Scrolling through Facebook can usually present opportunities for a few look-at-that pauses as posts by others capture our attention for a variety of reasons: s birthday being celebrated; an anniversary milestone; a new baby being welcomed into the family. All grand reasons to poke around for a moment and size up another’s online life and add encouragement through a ‘thumbs up,’ or my favourite social media sentiment, a heart.  One recent set of posts by friend/musician/author Darrell Duke was incredibly captivating, however, and triggered a phone call instead of simply a ‘way to go, buddy,’ thumb gesture or a ‘loves it, my son,’ bursting red heart emoji.

“It’s friendly to a fault, not knowing its own strength. So, you can’t afford to forget for a second that it’s a wild animal.”

Duke

Duke, who I’ve written about in the past for everything from his novels (1) (2) to his dedication to the craft of dory restoration (1) (2) is always ready for an enthusiastic gab session, except this time  – if possible – there was a little more joy in his jawin’.

A dark hole in Clarenville

The reason behind the percolating passion? Duke’s encounter with a resident beluga whale while out and about in his captivatingly colourful dory.

The beluga has taken up residency in an area Duke refers to as Dark Hole in Clarenville, Newfoundland Labrador.  “I’ve been hearing about (the beluga being in that area) for over two years. And I’ve heard all these wonderful stories. All kinds of people have seen it and take pictures of it and with it, those out in kayaks mostly get to interact with it but I encountered it for the first time last Sunday afternoon,” he began.

“I just had a longing to see the beluga and no sooner had I left the pier and the beluga was underneath the flat and frightened the life out of me.”

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“That was my initial experience with meeting the beluga and I was a little bit thrown off (by being lifted out of the water). No matter how much I read about them and have heard about how nice they are, it’s still a big scary mammal.”

Duke

The fear – but not the awe and wonder and respect – soon subsided. “I thought, ‘it’s just playing with me.’ It comes up for attention and love, I suppose. As everyone’s well aware, you’re not supposed to interact with nature, so I don’t put my hands overboard or anything. It’s just a bond that exists from observing and interacting on some human-almost level.”

Duke’s encounters over several evenings have been magical, he continued.  “You can see it on the surface, it looks like a torpedo. Like out of a movie or something, you see it coming towards the boat and you’re waiting for a knock and then it just slips gracefully underneath you until it decides to come up underneath you and lift you, which is what it did to us last night.”

The beluga pushed the dory along for maybe 20-30 feet, he added, before he was able to gain control again.  “That was my initial experience with meeting the beluga and I was a little bit thrown off (by being lifted out of the water). No matter how much I read about them and have heard about how nice they are, it’s still a big scary mammal.”

As a songwriter, performer and author, has Duke gained any inspiration from this encounter, we ask.

“Yes. It’s something so unique yet there are maybe a million children’s books written with someone’s own spin on these white magical whales but who knows? This encounter could make its way into my writing, no matter what form it takes,” he said.

A whale-sized bond

Looking through the images and videos as we speak, it’s clear this beluga bonding and whale-writer friendship has had meaning for many. “If nothing else, it’s a wonderful way to learn something. That’s what this has been for me and for my whole family. What a nice way to learn about the world, to learn how to interact with nature. I’ve learned a lot watching it and to interact in some way is just a gift.”

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Duke, who is preparing to release his next novel, Swept Away, much of it conceptualized while out rowing in one of his treasured dories,  wondered aloud if the beluga was attracted to his curious spirit or to his colourful vessel. “That was just a theory of mine, that it was attracted to the colours, but I think what it’s doing is eating barnacles off the bottom when it comes up, goes in and under and around. I don’t think it’s ramming on purpose. I would like to think that, anyway. I think it’s more of a ‘hello,’ and ‘thank you for lunch,’ type thing,” he said with a laugh.

Duke shared that he planned on heading out again immediately following our chat. I noticed this incredible Facebook post a few hours later. “This evening I thought I’d see the whale’s reaction to music, so I played a tin whistle. At first, the whale grunted (it grunts like a bull) and bumped the boat. I stopped and played again a while later. This time it rose to greet my face, smiled its dolphin-like smile, and twirled around. Its mood went from happy to wanting to dance. Gotta love the power of music,” he wrote.

