Life in Newfoundland, Newfoundsander
August 18, 2016
Back in August 2011, I went on a zodiac tour of the cliffs below Spout Path, it was great!
After arriving at O’Brien’s in Bay Bulls all the passengers were sized up by the captain and fitted with bright orange safety suits, which felt very hot on this blue-sky summer’s day.
The small vessel we boarded was called the Kingfisher, and soon enough it bolted away from the docks, onto the Atlantic Ocean, where every one of the eight passengers was treated to a generous amount of cold seawater that blew over the bow and straight into our grinning faces. The orange suits sure came in handy at this point!
After a lively trip over the waves the boat made a beeline for the coast and brought us to the Spout, the peculiar freshwater blowhole this part of the East Coast Trail is so famous for:
The Spout, as seen from the water – Spout Path
Several Spout-eruptions later the boat turned south and continued along the coast at a leisurely pace, giving us a great look at all the familiar landmarks and quite a few new ones. The many sea caves and sea arches in particular were new to me, because you can’t really get a proper look at those from the trail:
Sea cave below the trail – Spout Path
A delicate sea arch, almost invisible from the trail above – Spout Path
Captain Brian expertly navigated cave after cave, some were so small the vessel would hardly fit but it always worked out somehow. Entering the caves was always accompanied by moving through a curtain of water dripping from the cliffs above, and often there were large jellyfish in the water and young kittiwakes watching us from their nests.
Inside one of the many sea caves along the coast – Spout Path
Lion’s mane jellyfish – Spout Path
Sea Stack Cove – Spout Path
As we passed the enormous sea stack in Sea Stack Cove we were joined by three bald eagles soaring overhead, each of them complaining about our presence, as eagles always do:
Bald eagle at Sea Stack Cove – Spout Path
Another beautiful sea arch – Spout Path
After viewing another dozen coastal marvels the boat shot into gear again, racing over the ocean surface and soaking us all over again. Even with the shower of salty spray dousing us, I couldn’t help but smile throughout the whole thing.
Near the Bull Head Light we slowed down for a brief encounter with a whale, but it didn’t give us much to look at aside from a few flicks of its tail. That’s quite alright Mr. Whale, this time I came for the scenery
After three hours on the water we made it back to the harbour, where I was happy to get out of my crazy suit, what a perfect day on the water!
View full article Newfoundsander.
*Note we have changed a few things with the tour since 2011 but the beautiful scenery remains the same. We now offer this 90 minute tour in our Kingfisher vessel, an open aluminium speedboat which reduces the amount of sea spray.
Learn more about our Coastal Adventure- Kingfisher Tour.
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