You had to have known that sooner or later I was going to go all cold and icy in one of my post-Newfoundland stories.
Even without the story of the Titanic, icebergs are fascinating. They take upwards of 3 years to drift down from the Arctic into the shipping lanes of the North Atlantic off the coast of Newfoundland.
The best chance of viewing one of these great slabs of ice is in the late spring and I accidentally chose the best year in 35 years for iceberg viewing .
It’s not because of climate change as one might think.
Apparently, Newfoundland had been experiencing brisk winds, above normal, from the east. Instead of the majority of icebergs drifting far out into the Atlantic as they normally would, the east winds had been causing an unusual number of them to be pushed towards the coastline.
This was a bonus for us. It meant that up until our last day, we were seeing icebergs everywhere we stopped … or it could mean we stopped everywhere we saw icebergs. Either interpretation works.
A grey foggy background doesn’t provide a very dramatic backdrop for an iceberg compared to a close-up on a sunny day.
We had only one chance for that and it was the day we took a boat ride out to the Witless Bay Ecological Reserve where thousands of marine birds nest … including the adorable little puffin.
This iceberg was rocking erratically and the captain of our boat believed it was going to roll in the water. We were actually a safer distance away from it than this photo might suggest.
I was hoping to catch some dramatic footage of this iceberg flipping over but to my profound disappointment, it just continued to bob and pitch like a drunk teenager on Saturday night, and we eventually moved on.
We learned a lot about icebergs on this boat trip however some of it was inconsistent with definitions I later found by other sources. I’m going to use the definitions provided by Environment and Climate Change Canada.
I think most people know that only 10% of an iceberg is actually viewable above the surface of the water. This has something to do with icebergs being freshwater and having a different density than seawater … but this is science-y stuff that I tend to gloss over.
To classify as an iceberg, the slab of ice needs to be at least 5 metres (16 feet) above sea level. If it’s less than 5 metres, it’s called a bergy bit and these are actually much more problematic for marine traffic because they are more difficult to detect and track.
As bergy bits melt, the smaller chunks that break off are called growlers. These are defined as chunks of ice measuring only a metre (3 feet) above the surface.
This trip did not sated my desire to see icebergs. I knew when I chose St John’s as my target destination it wasn’t going to be the best location for viewing these frozen giants but I had to make compromises with the time available.
I’m already dreaming of a return trip someday to the northern shores of Newfoundland for more iceberg hunting.
Great pictures, Joanne…heard from the Badass that you were the intrepid iceberg hunter! It looks like you were there when it was still chilly!
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I think chilly and icebergs kind of go hand-in-hand 🙂 We were prepared for it!
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I loved my trip to Newfoundland some 20 years ago. I was there in June, and there were icebergs right in the bay near St. John’s. We climbed Signal Hill, and made an excursion to Cape Spear. We also went to see the nest sites of some rare sea birds that nest in cliffs by the sea, but I no longer remember where it was or the type of bird.
Jude
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You’re probably thinking about the puffin and I”m guessing you went to the islands in Witless Bay where there is a sanctuary.
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Somehow this post landed in my spam folder. 😦 Icebergs are so cool. We saw some when I went to Alaska with my sister many years ago. Stunning pictures!
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hahaha! Not the first time I’ve been called spam 😉
Icebergs are simply awesome and I can’t wait until I get a chance to see more!
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wow, wow and wow! Such beautiful natural sculptures. (Just recently I read a book at library Story Time that featured a puffin. I didn’t know until I read the book that a baby puffin is called a puffling…so cute).
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I didn’t know about pufflings! Just the word itself is adorable, just like the little bird itself ❤️
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Ohhh…I loved this! I haven’t seen icebergs before, but I think I’d be as excited as I was the first time I saw snow (okay, maybe much, much more excited!).
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Seeing icebergs made me feel outright giddy. They are pure magic 🙂
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It must be bizarre to be up close to these things. I’m so not an Arctic creature but the sight sends shivers, doesn’t it? Literally, but very beautifully too. Sounds like an awesome trip, Joanne. 🙂 🙂
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But icebergs are worth every bit of cold!!
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😨 xx
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I love the vision I have of you two suddenly veering off the road to gaze at and photograph Icebergs!