There can’t be an any better demonstration of a true friendship than sharing – with a whale-sized smile – appreciation for a good tune.

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On a beautiful day in downtown St. John’s, Kat Barr warmly welcomed anyone strolling by Iceberg Quest’s waterfront booth. Glen Boland, energetic and enthusiastic as he greeted those eager to step aboard, has a welcome as warm as this humid summer day.

As Iceberg Quest’s co-owner, Carol Anne Hayes, chatted with this sailing’s entertainer, the one and only Bob Taylor as Tyler Sheppard explained a few safety procedures for the wee ones onboard.

EMBEDDED

The Capo de Espera, Portuguese for Cape of Hope which is Cape Spear, bobbed excitedly in the harbour,  waiting for its 11:30 Sunday sailing.

Iceberg Quest’s captain and co-owner, Barry Rogers, was born in Twillingate, and with a lifetime at sea – thirty years of that in the tourism industry – he knows a lot about Newfoundland’s picturesque coastlines and the ocean and what dwells within – and above. He’s passionate about what he does, and it shows.

“The fascination comes from growing up in a little town called Twillingate. The typical spring and summer activity had you out looking for icebergs or looking for wildlife. I spent all my early years as a young kid, say from eight years onwards, at sea with my father.”

His dad was a “fish collector,” he added, but it was more than a business.

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“I was always intrigued with watching pilot whales or in the spring we’d be passing along through icebergs. Sailing was kind of embedded into me I guess from many generations of seafarers before me – I’m the fifth generation, actually – so the sea was embedded from a very young age.”

When it comes to sharing his love, and his knowledge,  Rogers is more than willing.

“When it comes to wildlife, it’s fascinating. We see things on a daily basis that most people would never see in real life. For us, it’s a standard way of life and it’s a blessing in itself that I’m able to go and do this for a living.”

The ship’s sailing takes about two hours from St. John’s harbour to Cape Spear and back. Besides the sightseeing and the education provided by the crew, there’s also opportunities for Screech Ins.

“It’s hilarious really and people seem to really enjoy participating in it and we really enjoy it too,” he shared with a laugh.

THE WILDLIFE

On the day we sail, the sea is fairly quiet, but that’s not always the case.

”From mid-June, that’s when the whales normally settle in here, and then up to the first or to the second week of August, really, they put on a show. A few weeks ago we broke our record here in St. John’s for the most breaches by one whale, and that was 74. A while ago we witnessed 75. And I’m saying about that whale, ‘well, how do you get that much energy? It got to be exhausting.’”

We ask if he has a favourite spot to showcase to those who join him on the sea.

 

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A post shared by Iceberg Quest Ocean Tours (@icebergquest)

“It’s all super. But I will tell you that the Cape certainly inspires me. I mean, we even named our boat after Cape Spear. That’s the last point of land sailors saw until they got home. But the Cape really intrigues me.”

He also loves the sea caves, he added. “You’ve got such a cluster of bird-life and there’s times you can’t hear yourself speak, the sound of the birds and the whales blowing resonate. You’d have to appreciate it.”

FROM THE OCEAN

Rogers shared that the other sound he appreciates hearing is that of musicians like Taylor. After what everyone has been through with COVID, returning to normal is music to everyone’s ears, that’s why their Concert Cruises are so welcomed.

“As you know, the tourism business was devastated last year and there’s a lot of variables and a lot of unknowns. This is a different year and we are seeing locals who have never seen St. John’s from the ocean. Showing that off to our own, it’s just incredible.”

One man who sailed recently had lived 60 years in the city and had never seen the harbour from the bow of a boat.

“He was like a kid going around boat. You could see it in his eyes.”

The Concert Harbour Cruises have been a delightful new offering, he added. Mark Manning, Fred Jorgensen, Arthur O’Brien and Con O’Brien are just a few of the talented musicians eager to entertain.

