On a splendidly cool and sunny day in late summer, while kayaking with a friend in an estuary of the Saint Lawrence Seaway within the Lake Quebec region near Baie-Comeau, something incredible happened. A beluga whale completely blew me away.
As the morning light streamed over the glacial waters, Bard and I saw what looked like a small crest of whitewater in the gap, moving toward us like quicksilver. We stopped paddling immediately as we immediately and startlingly realized that the small wave was in reality a beluga, its snow-white skin flawless and luminous because it dove out and in of the water. With uncanny accuracy, it sped like a torpedo straight toward our double kayak.
When she was only a couple of feet away from us, the ghostly beluga raised her huge, bulbous head above the water's surface, then suddenly dove deeper, and a couple of moments later glided silently and directly beneath us, enough to rock the kayak barely a couple of foot but not tip it over, as if she knew exactly what she was doing.
At that moment I noticed I used to be shaking uncontrollably, not from fear but from deep, primal awe. In a moment of madness I desired to jump in and follow her, to find her majestic underwater world. Instead I stayed where I used to be, Bard and I raising our paddles and shouting jubilant hallelujahs, the memory ceaselessly etched in our souls.
There are undoubtedly countless scenic places on the planet to explore while kayaking and canoeing, and to experience nature and wildlife up close. These include the nutrient-rich St. Lawrence Seaway, where beluga whales share the waters with blue whales, fin whales, killer whales and humpback whales.
Other great places for water sports within the USA include the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in Minnesota, the Everglades, Prince William Sound and Glacier Bay in Alaska, and Lake Tahoe in California and Nevada. Worldwide, the Norwegian fjords, the Okavango Delta in Botswana, Fiji and the Dalmatian coast of Croatia are popular destinations.
If you select to go to the Québec Maritime, you can find a wealth of data on canoe and kayak rentals at www.QuebecMaritime.ca, the official tourism website for the Québec Maritime. Regional airlines fly from Montreal or Québec City to several smaller airports within the region.
If you're ready for a paddle-friendly getaway, listed below are 4 more places to explore the world from the water, each with its own unique water and landscape scenery, birdlife and wildlife.
Whanganui River in New Zealand
The Whanganui Māori tribe on New Zealand's North Island have a conventional saying concerning the river: “ko au te awa, ko te awa ko au”, which translates to “I am the river and the river is me”.
In 2017, the Whanganui River was granted personhood for the primary time on the planet, meaning it has been granted the identical rights and responsibilities as humans. The 290-kilometre-long, winding river, whose waters shimmer silver within the sunshine, is best explored by canoe. The Whanganui is the third longest navigable river on the planet, winding past deep gorges, narrow canyons, dazzling waterfalls and spectacular emerald-green forests.
Owhango Adventures offers incredible experiences through self-guided or guided tours in canoes for 2 to 6 people for a day trip or a multi-day trip of as much as five nights, with accommodation in Owhango provided for the night before departure. All food and catering will be provided optionally. The longer adventures offer Māori-led cultural discussions about historic sites and stories of the river. Expect to see sheep. Lots of sheep.
To make reservations for Owhango Adventures, visit www.canoewhanganuiriver.com. Air New Zealand operates nonstop flights to Auckland from Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Visit www.airnewzealand.com. To proceed to Owhango, hire a automobile or take Kiwi Rail's scenic Northern Explorer. For timetables, visit www.greatjourneysnz.com.
Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia
Call it what you’ll—mysterious, daunting, swampy, distant, peculiar, spooky, bizarre—however the Okefenokee Swamp remains to be one in all Georgia's hottest natural treasures and a wonderful alternative for paddling adventures. The Okefenokee Swamp, whose name means “land of the trembling earth” within the Seminole language, covers about 700 square miles of peat lavatory in southeast Georgia and is now a national wildlife refuge widely known for its amazing trove of biological and ecological wonders.
The dark, tannic waters are home to a vibrant jumble of pines, cypresses and palmettos, nestled in peat bogs, swamps, islands and sandbars. Formed hundreds of years ago, the unforgettable swamp is now home to a smorgasbord of animal and bird species, including black bears, deer, otters, snakes, darters, ospreys and sandhill cranes. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that as much as 15,000 Mississippi alligators live within the swamp.
Fly into Jacksonville, Florida, in Georgia, to either Savannah or Brunswick. There are automobile rental agencies at each airport. The north entrance is at Okefenokee Swamp Park near Waycross and is privately owned. Visit www.OkeSwamp.com or call (912) 283-0583. The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is on the east entrance in Folkston and is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Visit www.fws.gov/refuge/okefenokee or call (912) 496-7836. The west entrance is at Stephen C. Foster State Park. Visit www.GaStateParks.org or call (912) 637-5274.
The Galapagos Islands
The blue-footed booby is an alluring little fellow with its vibrant, almost neon blue webbed feet. The tropical seabird is the unofficial symbol of the Galapagos Islands, a far-flung archipelago off the coast of Ecuador. It is concerning the size of a goose and lives mainly on the open sea, except in the course of the breeding season. The red-footed booby, a detailed cousin of the blue-footed booby, is found on the Galapagos Islands, together with marine iguanas, Darwin's finches, sea lions and giant tortoises.
Words cannot express how special it’s to paddle through the stunningly clear waters of the archipelago and see these wonderful creatures up close. The unique landscape, marine panorama and natural world are simply incomparable. When you stick with Natural Habitat Adventures, you’ll travel from island to island every day on a personal motorsailer catamaran after which explore each island by kayak, on foot or snorkeling.
Natural Habitat Adventures offers small groups and more adventurous, energetic experiences since it has special kayaking permits to go to places the massive ships cannot reach. For more information, visit www.nathab.com or call 800-543-8917. Trips begin and end in Quito, Ecuador. Natural Habitat can assist you with flight reservations to make the experience as efficient as possible.
Florida's natural, clear springs
An astonishing variety of about 1,000 natural freshwater springs are spread throughout northern and central Florida, lots of them in Florida's 175 state parks. There's a reason the state has so many springs, and that's since it sits on the Florida Aquifer. The springs are formed when rainwater collects underground after which bubbles up through the aquifer to the surface.
The artesian springs, which remain at around 72 degrees Fahrenheit year-round, are majestic and brilliantly clear. As you glide across the springs' glassy surface, you possibly can look down even within the deepest water and simply see the sandy bottom. In addition to canoeing and kayaking, there are opportunities for bird watching, scuba diving, snorkeling, swimming and wildlife viewing, so don't be surprised in case you end up paddling next to a manatee.
Some of those include Three Sisters Springs in Crystal River, where you're prone to see manatees; Ichetucknee Springs State Park in Fort White, which is fed by a network of springs; Silver Springs State Park, where you may see monkeys; and Weeki Wachee, with its strikingly blue waters. The challenge is deciding which springs to experience, but one of the best place to begin is by visiting Florida State Parks at www.floridastateparks.org or Visit Florida at www.visitflorida.com. Type “natural springs” into the search engine and be prepared to be overwhelmed by countless offerings from underwater caves to old-fashioned swimming holes.
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