How To Find Icebergs and Other Natural Wonders in Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador is one of the best places in the world to see icebergs. But, in a province with 29,000 kilometres of coast line, what is the best way to find icebergs in Newfoundland? And when?
Every year, huge pieces of ice break off of 10,000-year-old glaciers in Greenland and Canada’s arctic. Then they come floating down the northern and eastern coasts of Canada’s easternmost province. It was one of these icy giants that sank the Titanic, just 400 miles from Newfoundland’s coast.
These amazing bergs don’t hang around for long though. Eventually, they break up or melt. So, if you’re planning a trip, you’ll want to scope out the scene in advance to make sure you find icebergs in Newfoundland.
And, if you’re really lucky, Mother Nature will send some other natural wonders your way.
Where and when to spot icebergs
Fogo Island
According to Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism, the most popular places in Newfoundland to see icebergs are St. Anthony, La Scie, Twillingate, Fogo Island, Change Islands, Bonavista, St. John’s, Cape Spear, and Bay Bulls or Witless Bay.
It can vary in any given year, but the icebergs usually pass by in spring to early summer. The best time to see them is typically in late May to early June.
It just so happens that June is when 22 species of whales come to feed off the coast of Newfoundland. Ideal viewing times are usually mid-to-late June through August. That’s a bonus I was hoping for when I visited in mid-June.
Tips to find icebergs in Newfoundland
Bonavista
Sometimes, the icebergs just hang out and photo bomb your shot like this one.
Other times, you have to go looking for them. Fortunately, there are a number of tools to help.
On my visit to Newfoundland, I checked IcebergFinder.com to get the latest scoop on iceberg locations. Local folks and visitors post to the site with exact locations and photos of the icebergs. To be even more certain that an iceberg is still in the same place as reported on Iceberg Finder, you can send a direct tweet on @icebergtweets. That’s how I found a jaw-dropping beauty on the coast of Fogo Island.
Another good source of information is the Facebook page Newfoundland Iceberg Reports.
But if you really want to see icebergs, up close and personal, you should go to the experts.
The Iceberg Man
Captain Cecil Stockley is the guy that started the first iceberg boat tour company in Newfoundland. For the past 33 years, he’s been taking passengers from his dock in Twillingate to view the huge mountains of ice.
Captain Cecil’s boat is specially designed to manoeuvre around the icebergs. He takes a maximum of 20 guests out hunting for icebergs and other natural wonders, and that’s one of the reasons that Canada Tourism has designated his tour as a “signature experience”.
Twillingate is on the north eastern coast of Newfoundland in an area known as “Iceberg Alley”. It’s common for hundreds of icebergs to drift offshore near Twillingate in a summer. Of course, it is always the luck of the draw and, this year, when I visited, there weren’t many icebergs in Iceberg Alley.
But the Icebergman found one.
It was not a massive iceberg, but when you consider that 90 per cent of it is under the ocean surface – – it was big enough.
Captain Cecil drove around it a few times to give us the best views of its impressive polished surface, even pausing for photo ops. No wonder they make ice cubes (and beer) out of this 10,000 year old ice.
Seals and whales and eagles, oh my!
Even though it’s called the “Iceberg Man Tour”, it isn’t all about the icebergs. Captain Cecil has a knack for spotting wildlife.
It was great fun to see a pod of seals happily swimming along, some of them even doing the back stroke. (Who knew?)
Thar she blows
But it was even more exciting when Captain Cecil spotted whales – – first a couple of minke whales, and then two humpbacks.
He followed them along, keeping a safe distance for them and for us, as they fed along the coast line.
What a magical experience when you could see, and hear, the whale surface and exhale through their blowholes. Such large, yet graceful animals, it’s something I’ll never forget.
We saw one of the whales take a deep dive and show us its tale only once. If you take a whale watching tour, I recommend a good zoom lens (about 300 mm) because the boats aren’t permitted to get too close to the whales. I got the shot (sort of), but wished I had had a stronger zoom lens.
Not only that, but Captain Cecil was determined to move the boat into position so we could get a photo of the iceberg and the whale. That was my bonus. Two for the price of one adds up to a priceless experience.
Before winding up the tour, Captain Cecil showed us an eagle’s nest. And if you look really closely, you can see one of the chicks in the nest – – something I had never seen before. It helps when your boat captain has eagle eyes himself!
Icebergs are a big highlight in Newfoundland because of their massive and majestic beauty. But as the Iceberg Man showed us, there are plenty of natural wonders in Newfoundland.
