There are some questions we get asked more often than others, whether it's about whales, the St. Lawrence River, or cruises. So, we've compiled our answers to these questions in this article.
Your questions about whales
What do whales eat?
It depends on the species.
Blue whales feed exclusively on krill, a small crustacean from the zooplankton family. They can ingest up to 16 tons of it per day, which is about 12% of their body weight!
Humpback whales are also fond of krill, but they also feed on small schooling fish, such as sand lance, capelin, and herring.
Belugas, for their part, have a varied diet . They also feed on sand lance and capelin, but seem to prefer bottom-dwelling fish such as cod, hake, and redfish, and they also eat squid, eels, and shrimp. Quite a feast!
Do whales sleep at night?
Not necessarily!
Whales sleep when it's convenient for them, and this can happen at any time of the day or night. When resting, humpback whales do what's called buoyancy : they float on the surface, breathing slowly. These sleep phases can last from a few minutes to a few hours.
On August 16, the captains and naturalists witnessed a rather unusual phenomenon: the six humpback whales present in the area between Tadoussac and Les Escoumins slept almost the entire day. Had the darkness brought a lot of krill to the surface and caused long feeding periods the previous night? Were they taking advantage of a less food-rich day to rest, or perhaps a day when the river was calmer after several days of southwest winds? We'll never know!
Are whales solitary?
It depends on the species!
Belugas are gregarious, meaning they live in groups, depending on their sex and/or age. In summer, if you spot a large herd of several dozen individuals, they are likely females, accompanied by juveniles and newborns. If you observe a small group, there is a good chance they are males.
As for humpback whales, they are considered a solitary species but sometimes gather in groups of two to several dozen individuals. These gatherings can have different functions: hunting, protecting juveniles or perhaps developing social bonds. Indeed, in the St. Lawrence, several humpback whales seem to maintain special bonds, such as Gaspar (H626) and Cocotte (H492) or Guadeloupe (H930) and Katana (H944), which are often observed moving or feeding together.
Your questions about the river
Is the St. Lawrence River deep?
Very deep!
This question comes up a lot, and we love seeing your reaction when we give you the answer. It's almost dizzying to realize you're floating above a 150- or 200-meter-deep abyss!
The St. Lawrence River is a large underwater valley, called the Laurentian Channel, which reaches a depth of 300 meters at Les Escoumins and rises to about 30 meters at Tadoussac (where the Haut-Fond-Prince lighthouse, nicknamed “La Toupie” (The Top) is located).
Are there sharks in the St. Lawrence River? (children's favorite question!)
The answer is “yes”!
There are 11 species of sharks in the river: spiny dogfish, black dogfish, common dogfish, white shark, blue shark, Greenland shark, porbeagle shark, basking shark, thresher shark, shortfin mako shark and chain-linked dogfish.
But the chances of seeing one from a whale-watching cruise ship are slim, if not nonexistent. Unlike whales, sharks don't need to surface to breathe, so they spend the vast majority of their time in the depths of the river. If you want to learn more about sharks, visit the St. Lawrence Shark Observatory website .
Your questions about whale watching cruises
What is the best time of day to watch whales?
It's always a good time to go whale watching!
There's no specific time of day when whales are more or less active. That's why every cruise is different and brings its share of surprises and wonders. That's the beauty of whale watching in the wild!
The only "bad time" for whale watching is when weather conditions (waves, rain, fog, etc.) prevent us from navigating the river safely. That's why we encourage you to spend several days in our beautiful Upper North Shore region . So, if the weather compromises our trip on the river, you can postpone it until later or until the next day.
Are we going to see whales jumping?
It's impossible to know in advance, but... the chances are slim!
Even though social media is full of videos of humpback whales breaching, it remains an exceptional and, above all, unpredictable behavior. To fully enjoy your cruise, be open to what nature has to offer, without preconceived notions or expectations.
All whale behaviors are interesting to observe. A beautiful breathing sequence, which gives you time to appreciate the powerful sound of the whale's blow and to see its body slowly unfurl at the surface several times before diving, may even touch you more than a fleeting jump in the air!
The whale is far away... can we get closer?
And no!
We are sailing in a marine protected area, the Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park, and we have rules regarding distance, speed, and observation duration to follow. These rules are specific to each species based on their conservation status, and it is very important for us to respect them because it allows us to reduce the impact of our activities on the whales that are dear to our hearts.
All boats navigating in the Marine Park are subject to rules (even kayaks and paddleboards). So if you're planning to take your own boat out on the river, make sure you're familiar with the rules by visiting the Whale Habitat Navigating website .
Is there anything else you'd like to know? Let us know in the comments, we'll be happy to answer!
* Photos by Renaud Pintiaux
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