the morning cruise. Bungee had joined in with Littlespot and Kalimba and they were travelling along fairly steadily against the tide. The took a few fluking dives and it was wonderful to hear how excited guests were to get tail photos.
After a while, we began seeing spouts out on Northwest Ledge so we headed out there where we found Sabertooth. We got some good looks at him but he did stay down for a while whenever he dove. While he was down we were kept amused by diving gannets!

Photos in this post were taken with a 70-300mm lens and in compliance with whale watching regulations. Photos and data are contributed to the Gulf of Maine and North Atlantic humpback catalogues.
We encourage our guests to submit their ventral fluke photos to Happywhale.com

Wednesday September 11, 2024 9:30am Mega Nova Cruise ReportIt was another bright, beautiful September morning when we se...
09/12/2024

Wednesday September 11, 2024 9:30am Mega Nova Cruise Report

It was another bright, beautiful September morning when we set out onto the Bay of Fundy.
The whales were, once again, not far from the island and we were happy to find Bungee, to start. Captain Trevor got a call from owner Captain Harold Graham who was watching for whales from shore. He let us know he could see several whales below where we were so we set off in search of them. The first pair we found were Littlespot and Kalimba then we set off towards our zodiac where they were watching Sockeye. Before we got there we found Memorial and Sabertooth and we noted that Sockeye was heading away and taking longer dives so we decided to stay with this pair. We got some great looks at these two humpbacks and Memorial surfaced at our stern at one point, dove under us and then surfaced near the bow.
There were also lots of pelagic birds again today, including phalaropes, shearwaters, northern gannets and razorbills!

Photos in this post were taken with a 70-300mm lens and in compliance with whale watching regulations. Photos and data are contributed to the Gulf of Maine and North Atlantic humpback whale catalogues.
We encourage our guests to submit their ventral fluke photos to Happywhale.com

09/12/2024

We are watching old Thom the lone orca right now! We will post photos later!

Tuesday September 10, 2024 1:30pm Mega Nova Cruise ReportThis afternoon found us heading out to Northwest Ledge again. A...
09/11/2024

Tuesday September 10, 2024 1:30pm Mega Nova Cruise Report

This afternoon found us heading out to Northwest Ledge again. A couple of boats above us had some whales but Captain Trevor decided to see who we could find elsewhere. He was hearing that the whales were staying down for extended dives and hoped we might find one that was staying near the surface a little better.

It wasn’t long before a humpback named Lagoon was spotted. He wasn’t staying at the surface overly long but was not hard to observe overall and, when he was down, there were a lot of pelagic birds to watch. There were plenty of phalaropes and puffins (including a group of 6) and we even caught a glimpse of a seal who was busy with its lunch!

After a decent observation of Lagoon it was decided to head up to where there was a pair of humpbacks. Trevor was hearing that the other boats were getting done with their sightings and we were curious who they had seen. It turned out to be Littlespot and Kalimba, who have been travelling together for quite a while now. Not long after starting to watch this pair, we began to see dolphins appear on every side of the boat. Lots of them were far off but some were fairly near and there were several who headed straight for the humpbacks. The pair took a deep dive and they were down for quite a while. We had just begun to explain that dolphins sometimes appear bothersome to whales and their presence can prompt longer than usual dives or, other times, cause interesting surface behaviour when one of the whales launched itself into the air in a breach, shortly followed by the second one! After this, the whales began tail lobbing and then flipper slapping. It was incredible to see and the crew was excited as our guests to watch!

Photos in this post were taken with a 70-300mm lens and in compliance with whale watching regulations. Photos and data are contributed to the Gulf of Maine and North Atlantic humpback whale catalogues.
We encourage our guests to submit their ventral fluke photos to Happywhale.com

Tuesday September 10, 2024 9:30am Mega Nova Cruise ReportWhen we set out on this mornings cruise it was under overcast s...
09/11/2024

Tuesday September 10, 2024 9:30am Mega Nova Cruise Report

When we set out on this mornings cruise it was under overcast skies and with the fog, that had closed in overnight, hovering in the distance. The sea state had flattened out quite a lot since yesterday, although there was still a little roll.
Captain Trevor spotted the first humpback, Mr Burns, about halfway between the island and northwest ledge. He was travelling slowly into the tide so he wasn’t making a lot of headway but he was easy to observe and, after some good looks at him we headed out to see if we could spot any other whales.
We’d just reached an area called ‘the Frenchmans Elbow’ when Trevor spotted our next whale who flipper slapped a few times as we approached. Just before we reached this whale, who was identified as Sockeye, another humpback was spotted not far from us. This whale, Bungee, ended up joining up with Sockeye for a few minutes before continuing on its way and we decided to stay with Sockeye for a few more looks before moving on to see if anything else could be spotted on northwest ledge.
On the ledge, we saw lots of pelagic birds. During the trip there were hundreds of phalaropes, a few great shearwaters, puffins, two razorbills and a couple of fantastic skua sightings!
We didn’t see any other whales out on the ledge but, on our way back to shore, we did stop for a look at our fourth humpback named Sedge.

