Canada Guide
Newfoundland and Labrador
Witless Bay Ecological Reserve
On Route 10 BAY BULLS straggles around the head of a deep and pointed bay. It was here that one of the last active German U-boats surrendered in 1945 – much to the amazement of the locals – and today the town makes much of its living from boat tours around the four tiny offshore islets that comprise the Witless Bay Ecological Reserve. The best time to visit is between mid-June and mid-July, when over 800,000 birds gather here – the reserve has the largest puffin colony in eastern Canada and there are also thousands of storm petrels, common murres, kittiwakes, razorbills, guillemots, cormorants and herring gulls. In addition, the area is home to the largest population of humpback whales in the world, and finback and minke whales are often spotted between June and August.
From May to September, several companies offer daily boat trips to the waters surrounding the reserve. These include O'Brien's Whale & Bird Tours ( 
709/753-4850 or 1-877/639-4253, 
www.obriensboattours.com ); Mullowney's Puffin and Whale Tours ( 709/334-3666 or 1-877/783-3467, www.puffinswhales.com ); and Gatheralls Puffin and Whale Watch ( 709/334-2887 or 1-800/419-4253, www.gatheralls.com ). All three companies run two-hour sea trips ($40–50) and reservations are advised. They will also provide transport to and from major hotels in St John's for roughly $30 return, though this has to be arranged ahead of time. O'Brien's also offers sea kayaking in the (relatively) sheltered waters of Bay Bulls harbour.
From Bay Bulls, it's 30km straight back to St John's or you can press on south the 45km to Ferryland.