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Swimming with whales

By Frances MacKinnon

Get up close with a humpback in Newfoundland.

Photo: Tom Conlin / Wild World Images, Inc.

In the inky waters of the Atlantic, three slick black bodies slip silently from a boat, disappear under the surface and stay completely still ­– almost invisible except for a tiny glimmer peeking above the water. They wait. The only noise is the quiet, steady rumble of the boat’s engine.

"It’s called a soft water entry," says Tom Conlin.

These are the feeding grounds of the humpback whale (also known as the singing whale), about 5 km (3 mi) off the craggy coast of Newfoundland. A pair of humpbacks could be coming by any second, and the three wet-suited whale watchers are poised for the thrill of a lifetime.

Tom Conlin is an 18-year veteran of face-to-face whale encounters. Having spent literally thousands of hours in the water with them, he's developed a kind of sixth sense.

I can relate. For many years – I'm going to say 11 –I've had a recurring dream. In the dream, I am looking up at streaming sunlight from below the surface of the deep blue, all serene and otherworldly, watching sea life swirl around me as I swim fearlessly beside a whale five times my size. Conlin is the owner/operator of Aquatic Adventures, a licensed captain and free diver whose personal best is four minutes and 18 seconds on just one breath. And if you want to swim with a whale in the wild, he's your man.

"It’s hard to explain", he says, his voice softening. "It’s hard to describe what these encounters are like. You look at that four-inch round eye, and it's like they’re all-knowing. They're so peaceful, and you look at them and you're just blown away. You think that whale is looking just at you."

Thousands of humpbacks hit Newfoundland’s coast in July or August to fatten up before their winter migration. The sight of a 45-ton animal flinging itself completely out of the water or swimming on its back never gets old. An avid naturalist, Conlin enforces a few rules on his weeklong adventures. For starters, he's adamant about respecting the animals’ territory: "The whales have to come to you." And sometimes that can mean hours of patiently waiting in the boat for them to get comfortable enough and close enough to check things out.

While Conlin’s day-trippers wait and watch, an unexpected supporting cast offers thrills. "From the boat, you see puffins all over the place... You can jump underwater to watch them. Dolphins, bald eagle, moose, the scenery, the big cliffs and being in water – it's incredible."

Finding the whales in the vast North Atlantic is often Conlin’s biggest challenge. But once everyone is ready – the whales and the watchers – it's time for the soft water entry. The whales might come within 3 m (10 ft) of the boat, and swimming after them is both foolish and forbidden. "Keep your distance, no touching and stay focused," he cautions. And if the sight of a 12-m (40-ft) mammal 3 m (10 ft) away starts to freak you out, "watch that eye and you’ll forget."

Momentarily, maybe you’ll get lost in the thrill. Just remember that the “all-knowing” creature staring back at you has been around, seen a lot and might even be older than you. And that feeling you'll never forget.

Getting here

Aquatic adventures, 954-382-0024, aquaticadventures.com
Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism, 1-800-563-6353, newfoundlandandlabradortourism.com

Frances MacKinnon is a producer for Daily Planet on Discovery Channel Canada. She lives in Toronto.