Photos in this post were taken with a 70-300mm lens and in compliance with whale watching regulations. Photos and data are contributed to the Gulf of Maine and North Atlantic humpback whale catalogues.
We encourage our guests to submit their ventral fluke photos to Happywhale.com

Monday September 9, 2024 1:30 pm Mega Nova PhotosHumpback whales sighted on this cruise were: Ibex (Mr. Burns), Kalimba,...
09/10/2024

Monday September 9, 2024 1:30 pm Mega Nova Photos
Humpback whales sighted on this cruise were: Ibex (Mr. Burns), Kalimba, and Littlespot.

Photos in this post were taken with a 100-400mm lens and in compliance with whale watching regulations. Photos and data are contributed to the Gulf of Maine and North Atlantic humpback whale catalogues.

We encourage our guests to contribute their ventral fluke photos to Happywhale.com

Monday September 9, 2024 9:30 am Mega Nova PhotosHumpback whales sighted on this cruise were: Kalimba, Littlespot and So...
09/10/2024

Monday September 9, 2024 9:30 am Mega Nova Photos

Humpback whales sighted on this cruise were: Kalimba, Littlespot and Solas

Photos in this post were taken with a 100-400mm lens and in compliance with whale watching regulations. Photos and data are contributed to the Gulf of Maine and North Atlantic humpback whale catalogues.

We encourage our guests to contribute their ventral fluke photos to Happywhale.com

Sunday September 8 2024 1:30 Mega Nova PhotosWhales sighted on this cruise were: Solas, Kalimba, Littlespot, Badge, Grem...
09/09/2024

Sunday September 8 2024 1:30 Mega Nova Photos

Whales sighted on this cruise were: Solas, Kalimba, Littlespot, Badge, Gremlin, Sockeye and Patchwork

Photos in this post were taken with a 100-400mm lens and in compliance with whale watching regulations. Photos and data are contributed to the Gulf of Maine and North Atlantic humpback whale catalogues.

We encourage our guests to contribute their ventral fluke photos to Happywhale.com

Sunday September 8, 2024 9:30 am Mega Nova Cruise ReportBecause our cruise were cancelled the previous day, we were anxi...
09/09/2024

Sunday September 8, 2024 9:30 am Mega Nova Cruise Report

Because our cruise were cancelled the previous day, we were anxious to get back out on the water to get an idea as to which whales were still hanging out in our area. The seas were still a little bumpy from yesterday's wind and there was some lingering fog in the harbour but as we got out into the open bay, we noticed that the visibility got better so that we could see spouts. It wasn't long until we did spot a couple individual whales. The first whale we tried to watch was Circlet. We noticed a second spout and this whale was a little more cooperative even while feeding, Sedge wasn't staying down very long.

Owner Harold Graham, often spends his days at various points on the island where he likes to spot whales for us from shore. He had spotted some spouts just off Seal Cove and we went to investigate. The whales were easily spotted and as we approached, we noticed three whales and soon the number turned into four! Kalimba, Littlespot and Badge were together on the last day we were out and today they were joined by Solas.

Photos in this post were taken with a 100-400mm lens and in compliance with whale watching regulations. Photos and data are contributed to the Gulf of Maine and North Atlantic humpback whale catalogues.

We encourage our guests to contribute their ventral fluke photos to Happywhale.com

Friday September 6, 2024 1:30pm Mega Nova Cruise ReportThe wind, today, was calm and the sea state was flat. It was perf...
09/07/2024

Friday September 6, 2024 1:30pm
Mega Nova Cruise Report

The wind, today, was calm and the sea state was flat. It was perfect conditions for our afternoon cruise.

As we set out onto the Bay, with Captain Eddie at the wheel, we passed a boat watching some sleeping whales. Just as we passed by, the whales woke and dove very qu**ky prompting us to caution our guests to keep their cameras up and handy as that rapid a dive often signals a breach. Sure enough, moments later, a humpback was in the air! Following that, the whale started to tail lob which is also very interesting to watch.