I’ve never seen one in person. I can only imagine how exciting it would be to see one. Their blueness is amazing.
I’m looking forward to reading more about your adventure with Deb.
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I had read about how blue they were but it never quite prepares you for the reality.
I’m still wearing a happy glow from this trip!
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[…] more stories about our trip, please visit Joanne’s blog here, here and here or mine here and […]
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Love the photos of the icebergs and the two of you! You both exude so much joy. Boiling here in the heat of Viet Nam and these icebergs seem more appealing than ever. Thanks for all the tidbits and iceberg education!
Peta
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‘Exuding joy’ pretty well described us every day of this trip. I couldn’t have asked for a better travelling partner on this trip and we both left Newfoundland reluctantly.
The closest I get to an iceberg now are the ice cubes in my water bottle 😏
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I’ve never seen an iceberg so these are pretty amazing. I can only imagine how fast the car came to a stop when you saw that white speck out in the water. You ladies certainly had an amazing adventure. 🙂
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The relaxed pace of the province made it so easy for us to suddenly stop and pull over whenever the mood possessed us. In Toronto this erratic driving behaviour would likely have caused numerous accidents 😉
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That’s interesting! And the photos are beautiful 🙂
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Thanks 🙂 It was a wonderful excursion! I’d do it again in a heartbeat.
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Now I am confused. Wasn’t the Titanic sunk by hitting an iceberg? And wasn’t the Titanic cruising the ocean? So how could an iceberg, which is a fresh water phenomenon, have sunk a ship that was in the ocean?
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Icebergs are massive ‘walls’ of ice that slice away from a glacier … which is fresh water. The fresh water icebergs then drift out into the North Atlantic where they eventually melt as they float south.
That passage of ocean from Greenland along the eastern coast of Newfoundland is known as Iceberg Alley.
The Titanic hit an iceberg in Iceberg Alley.
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How fascinating! Many thanks for explaining this, Joanne.
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It’s interesting, isn’t it? … in a terrifying kind of way!
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It really is interesting. Now I can “WOW” my grandchildren with this story.
.
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Wow…I had no idea about any of this…my experience with icebergs comes from Jack and Rose and James Cameron 🙂 I even thought icebergs were saltwater…but of course it makes sense that they are fresh water…fantastic post, Joanne.
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I think James Cameron did a great job of bringing the Titanic’s journey to life. Icebergs are not to be underestimated!
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It seems mother nature knew you were coming on an iceberg hunt given that it is the best year in 35 yrs to view icebergs! Isn’t it funny how the more we travel, the more we want to travel? Great post Jo!
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So true, Lynn. The more I scratch that itch, the more I want. It continues to prove what an amazing world we live in.
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I enjoyed seeing your dueling blog posts! That photo of the iceberg in Witless Bay is really great. We could use a few those in Houston about now!
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Hehehehe….dueling blog posts! Why do I suddenly hear banjoes?
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Let me guess – it’s really hot there! We seemed to go straight from winter to summer this year. Meanwhile in Newfoundland it’s still really chilly!
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Very COOL post, JS! Thanks for sharing a few tidbits and bergy bits!
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Who can resist a bergy bit or two? 😉
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Very cool, pun intended! Love the iceberg science almost as much as the name: Witless Bay. Only in Newfoundland, eh? 😂
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So true. Some of the names in Newfoundland are hilarious 😆
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Hi Joanne, I have had goosebumps just waiting patiently for “the Iceberg Edition.” I enjoyed reading Deb’s post and I was looking forward to reading more. “Peeled off the road” major lol. I can see the wind in the still photos. Considering you gloss over science stuff, great fascinating information. The last iceberg I saw was outside of Juneau. I may have to resurrect the photos from that trip. Your iceberg excitement is contagious. Thank you for sharing:)
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We were a pretty comical pair. She teases me about my iceberg fascination but I’d say she was just as smitten 🙂
Alaska and Yukon have both been on my radar since the TV series Northern Exposure. I loved that show. Now that I think of it, I wonder if it’s in rerun somewhere so I can watch it again.