Fogo Island
More Information:
Tour details: See Iceberg Man Tours
Where to stay in Twillingate: Iceberg Alley Bed & Breakfast
Tourism Information: Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism
To bring: Warm clothes (layers are best), and a good zoom lens for your camera (300 mm is ideal). See these zoom lens options
Suggested Reading: Fodor’s Nova Scotia & Atlantic Canada: with New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland (Travel Guide)
Travel Bliss Now received a complimentary tour from Iceberg Man Tours, but my opinions are entirely my own.
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I love that there are website and twitter feeds dedicated to finding icebergs haha! Also Captain Cecil’s tours look incredible, you are lucky to have been able to spot icebergs as well as wildlife! I would love to see a wild whale one day.
Thanks so much Anna. We were all so excited to see the whales gliding along. That was a bonus!
Wow. Amazing place and your photos are spectacular, especially that one with the eagles and the nest
Thank you so much Rhonda. I would have loved to have had a stronger zoom, but you can’t really take a bad picture in Newfoundland.
It would be amazing to see an iceberg in person some day. I didn’t realize it was an iceberg that the Titanic hit. It really puts into perspective how massive and powerful they are.
Thanks Candy! Since most of the iceberg is under water, they are much, much bigger than what we actually see. That’s why it’s important to have an experienced guide if you go out on the water to see them.
Really nice photos! Im going to Iceland in a week time, excited to see iceberg for the first time !
Thank you Jeremy! Iceland is just gorgeous, and has some similarities to Newfoundland’s landscape. You will love it.
Newfoundland is beautiful! And the icebergs look gorgeous with all that green in the foreground. I’ll admit I’m a little surprised to hear that you can see icebergs in the summer too.
Thanks Mohana and Aninda! Yes, the end of May and June is the best time to see them because that’s when they break off and float down from the Arctic.
Oh what a beauty the photo where the iceberg photobombed it! 🙂 I’ve never really thought of spotting icebergs from the coastline, I always thought of it as a boat activity. But looking at the sea and suddenly noticing an iceberg sounds like a magical experience. I would love to go on a tour with captain Cecil, as one of lifelong wishes is seeing whales in the nature! Also, the website reporting on the location of the icebergs is genius!
Thanks so much Anja. In a year, where there are lots of icebergs, it is common to see them from shore. But, there is nothing like seeing them up close on a tour with the Iceberg Man!
I absolutely love this post – but I do not know whether to be excited or disappointed: we are heading to New Foundland this autumn as part of our trans-Canada road trip, but fear that it is the wrong time of year to see the icebergs from what you have said. Captain Cecil sounds amazing. Hopefully he will be doing tours in the autumn because I am definitely going to be searching him out. I clicked on the link but could not tell whether tours are conducted year round. Thank you for this.
Thanks Jane! Unfortunately, there are unlikely to be icebergs in the fall, but there is still a lot of wildlife and beautiful landscape to see. I think Captain Cecil runs his tours until the end of September.
How interesting to learn there are certain locations where ice bergs are easier to be spotted. And how clever to have a tracking system for people that are interested! The boat trip sounds like a fantastic experience as well! Its just a shame we are loosing out glaciers to begin with.
Thank you Kreete. Icebergs off the coast of Newfoundland has been a spring time phenomenon for a long time, but there is no question that global warming is having a very concerning impact on the glaciers.
Oh, my I just want to say that I am totally envious that you have been able to see icebergs that look and sound amazing. To be honest I have not heard of Newfoundland but it is now on my bucketlist for sure, just so inspirational for me. Btw I loved that you also saw Whales in the wild as well that is definitely another thing I would love to see. Great pictures and post.
Thanks Mel! Newfoundland has some of the most incredible landscapes, natural wonders and friendly people that you can find.
Finding icebergs sounds so damn interesting! Captain Cecil’s tour is spectacular with those whales playing by. I am afraid the icebergs will all disappear till I save money to explore this part of the world.
Thanks so much! It was a spectacular tour, and another great thing about Newfoundland is that it’s a reasonably affordable place to visit.
What is the best time of year to see puffins in New Foundland
The best time to see the puffins is from mid-May to September. See: https://www.travelblissnow.com/where-to-see-puffins-in-newfoundland-canada/
FYI… In order to have icebergs there is several things that play a part, first you need to have the ice to break off the glaciers, then you need lots of slab ice to keep the berg frozen as it makes it’s way down to Newfoundlannd. Not every year has ice bergs, this year (2021) we won’t have any, as we didn’t have a cold winter, and no slab ice, also global warming plays a huge part. do your research first, I have lived here for 20 years and have only seen bergs maybe 5 times.
Thanks. This is a good point that there is no guarantee of seeing icebergs every year due to factors like climate change.