Continuing away from these whales, we spotted two more who took a deep dive and stayed down a while so we headed down to where our zodiac captain was watching a group of four humpbacks. We were very happy to introduce our guests to Sockeye, who was one of the four whales.
For most of this season we’ve been noting that Sockeye has been fairly elusive. Shelley, who has observed this whale every year for over two decades, has noticed that he hasn’t seemed to be as curious as he usually is. When we’ve heard he’s been in the area and had a look at him he’s mostly been on the move and disinterested in boats.
Today, Sockeye decided that he was going to check out the Mega Nova and he (and his friends) surfaced alongside us. Eddie shut down the boat and we drifted with them for a long visit (the whales get to dictate the length of our sighting, in this case, as we cannot start the boat until they move away from us). We record this behaviour as ‘close to boat’ and we call it a close approach.

When we begin a trip with a breach and tail lobbing we often worry about how the rest of the trip will compare – figuring it will all seem very tame after that… We didn’t have to worry today! Sockeye was so close that getting photos of him became difficult without changing the camera lens. Another of the humpbacks spyhopped alongside us and we even saw a second breach during a later sighting!

It was an incredible trip and we recorded lots of whales in the area, including Lagoon, Gremlin, Badge, Sockeye, Littlespot, Sunburst and Kalimba as well as additional humpbacks in the area that we didn’t get close to.

Photos in this post were taken with a 70-300mm lens and in compliance with whale watching regulations. Photos and data are contributed to the Gulf of Maine and North Atlantic humpback whale catalogues.
We encourage our guests to contribute their ventral fluke photos to Happywhale.com

Thursday September 5, 2024 Mega Nova 1:30 pm Cruise ReportThis morning, our team set off on a short research cruise with...
09/06/2024

Thursday September 5, 2024
Mega Nova 1:30 pm Cruise Report

This morning, our team set off on a short research cruise with Captain Harold at the helm. He wanted to look for whales at a place that we hadn't been able to go to during our regular whale watching cruises. In the past, McDormand's Patch was a place that whales congregated due to the abundance of feed and because we had been seeing whales in St. Mary's Bay recently, he wanted to investigate. Unfortunately on that cruise, the only whales we documented were two humpbacks but they were located in the usual area, on the nearby ledges to Brier Island. We knew the first one, Bowline but we weren't able to get an ID on the second.

For our 1:30 pm cruise, Co-Captains Trevor and Eddie decided to go toward the ledge and we're glad we did. We spotted a huge splash in the distance and decided to head toward it. Typically, whales will cease this activity once we approach but that wasn't the case today. We were able to identify the whale as Blanco, a whale that is known for being active. He continued to breach and flipper slap and even when we left him, we could still see his splashes as we were watching a group of 3. Those three were identified as Kalimba, Littlespot and Badge.

Photos in this post were taken with a 100-400mm lens and in compliance with whale watching regulations. Photos and data are contributed to the Gulf of Maine and North Atlantic humpback whale catalogues.
We encourage our guests to submit their ventral fluke photos to Happywhale.com

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223 Water Street
Digby, NS
B0V1H0

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Our Story

Did you know that Brier Island Whale and Seabird Cruises is in its 35th year in business and 37th year of research? In fact, we are the second longest whale watch contributor to the Gulf of Maine humpback whale catalog curated and managed by the Center for Coastal Studies. Research and education has always been a very important component of who we are.

It all started in 1984, when researchers arrived to Brier Island to investigate reports of whales in the Bay of Fundy. Those researchers from Allied Whale at the College of the Atlantic, asked several fishermen on the wharf whether they would take them out on the Bay to see those whales. One of those fishermen was Harold Graham, who at the time was taking students out on the Bay to see the whales but also on fishing cruises. He invited those researchers along and they were able to capture photos and collect the data that was needed. One of those researchers returned the following year in 1985, with another who ran a whale watch on the eastern coast of the United States. He talked to Harold about starting a whale watch of his own that could be used as a platform for collecting data on humpback whales, using part of the revenue from that whale watch to fund the research. Even at that time in 1984 and 1985, people were wanting to go out to see the whales.

Brier Island Whale and Seabird Cruises began operating as a whale watch company in 1986, making us the longest running whale watch in south western Nova Scotia. Data and photographs are still collected on every one of our cruises and contributed to long term research projects. We are also a proud supporter of Fundy East Whale Rescue Team which was founded by our Chief Naturalist and Research Director, Shelley Lonergan who has over 30 years experience studying humpback whales.

Also on our cruises are naturalists that are knowledgeable of the marine life including the many cetaceans, (Whales, dolphins and porpoises) that inhabit the Bay of Fundy. We also have Marine Biology students who help to provide an educational cruise.