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Flying_Teddy
We had the chance to be informed about Essipit while wondering how to approach whales on the Saint-Laurent. While staying in Tadoussac where prices are pretty high, we went to the Essipit and really enjoy the professional and nature respect way that team did manage. They tough us about the local environment and approached the whales with a high respect, making sure not to disturb them unnecessarily. We finally went to a point where a whale on its own did surface just along our zodiac..., slowly, gently, waving, breathing deep and as slowly diving down, showing us the most beautiful whale tail ever pictured. Our children couldn't even believe how close and how real this had happen to us. Really a wonderful experience. Thank you to all of the Essipit team !
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rw690
The professionalism and engagement the friendly multi-lingual Essipit team delivers, fully ensures a whale watching event that is unforgettable, comfortable and informative. Every captain's intimate knowledge of whale behavior and habits combined with travelling in small zodiac boats guarantees you'll see a variety of different species very close up while remaining a respectful visitor in the whale's environment.If you aren't a steward of the seas in your heart after this experience, you'll never be! More please!
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terark99
Great trip. They give you the waterproof gear to wear but its still worth wrapping up with lots of layers. You can also borrow a woolly hat - if you haven't brought your own then i recommend borrowing one. Also bring gloves and ideally waterproof shoes/boots (or borrow a pair of wellies from them). You will get wet, so bring something to cover your camera. A good trip - but most of the info from the pilot is in French. As the only English speaker i didnt get as much info as the others.
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J3106TOericl
This is my fourth trip with Essipit. Each one is different as these guys adapt their trips to match the local conditions. Experienced guides who know the river and the whales. Professional organization. The Zodiac is the way to go. Spectacular when a whale pops up alongside or a troop of seals comes over for a look! A great time. The little museum upstairs is worth the visit, too.
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DDM246
Here is a little guide for whale Watching in the Tadoussac area. I've learned these things by asking many people who work in this beautiful area.You have to decide whether you want to go whale watching on a Zodiac or on a bigger boat (Whale Watching Cruise). There are nay companies that offer whale watching. You will see kiosk in your hotel or on the side of the road. (AML, Neptune, Essipit, Croisières Escoumins, etc.).If it is very windy outside. it probably means that the waves are bigger on the St. Lawrence River. If the waves are big on the St. Lawrence, It could be tough on your back (if you have back problems), it could be unsafe for pregnant women (they will tell you to sit closer to the back or closer to the captain as you don't feel the waves as much as being seated at the front of the boat), the boat would be going slower to go through waves and the captain would not see as well the whales coming out of the water (because of the higher waves).If not windy outside or just a little bit windy. On a Zodiac, you'll be closer to the whales. There are also less people on a zodiac compared on being on a whale watching cruise boat. A zodiac has from 12 to 24 passengers depending on the company. On a cruise boat, up to 700 passengers during high season. On a bigger boat, you could see whales a little bit further away. It also depends if you want to be with a large group or not!There are about four (4) piers in the area for whale watching.1) Baie Ste-Catherine Pier (on the west side of the Fjord)2) Tadoussac Pier (in Tadoussac)3) Essipit (near the village of Grandes-Bergeronnes)4) In between Les Escoumins and Grandes-BergeronnesMost of those site are between 1:05 hour to 1:30 hours for La Malbaie.Most whales are being seen near Grandes-Bergeronnes. That is where most of the food is for whales. That is where the dept of the St. Lawrence river starts being much higher. It is a huge area where the whales could be, but there is a higher chance that your cruise ship or zodiac will be heading to this area when your whale watching cruise starts.So, if you take a cruise from the Baie Ste-Catherine Pier. You might have to cruise longer before being watching whales (I say might be).Is there a better company then others? I will let you decide. I've been told by someone who lives in Tadoussac, that all captains from all the companies communicate together when they see a whale or see many whales on the river (they call it "the sea"). They all communicate through a CB radio on the same frequency. So that is excellent for tourists or persons wanting to see whales. It is way better for your money