The icebergs are coming

People have begun flocking to the shoreline in Newfoundland and Labrador on the hunt for icebergs! From the northern tip of Labrador to the eastern shores of the Avalon Peninsula, is the famous coastline known as Iceberg Alley, and the sea that pounds and caresses the shore brings these magnificent mountains of ice almost to our doorstep.

Icebergs born 10,000 years ago on the Greenland icecap dance along the coast and far out to sea, propelled unpredictably by wind and tide, tumbling, twirling, and breaking into fantastic shapes before melting in the warm waters of the gulf stream southeast of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Iceberg Alley runs right by our coasts, homes, and trails and, here, it is possible to wake up to the sight of these gigantic ice towers rising out of the ocean from the kitchen windows of cliff top bed and breakfast, or from a picnic site along the shoreline. They are awe-inspiring – wherever they are viewed!

According to the International Ice Patrol, 2008 will be a banner year for icebergs – the most active in a decade. The agency, which began monitoring the icebergs in February, have reported that, to date, there are over 500 icebergs making their way down Iceberg Alley from the Greenland glaciers. This is compared to only 50 during the same time in 2007. Sightings are significantly up.

Icebergs are an enormous tourist attraction, and Newfoundland and Labrador is the best place in the world to view them. Visitors can get safely near them on a guided sea kayak tour, a scheduled boat tour, or by simply standing on the shoreline. And, with the April arrival of our millions of seabirds and the late-June arrival of the world’s largest population of humpback whales, the coastline of Newfoundland and Labrador will be alive with nature on a very grand scale during the 2008 season! Cameras are a must!!

For more information, go to Newfoundlandlabrador.com; cbc.ca/nl; icebergfinder.com.