Awesome audience with kings of the ocean

12:02pm Friday 14th December 2007

It may be a decadent way to answer the call of the wild, but with budget airlines now flying to the east coast of Canada, TRACEY DAVIES decided to go and search for whales in the St Lawrence River, in the French province of Quebec.

From the squeals of delight from the almost-all female crew, you would have sworn that we'd seen Brad Pitt swimming alongside the boat, rather than a vanilla-hued Beluga whale.

In fact, if it had been Brad in Speedo's, I don't think we could have been any more excited.

The St Lawrence River is a huge ocean-like body of water which flows from Lake Ontario up along the coast of Quebec until it joins with the Atlantic Ocean at the Gulf of St Lawrence.

This area is a haven for krill, the shrimp-like planktonic crustaceans which attract thousands of whales each year to Canada's icy waters.

The largest mammal in the world, the blue whale, is a frequent visitor as well as the endangered white Beluga and the more slender Minke. There have even been Californian killer whales spotted further upstream.

Flying into Montreal and after a short lobster break (well, it is the season) I take the train two hours north to Quebec City. The province's capital is much smaller and cosier than Montreal, it's clean, cobbled streets and francophonic signs are very much Disney-does-Europe.

As quaint as it is, there is no forgetting that you're in North America. The air is clean and fresh, everything is priced in dollars and the folk are ultra-friendly. It's like France after a power wash and a dose of valium.

I arrive at Quebec City's small but glamorous train station and, on advice from a local, take a walk through the old town to my hotel.

The five-star Le Chateau Frontenac can be seen from almost any viewpoint in town. The city is both dominated and celebrated by this regal old bird and I can see why it has been voted most photographed hotel in the world'. Tall and turretty and topped with the minty green of oxidised copper, Le Frontenac has all the drama and poise of a stern French queen.

Two hours up the coast, we arrive at Baie Sainte-Catherine, where we board a Zodiac, a large, speedy dinghy which bounces over the waves like a Saint Bernard on a bouncy castle. As soon as I don the heavy rubber wet weather gear, the anticipation builds.Before I know, it the Zodiac is speeding out of the small harbour, while I try desperately to hang on to my seat.

All eyes are on stalks as we crane our necks to sight a black fin or shiny hump lifting out of the water. The crackle of the radio goes and suddenly our captain cranks up the motor and pulls the Zodiac 90 degrees west. We speed through the blue-black waters, each of us desperately awaiting that Athena poster moment, when suddenly the black fin and hump of a three metre Minke rises about 20 feet in front of us.

The excitement hits us like a tidal wave as everyone fumbles for their cameras. Staring at the trembling water, we are treated to another rise of her fin and the whale speeds off towards another boat, leaving us excited, and breathless for more.

Whale-watching is addictive and already our eyes are hungry for the next sighting. It doesn't take long - just yards away from the Minke we were treated to three cheeky white Beluga whales who decided to play with us. Their bulbous heads, the colour of white chocolate, have a wide-eyed innocence. Being so close to these beautiful creatures in their natural habitat is just exhilarating.

Bobbing about on the water with the shore just a sliver of dark land in the distance, I become aware of our vulnerability. Blue whales grow to around 25 metres and weigh more than 100 tonnes and could easily upend us.

Flying to Canada may be an extreme way to get back to nature, but for restoring your vitality there is no nicer way than watching whales frolic freely in their natural habitat.

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