How to recognize them? - Baleines en direct

First, you must spot them!

Scanning the water with the naked eye is the best option for covering large swaths of sea. This way, you can use your binoculars to take a closer look if you see anything unusual. Most often, a plume of mist above the water surface from the animal’s exhalation is the first sign that a large whale is present. This plume is called a spout. In clear weather, such plumes can be visible up to several kilometres away! Once you’ve spotted a spout, keep looking in the same direction since you might see the back of this huge animal. As mentioned earlier, every species is different, as is its behaviour. Depending on the type of whale you’ve spotted and what it is doing, you will be able to observe a few more spouts before the animal takes a long, deep dive.

Tip: Stay alert! Every whale must resurface to breathe again and, after a deep dive, the animal can resurface at any place and at any moment. Cetaceans are capable of travelling great distances during their dives.

Now, what species am I seeing?

Minke whale

medium size (6 to 9 m)
black back
spout barely or not at all visible
curved dorsal fin visible almost as soon as the animal appears
we usually see the blowhole at the same time as the dorsal fin
ne montre pas la queue quand il plonge
does not show its tail when it dives
often dynamic: leaps and rolls, clearly exposing white or pink parts. A breaching minke whale can be distinguished from a humpback by its smooth fins.

Fin whale

large size (18 to 21 m)
back almost black
powerful and often visible spout (4 to 6 m high)
dorsal fin clearly visible when the animal dives
generally does not show its tail
sometimes alone or in pairs, often in groups of three to six individuals in tight formations
we first see the spout, then the blowhole, then the back and then the dorsal fin

Fin whale called Zipper © GREMM

Blue whale

large size (20 to 25 m), the biggest of all
bluish-gray or light gray back
powerful spout that can be seen and heard up to several kilometres away (6+ m high)
wide blowhole forming a bump on its head
tiny dorsal fin
typically solitary, but occasionally in pairs
approximately 15% of St. Lawrence blue whales show their tails when diving
you can count few seconds before seing the end of the back

Humpback whale

medium size (11 to 13 m) between that of a minke whale and that of a fin whale
black back
balloon-shaped spout (nearly as wide as high), may reach 3 m high.
small dorsal fin on a hump
generally shows black and white tail when it dives
often dynamic: breaching, lobtailing, slapping of pectoral fins (very long, white or black)

North Atlantic right whale

medium size (10 to 17 m) between that of a minke whale and that of a fin whale
black back and yellow, white or orangish callosities on upper head
V-shaped spout (two very distinct jets, the orifices of the double blowhole being widely spaced apart), 5 m high.<
no dorsal fin
no ventral grooves
the right whale is a very slow swimmer

Sperm whale

medium size (11 to 18 m) between that of a minke whale and that of a fin whale
gray, black or brownish back
distinctly angled spout (the blowhole is offset well to the left side of the head), 3 m high.
bump-shaped dorsal fin that appears at the same time as the spout
sometimes shows its dark, triangular-shaped tail when it dives

Beluga

small size (3 to 5 m)
brief surface appearances, easily mistaken for cresting waves
adult entirely white
spout barely or not at all visible
often in groups
CAUTION! It is forbidden to approach a beluga. If a beluga approaches your watercraft, you should move away from it as quickly and calmly as possible.