Videos show icebergs flipping and crumbling ahead of spring tourist season

Watching icebergs roll over is a breathtaking experience, but how close is too close? They’re unpredictable, that’s for sure. Captain Barry Rogers has spent over 30 years tracking them and operates Iceberg Quest Ocean Tours out of Twilling Gate and St. John’s, NL. After breaking off in western Greenland, the icebergs flow along the Labrador Current, and Rogers hopes for a strong northeast wind to bring them within reach and closer to the shoreline so Taurus can get a good look at them. He says their precise location is a factor when it comes to the likelihood of pieces breaking off. If they’re hard to ground, whether they’re actually floating, sometimes they’re off against an island or shoreline, then I mean they’re grinding. The amount of wave action, the push of the waves to the icebergs, to the coastline and makes a significant what we call a comeback. Tall pillar type icebergs are more dangerous if you’re in close proximity, but you should still keep a safe distance from longer, flat ones. Rogers is hopeful this will be a good season for viewing. Coming down Iceberg Alley, there’s probably well up for 100 icebergs. That’s from the northern peninsula down the French shore to Conch and Bay Vert.