lobster brutes patrolling the bottom when I was surprised
by a squeeze on my behind. I thought the pinch was
David’s signal to surface, but I turned around to find
a gray seal that then playfully pulled at my fins and
tried to swallow my dome. These beautiful seals have
senses of humor and behave like puppies. Sadly they
are the subjects of
a controversial cull
that’s been proposed
to remove 70 percent
of their number from
the gulf in an attempt
to resuscitate cod
stocks.
We crossed the
gulf to the west coast
of Newfoundland to
meet up with Rick
Stanley and Robert
Hooper, Ph.D., to explore the deep, cold and clear fjords
of Bonne Bay. The plummeting rock walls of the fjord are
covered in startlingly dense carpets of stalked anemones.
The gentler slopes are home to Atlantic wolffish, which
peered out at us from their dens. Their grumpy, gray and
somewhat comical expressions reminded David of some
of his relatives from Montreal. We surfaced from every
dive into a living painting of sunlit coves filled with golden
algae and flounders that wafted like leaves. Lion’s mane
jellyfish of every shape, size and color pulsed past a striking
Canadian canvas of evergreens and ancient rock, a perfect
stage for David’s signature half-and-half imagery.
Winter transforms the gulf into a surreal world of
relentless wind and shifting sea ice. It is the kingdom of the
harp seal. For us this is the heart of the St. Lawrence, and
we have become hypnotized by its raw beauty. Harp seals
are born on the ice in late February, nursed for 12-15 days
and then abandoned by their mothers to learn how to be
harp seals. We met diver Mario Cyr in Îles-de-la-Madeleine
and took a fishing boat and pushed into the thinning sea
ice, which supported 10,000 harp seals. We descended
into the seals’ icy world, where frantic, paranoid mothers
come and go from the ice shelf, and the wary pups learn to
swim. Testosterone-fueled males swirl beneath the ice pack
eagerly awaiting an opportunity to mate. There is a tense
pulse of life in this cold and challenging world. We spent
days in the ice, the pups’ cries echoing through the steel
hull, sounding like those of human babies. The diving was
exhilarating and exhausting. We experienced life-changing
encounters that will stay with us.
As we left the seals we were met with a storm that
pummeled the weak sea ice, turning it into a blender and
killing most of the pups in the gulf for the second year in a
row. Warming in the gulf has led to poor and unstable ice
that disintegrates beneath the pups.
This dynamic and evolving winter world of the Gulf
of St. Lawrence is a current that runs through our lives.
We migrate back each year when the frozen sea silence is
broken only by the wind and the cries of the harp seal.
AD
36
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FALL 2014
HOW TO DIVE IT
THOUSAND ISLANDS REGION
GETTING THERE:
The Thousand Islands
region is 90 miles north of the Syracuse,
N.Y., airport and a six-hour drive from
Boston or New York.
CONDITIONS:
Summer weather means warm
days (mid-80s°F) and cooler nights. Water
temperatures brush 70°F in the freshwater
corridor, and most divers use drysuits or 7mm
wetsuits. Current can be significant, requiring
intermediate to advanced diving skills. Late
summer and early fall offer the best visibility.
ON THE SURFACE:
Topside diversions include castles, wooden
speedboat rides and helicopter or fixed-wing aircraft charters.
Or drop by our house for a coffee; we are a great diversion.
ST. LAWRENCE ESTUARY
GETTING THERE:
Les Escoumins, an international favorite near
the Saguenay–St. Lawrence Marine Park, is a four-and-a-half-
hour drive east from Quebec City. They make diving easy. For
advanced wreck and technical divers, the Empress of Ireland
can be reached by ferry to the south shore at Rimouski.
CONDITIONS:
Summer weather means warm days, cool
nights and cold water. Drysuit experience is required. This is
rewarding diving but seriously cold water.
ON THE SURFACE:
Whale watching is a must. Hiking and
fixed-wing air charters are available.
GASPÉ PENINSULA, GULF OF ST. LAWRENCE
GETTING THERE:
Fly into the Michel-Pouliot Gaspé Airport, or
make the nine-hour drive east from Quebec City.
CONDITIONS:
Moderate currents require intermediate to
advanced diving skills. Cool temperatures prevail here. Water
temperatures are typically in the 60s°F, so divers generally
wear drysuits.
ON THE SURFACE:
The gannet colony on Bonaventure Island
is an absolute must do. Quebec cuisine is a close second.
ISLES-DE-LA-MADELEINE,
GULF OF ST. LAWRENCE
GETTING THERE:
Fly into Îles-de-la-Madeleine airport.
CONDITIONS:
In the winter the island is covered in ice, which
means survival suits topside and waterproof suits for diving.