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I have not seen Northern Exposure. I will look for it. Alaska, Yukon well worth it:)
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OMG, you too? I am one of the only people I know that remembers that show. I have the entire series on DVD. The first few seasons came encased in little parkas.
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I was smitten by all the booze made out of iceberg water.
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Plus I am a HUGE fan of Northern Exposure – have all the DVDs. How did I not know this about you, Joanne?
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Of course you are! Why am I not surprised that we would both be big fans of this show? 😉
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We are both lovers of all things quirky AND outdoorsy, clearly!
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Someday we will have to compare our quirky lists. I want to make sure there’s nothing worthy out there that I’ve missed and need to catch up on 😉
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Sounds like a plan!
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You were lucky! I think it’s best to stay a distance from drunken teenage ice bergs 🍺
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hehehe!
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The last photo is very beautiful. I can’t say icebergs have featured heavily on my ‘must see’ list, but I do like seeing wildlife programmes from the Arctic region.
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Unfortunately, with icebergs comes cold. The two are rather inseparable so I can see how that wouldn’t rank high on your to-do list 😏
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Bergy bits and growlers sound so comical, and yet they could be so dangerous! The iceberg in Witless Bay has a very pretty, shell-like shape.
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I agree that the names are ‘cute’. It kind of reduces their danger factor when in fact it’s quite the opposite.
I too thought that hollowed-out iceberg was very interesting. I suspect it might have had only another day or two as it was drifting south. It was already breaking apart.
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Wow! Those icebergs are amazing! Great pictures!
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Thanks! This was a very unique experience. I thought I could simply check this item off my must-do list, but it seems it’s only made me want to see more.
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Sometimes the things you least expect have the biggest impact! Many years ago I took a trip to Brazil on a lark and I enjoyed it more than I expected. There’s a lot of history down there.
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I agree. Sometimes having little to no expectations is the best 🙂
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How did you find the ride on the boat in Witless Bay? Looking forward to your puffin post.
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I was good with the boat ride. I’ve been known to get seasick, but on this day I loved the rocking of the boat over the waves and the roar of the wind. The water was very deceiving. It appeared to be calm but the waves were much more pronounced than I expected. It was an experience that made me feel alive.
Puffins= ❤️
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We went out of Bay Bulls on a sunny July day and were pitched up and down and side to side by the wild waves. Gravol was my friend that day – but it was fun! We saw no whales but so much bird life including the adorable puffins it was worth the turbulence.
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I sympathize because normally that would be me too. We had so much fun on that day!!
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Dear Joanne,
growlers are dangerous because of the radar doesn’t show them. Well, icebreakers are able to handle them but they can sink yachts. When I went on a zodiak to have a proper look at icebergs (North-Greenland) there was always the danger that they will flip around which causes a kind of tsunami which is quite dangerous for such small boats. The flipping around is caused by melting which changes the centre of gravitation.
Thanks for your article 🙂
Have a happy week wishing you
The Fab Four of Cley
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
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Wow! You’ve been to Greenland! I would love to go there someday!!
I hadn’t considered the ‘tsunami’ affect but it makes sense. A respectful distance is always a good idea. Nature can be unpredictable.
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Dear Joanne,
well, I survived several Arctic expeditions 😉 If you are into icebergs the north of Spitsbergen is fine but if you make it over to East Greenland you will be astonished how many and how big icebergs you see there.
I can highly recommend going to Greenland, especially NE Greenland – well, the Scoresby Sound is far north enough, if you are not into real expeditions. It’s the greatest travel experience I have ever had.
Wishing you a happy day
Klausbernd
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Thanks for the advice. I wouldn’t have guessed the east coast. I would have thought the Gulf Stream would make it more temperate like western Iceland.
Excursions to Greenland are horribly expensive – at least from here – but I can wish and dream that hopefully someday ….
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Unfortunately they are. I could only go because I went with expeditions. Unfortunately, now I am too old. No expedition would accept me any more.
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Just before I go to a talk about landscape photography (although I don’t photograph, I haven’t even a camera).
At the east coast of Greenland there goes the East Greenland Current (EGC) down south. This is a cold, low salinity current and therefore you find the biggest icebergs of the Northern hemisphere there.
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WOW! Thanks for sharing this!