that way! So if one boat from the Neptune company sees a Humpback whale near Les Escoumins. That captain will be making a call on the CB. So any boats in the area will start heading towards that same area (if they are not already on a site where there are whales already).Try to go early, as the wind is usually more calm. The winds calms down at night and the winds could slowly start as early as 9:30 - 10:00 am. It could also be calm all day. Just ask the whale watching kiosk and they will tell you about the wind for the next day.Did you know that captains name all whales that they see. When a whale comes out of the water, there is always something different on any whales. The tail is more white, the other one has a weird bump on the back, etc. And they know the age of most whales in the area, because a same whale usually comeback every year to this area of the St. Lawrence river.By the way, this is the one area of the world where they know where the whales eat. The chances to see a whale a much higher then any other area in the world. This is also the area where there is the most different species of whales (13 species).Finally, we went for whale watching with Essipit. We left at 9:00 am and there was not much wind outside. As soon as we got onto the St. Lawrence river, we saw a Humpback whale. We only saw that same whale over and over. I thing that whale came out of the water 10 to 14 times. And each time, we saw its tail. her name was "Blizzard." We also went for a long zodiac cruise to see a blue whale but we did not see it. We still loved it even though we only saw 1 whale. But we saw it so many times. We also have been told that you need to go back, because one day could be better then the previous day.
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pubble
A beautifully kept village with a central area with petrol station, convenience store and craft shop. People are very friendly here; but not really a tourist place, apart from this centre, unless you are staying here - it is private homes with beautiful river front
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E5565OHrobertw
Several companies run whale watching cruises based in Les Bergeronnes and Les Ecoumins, fishing villages just east from Tadoussac in small, 12 person Zodiac boats. These cruises look for the larger whales: blues, fins, humpbacks. They all end up in the same area of the St Lawrence, depending on where the whales are that day. Many participants are Quebecois, and French was the majority language, but many captains speak English. We had a great trip with Cruissieres Essipit (spelling?) out of Les Bergeronnes, about 15 minutes by car from Tadoussac. All the boats take some time to go at high speed out into the Fleuve (St Lawrence), then move to where the whales have been spotted. Warm weather and calm water mean increased sightings. Boats provide waterproof coats and pants; wear warm shoes as it can get chilly on the water even in warm weather. The smaller whales like belugas and minkes can also be seen farther west near Tadoussac. On the large boat/Zodiace split I'm firmly in the Zodiac camp.
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Lost_Again1
Ok - the guys don't control the whales and guess I was lucky really. Pretty much a Grand Slam of whales. Beluga, Minky, Fin, Hump back and Blue Whale, plus Seals and porpoises.. The Beluga and Blue Whale choose to surface near our boat whilst we were sat still.Bit of a circus with between 3 and 6 Zodiacs of various companies around us and one larger boat. Conditions were mill pond smooth.The outfit was professional and the boat driver took time to explain to me in English (well broken English) what was happening, despite me being the only non French person on the boat.As good a whale watching trip as I have had. Would definitely use them again
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LadyKitten
Great experience! We got dolled up in the jacket and pants that they provided and that kept us warm enough on the water. Julie was really nice and she told us everything in English and French. We saw lots of whales, but they were really far away and it would have been good to have binoculars. The fog came after about 30 mins but we still saw lots of whales. We also saw some seals. We went in the morning and it was from 9-11. When we went back to the marina the fog was so thick, you couldn't see anything! Oh and they have free wifi at the marina!!!
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marianneg574
Even though the weather was foggy in the morning, and a little rain, we got dressed up warm !and it did not scare the whales ! Saw Beluga, Blue Whales, and of course the famous Humpback whales.You get to learn how to spot them, there is visibility for all to take pictures ! Very professional team.French & English spoken . Reservation thru internet & phone prior to departure allowed us to have the timeslot we wanted. 11H30 turned out great, as fog and rain had released !Located North of Tadoussac it is an easy drive less than half an hour on main road.
