Keep a safe distance as iceberg season approaches
Iceberg viewing can be magical, but it's important to always keep a safe distance
Watching icebergs roll over is certainly a breathtaking experience, but it's also important to remember to not get too close due to their unpredictable nature.
"Keep a wide berth from them to start with. They're unpredictable, that's for sure," Captain Barry Rogers tells The Weather Network.
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Rogers has spent over 30 years tracking them, and operates Iceberg Quest Ocean Tours out of Twillingate, and St. John’s, NL. He says, he's already seeing signs that this season will be a good one for viewing icebergs.
"Coming down Iceberg Alley, there's probably well up to 100 icebergs."
Iceberg Alley runs from the Northern Peninsula down the French shore to Conche and Baie Verte.
Tourists soak in the beauty of the iceberg season. (Courtesy: Iceberg Quest Ocean Tours)
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After breaking off in Western Greenland, the icebergs flow along the Labrador current. Rogers says, he hopes for a strong northeast wind to bring them within reach closer to the shoreline, so tourists can get a good look at them.
Exactly where they get caught up is a big factor when it comes to the likelihood of pieces breaking off.
"If they’re hard aground, whether they're actually floating, sometimes they're up against an island or shoreline," says Rogers. "Then they're grinding the amount of the wave action, the push of the waves to the icebergs to the coastline, it's significant, and what we call comeback."
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Tall, pillar-type icebergs are more dangerous if you're in close proximity, but regardless, you should still keep a safe distance from any of them.
Tourists urged to view icebergs at a safe distance. (Courtesy: Iceberg Quest Ocean Tours)
Watch the video above for more on the upcoming iceberg season.