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Beautiful, i am jealous. i was planning to go this year but changed to go to Gaspe.
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ooooo – Gaspe is on my list too! I’m told it is very rugged and beautiful.
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yes, I have been wanting to go for a long time. tried twice but was so rainy and foggy, I gave up. Fingers crossed, I get decent weather.
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I resigned myself to the fact that Newfoundland is just rainy and foggy and hoped for the best.
We prepared for the worst and as it turned out, the weather was very cooperative and didn’t start raining until mid-to-late afternoon every day.
The fog was just weird. It would be sunny and foggy at the same time – or sunny then suddenly thick fog and back again. I’ve never seen anything like it!
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Yes, I am from Cape Breton, I know exactly what you are describing. It looks like Gaspe may be cool but not too rainy. Long ranger anyway. As I get closer to Friday I will know more. Cheers
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Gorgeous photos. That must have been fun to see.
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Nature. No crowds. It was perfect … well chilly, but beautiful!
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Bergy bits and growlers. Who knew? I’m with Ally Bean–we sell growlers of beer, here. And fresh water….obviously I know nothing about icebergs. Fascinating stuff, Joanne.
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I was introduced to beer growlers a couple of years ago. Funny, it was the first thing I thought of when I heard about iceberg growlers 🙂
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I am tickled to read that the elements conspired to deliver on the icebergs!
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I’m so grateful to Mother Nature for delivering on this one!!
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Fascinating. All I can do is imagine and gawk. Even the bergy bits are cool to me! I can’t wait to see more!
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“Bergy bits” sounds like such a derogatory term. What a mean way to give an iceberg a complex!! 😉
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Well, that’s exciting and not at all weird to someone who chases Bluebonnets and tulips. I checked out your buddy’s post also. Incredible photos from the two of you.
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hahaha! I can relate to chasing flowers 🙂 I’ve been known to race up and country roads looking for lilacs to harvest for bouquets. For some reason, city people don’t like you to cut their trees 😉
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Really enjoyed this adventurous trip and the bergy bits about icebergs, Joanne. Great photos, too.
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Thanks Jet. So happy to have you along 🙂
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And you had to know that we’ve been waiting for this post. I like the sciency stuff, but I can look it up. Great photos, Joanne. I’m glad you picked such a good time to go.
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I thought of you when I mentioned the science stuff 🙂 It was enough for me to know it was a fresh vs salt water thing but somehow I just knew you were going to be looking for more 😆
Come to think of it, do most people even know that icebergs are not salt water?
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Probably not. Back in the 1970s, there were people proposing to tow icebergs into the Middle East as a water source.
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I’m assuming some sciency guy pointed out that there wouldn’t be anything left long before they reached the Strait of Gibraltar.
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Icebergs are freshwater! Huh, this I didn’t realize. The only growlers I know are for beer so clearly my science-y knowledge is limited. Your photos are beautiful.
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Funny – I just finished commenting that I wondered how many people didn’t know icebergs were freshwater. To be honest, it was one of those pieces of info that made me go ‘ooooh yeaaaah’ from the deep recesses of my memory.
I only learned a couple of years ago about beer growlers. Interesting that the word growler is used for something both big and small.
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Beautiful. I’ve seen plenty of growlers, while visiting glaciers, but would love to see an iceberg one day. Maybe I’ll put this on my bucket list, then book a cruise on the Titanic II:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titanic_II
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hmmmm – any project that involves multiple delays over several years and disputes among the parties involved doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence for success.
I think glaciers are pretty awesome too – like land-based icebergs 😉… which come to think of it, they kind of are.
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I had heard of growlers, but I never knew what they were. And “bergy bits”! I love it!
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I thought they were joking about the bergy bits and was surprised to read that it was a real term 🙂
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Hah! I just posted about our trip and your insatiable lust for icebergs!!!!
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hehehe – we continue to be on the same wavelength! 🙂
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Fantastic photos! And impressed to see the two of you looking like rugged, fearless adventurers.
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We ARE rugged, fearless adventurers 🙂 … who happen to require clean bathroom facilities, a warm comfortable bed at night, a few glasses of something to reminisce over, and a well cooked meal on a regular basis 😆
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