Get up close with icebergs, then enjoy a drink made from them

Long before an iceberg sank The Titanic - now 111 year ago - the massive islands of floating ice have been a source of fascination and wonder. 

So much so that today they remain a major tourism attraction off Canada’s eastern-most province of Newfoundland and Labrador. 

The waters here are home to two natural wonders: migrating whale species including humpback and minke skirt the island year-round, while icebergs drift past on Iceberg Alley from June to September. 

Tourists can kayak off the coast of Cape Broyle to see the types of icebergs that sank the Titanic.

Here you'll find giant icebergs, surrounded by “bergy bits”, small floating chunks of ice, and “growlers” - grand piano-sized pieces.

May to September are when temperatures are warm enough in the northern hemisphere for them to break off but not warm enough for them to melt entirely. In winter, this region is bone-numbingly cold. Summer is just chilly. 

On a sunny day, these 10,000-year-old glacial giants can be viewed along the northern and eastern coasts, with colours ranging from snow-white to deep aquamarine. 

Visitors are encouraged to experience the rugged beauty of the coastline as they explore sea caves, inlets, and fjords.

Back on land they can experience an Iceberg Vodka, made from what is claimed to be the purest water on the planet. 

Iceberg hunters harvest the ancient ice, comprised of water frozen long before industrial pollution, creating what is marketed as "a uniquely smooth, quintessential Canadian vodka."

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It was only around 600km from the Newfoundland coast that an iceberg sank the Titanic.

Roughly 90% of icebergs seen off Newfoundland and Labrador come from the glaciers of western Greenland, while the rest come from glaciers in Canada's Arctic. 

For details see https://au-keepexploring.canada.travel/ or take a look at https://www.newfoundlandlabrador.com/

A whale of a time as peak season approaches

Whale cruises are set to re-start just in time for the peak of the migration season in Jervis Bay, if the “Roadmap to recovery” unveiled this week by the NSW Government goes according to plan. 

For the last 30 years, local whale tour company Dolphin Watch Cruises has had its most frequent and intimate encounters with the gentle giants inside Jervis bay in October. 

It’s not just the big adult humpbacks either; at this time the most common visitors to the bay are the mothers with new-born calves.

“Whale season is May to November in Jervis Bay, but October is the crew favourite for sure," says Dolphin Watch Cruises manager Jet Jones.

"We get the biggest whales of all, the gigantic mother humpbacks, and the smallest travelling with them, their new babies. 

“Jervis Bay is a sheltered rest-stop for the mums to feed and teach their new babies, getting them fat and strong for the long swim and cold water to come between here and Antarctica. 

"October is whale rush-hour here at the Jervis Bay rest-stop, so the easing of Covid-19 restrictions has come just in time for us to start back cruising with them until mid-November.”

Local tour operators are hoping to safely reopen with reduced boat capacity around October 11 for those in the local area and regional NSW. 

Visitors from with Greater Sydney are scheduled to return around October 25. 

For details visit www.dolphinwatch.com.au/

A brief chance to get up close and personal with dwarf minke whales

For just a couple of months each two months every year - in June and July - Australia's Great Barrier Reef is the only place in the world where you can swim with dwarf minke whales.

Dwarf minke whale diving and snorkelling trips from Cairns to the Ribbon Reefs north of Port Douglas are a highlight of the Great Barrier Reef calendar, happening at the peak of the whales' annual migration.

Just a handful of tour boats operate under a special licence offering people the chance to interact with the little whales. Interactions are purely dictated by the minkes, with boat engines cut when a pod is spotted. 

Liveaboard expeditions to the Ribbon Reefs only depart in June and July, typically for three to seven days, with just Mike Ball Dive Expeditions, Divers Den and Pro Dive operating this year and all three, along with Spirit of Freedom, returning in 2022.  

Calypso Reef Cruises and Quicksilver's Silversonic take divers and snorkellers on day trips from Port Douglas to the Ribbon Reefs and both are permitted to allow passengers to enter the water with the dwarf minke whales if they encounter them.

F5rankland Islands Reef Cruises offer adventure snorkel safaris which regularly see manta rays in May as well as the clownfish, angelfish and green sea turtles seen year round. 

During July and August passengers travelling to the Great Barrier Reef often see humpback whales playing in the warm waters during their migration north. 

Cairns Whale Watching Tours offers dedicated whale watching tours from July 17 to August 20, which can also include two hours on Fitzroy Island where the whales may be seen breaching. 

For more information go to cairnsgreatbarrierreef.com