“Those in the music industry obviously needing to work as well as anyone after the pandemic so this little innovation has really turned into something that is not only benefiting those who sail with us, but it’s also benefiting the local artists and it’s providing revenue for them. So that makes us really happy.”

‘FREE LIFE’

The best part, of course, is that Rogers had an opportunity to share his love and appreciation of the ocean with others. “It’s a free life. Once I step aboard the boat, there’s nothing onshore that bothers me. Everything else just goes away,” he shared.

That love goes down the line through each member of his crew, he added. “Our job is to put smiles on people’s faces from all over the world. Our modus operandi is to make people as happy on the sea as we are.”

To experience the wonder for yourself, find Iceberg Quest on Facebook and Instagram, or visit icebergquest.com

Before his recent retirement, Alick Tsui was a busy medical professional, but he’s long held a passion for photography. His love of the art began while growing up in Hong Kong.

“When I was in middle school back in Hong Kong, I was fascinated by the camera used by my father, and so I learned the technique,” he began.

His favourite picture is one he shot on a trail in Stiles Cove. “The weather phenomenon was exceptionally interesting. It had been cold and windy continuously for 72 hours and the downpour didn’t go down to the ocean. Instead, it backtracked and blew up into the sky, into the air, and spread all across the forest. And the whole forest was covered with thick ice and it was transparent.”

Finding the beauty

What captivated him the most was that things were not as they appeared.   

“It’s not freezing rain. People thought it was freezing rain, but it was the water from the river or from the stream. And it went up and then came down and the whole place was frozen in solid ice slowly, like a stalactite slowly forming, covering the tree branches and every leaf. And it was like four inches thick. As I stood there taking a picture, it was very surreal, very magical,” Tsui continued.

Besides nature, Tsui captures people as well. From the action at concerts to people carrying on with their day, he finds beauty in it all, he explained. 

“When I go out hiking I see wildlife and nature and people. Whatever I come across, I just take pictures.” 

He does have a strategy, however, when it comes to photography. 

“My favourite thing is something that you don’t see very often. It’s like the dream is to see something and say, ‘wow, this is something really special that I can remember with a photograph.’ Like that eagle picture. It’s so difficult to get, but it just happened. And a lot of these things are by chance. And I find that I may be lucky or I just go a lot more often maybe and try to find things and have my camera with me so I cannot miss the chance of taking a good photo.”

Tsui has a gift. He has the ability to bring joy to those who view his work. The secret to that, he added, is to love what you do. 

“I love taking pictures. People are so interesting, and people at events are most interesting. I love capturing festivities and how the crowd reacts and how someone on stage is bringing joy and happiness to the crowd.”

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Greenland gentle giants

It’s an exciting time of the year for anyone who loves taking pictures. Iceberg season is almost here, and that’s always a magical time for anyone behind the lens. “Icebergs. You cannot get a better picture than seeing those gentle giants coming down from Greenland.”  

Married to Patricia Nash for almost five years now, Tsui says he loves his Newfoundland life and home.  

“When I first came here, like everybody else, you find the people are so friendly. Before I came, I was imagining this place was so small. I actually learned about Newfoundland when I was in middle school. I learned of this place called Newfoundland, but never imagined that I would one day settle down here.”

He quickly fell in love with the island.  

“It was such a beautiful place. I used to walk into the woods and the trails and just look for the first 10 years. I was very involved in my work and used that time to relax.”

Then came fatherhood and life became even busier.

Provincial beauties

“Now, as an empty nester, I spend my own time doing photography and hiking. I met my wife and together we’ve seen a lot more places and traveled a lot around Newfoundland. There’s so many beauties of this province.” 

Tsui is also community-minded, using his passion for the benefit of others when he can. He’s a dedicated volunteer and loves to help when he can. “I help with community events when I can, so people may think that I get all these freebies and stuff for going and taking pictures, but no. I support communities. I don’t just go and do pictures. I buy a ticket and support the people and while I’m there, I take pictures. It helps my photography and helps the community.”

For more visit Tsui’s Facebook page, Instagram, Twitter, or at alicktsuiphotography.com