Freeport Whale & Seabird Tours

Freeport Whale & Seabird Tours has been running family-owned whale watching trips from Long Island since 1994, when Tim and Karen Crocker first started taking visitors out into the Bay of Fundy from the village of Freeport. In 2022 the business passed to their son Bradley Crocker, who grew up on the boat and now captains the MV Georgie Porgie, a Transport Canada certified vessel equipped with a washroom and comfortable seating for the 3 to 4 hour trips.

Freeport sits at the far end of Long Island, the middle island of the Digby Neck chain, reached by two short ferries from the mainland. The location is the whole point: the island pokes directly into the Bay of Fundy, and the deep water just offshore is one of the most productive whale feeding grounds in eastern North America. Because the boat departs from the island itself, passengers spend far less time steaming out to the whales and more time actually watching them.

The Vessel

The MV Georgie Porgie is a certified passenger vessel purpose-built for whale watching. It carries a washroom, covered seating and an open observation deck, and every tour is fully narrated by a professional guide while the captain works the prime whale grounds. The boat's size keeps the experience comfortable for all ages while still allowing close approaches to the wildlife.

What You Can Expect to See

The species list on a Freeport tour reads like a catalogue of the Bay of Fundy's marine life. Humpback whales are the most regular visitors, with fin whales, minke whales and sei whales also seen through the summer months. Blue whales, the largest animals ever to live on Earth, are occasionally sighted in these waters, and the endangered North Atlantic right whale is a rare but documented visitor. The seabird life is equally rich: Atlantic puffins, shearwaters, storm petrels, gannets, kittiwakes, terns and phalaropes all work the same feeding grounds, and the tours make a regular stop at the local grey seal colony where seals number in the hundreds.

Every tour is guaranteed to produce close encounters with these mammals and birds. The guides are trained naturalists who narrate the trip continuously, explaining the behaviour of the whales, the geology of the islands, and the natural history of the Bay of Fundy, whose tides are the highest on Earth.

Practical Details

Freeport Whale & Seabird Tours operates from July to mid-September, with three daily departures at 10:00 am, 1:00 pm and 5:00 pm, timed to the whales and the weather. Tickets are $55 for adults, $45 for seniors and teens, and $30 for children (tax included); full-boat charters are $1,000. The wharf and booking office are at 51 Cowledge Road in Freeport, and the office can be reached at 902-839-2177, by email at freeportwhale@gmail.com, or on WhatsApp at 1-902-308-6867. Online booking through whalewatchersnovascotia.ca shows real-time availability.

Reaching Freeport takes planning: drive the Digby Neck to East Ferry, take the Petit Passage ferry to Tiverton on Long Island, then drive to Westport and take the Grand Passage ferry to Freeport. Both ferries run frequently in summer and carry vehicles. Many visitors combine the whale watch with the Balancing Rock Trail near Tiverton, the Peter Island lighthouse, or an overnight stay at one of the island's inns and cottages. Dress warmly and bring binoculars - the Bay of Fundy can be cool even in August, and the wildlife viewing is better with a good pair of eyes on the water.