A new natural attraction drew scores of tourists to a small town of around 500 people in Newfoundland, Canada over Easter weekend. A massive iceberg appeared near the coast, and photographers dashed to the area to snap pictures.
The Southern shore highway close to Ferryland filled with traffic over the weekend as tourists came to view the impressive iceberg. The Newfoundland coast area is commonly called iceberg alley due to the ice blocks that float down during the spring from the Arctic, but this particular huge iceberg might stay right where it is, according to Ferryland Mayor Adrian Kavanagh, who told The Canadian Press it’s the biggest one he’s ever seen in the area.
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Usually just the tip of an iceberg is visible, with the rest of the mass beneath the waves, so many run aground when they float near the coast. Local Don Costello told CBC News the iceberg probably won’t be moving unless winds keep blowing because it’s stuck on shallow ground. He estimated the iceberg’s highest point is roughly 150 feet.
The BBC reported more icebergs are drifting through iceberg alley than is normal for this point in the year, with hundreds of icebergs in the Atlantic. This particular iceberg has moved around some and broken apart, but it appears it’ll stick around for a while.
That’s good for tourism – a tour operator told CBC News they’re happy when the icebergs are grounded, and his company is receiving dozens of online bookings every day. Iceberg tourism season technically hasn’t even started – there are a few weeks to go. Costello told CBC News, “I met a couple of people and they were looking for somewhere to get a bowl of soup or a sandwich or something, and there’s only two places here…and they don’t open until the 24th of May.”
Images via Randy Wheeler on Facebook, Fantasy RV Tours on Facebook, and Alison Thorne on Facebook
