Whales are drawing in 'crazy' crowds to this Newfoundland town

Humpback and minke whales are making their annual rounds near the shores of Newfoundland and Labrador, and one town on Newfoundland's Avalon Peninsula has a front-row seat to the spectacle.

St. Vincent's-St. Stephen's-Peter's River has become a hotspot for visitors looking to catch a glimpse of the massive mammals because of its beach and how close the whales come to shore.

"This year, it's the biggest crowd on record. On Sunday it was crazy," Mayor Verna Hayward told CBC Radio's The Broadcast.

The beach parking lot is often full, there's campers and cases of people sleeping in their vehicles around the community.

Hayward credits the growing turnout to the extended cell coverage that now reaches the beach. People are now live streaming, she said, and using popular social media apps like Snapchat and Instagram to document their experience.

And as the capelin begin to roll she expects the area to be even busier with both whales and visitors.

"We're only an hour and a half from St. John's. Thousands of people are doing the Irish Loop, which is a beautiful drive," she said. "People are here because they chose to skip the U.S. this year"

But the hustle and bustle of non-residents visiting the area is causing a little friction in the town.

Hayward said there have been complaints about the crowds, but she's asking residents to be understanding and suggests putting up private property signs.

"We can't control that," said Hayward.

"We're all trying to do the best we can to keep everything going during this busy, busy time and we enjoy it and we welcome everybody to our area and to our town."

Even with some light frustration, businesses in the area are cashing in. Hayward said food trucks, the grocery store and restaurants are seeing big crowds.

"Most businesses have ran out of food, it's been so busy," she said.

Be prepared

Hayward said tourists are showing up from across Canada and parts of the U.S. who seem to be very happy with what the town and province has to offer.

"We had somebody say to us from Ontario, 'Yes, I come for the whales, and yes we come for the puffins, and yes we come for the icebergs, but the most important thing is your people [are] friendly,'" said Hayward.

And when people message her directly about coming to see the whales, she tells them to be prepared.

"Come dressed in layers. It was 15 degrees in your car. It's not 15 degrees by the north Atlantic. And you need to wear good proper footwear. You cannot walk our beach with flip flops," said Hayward.

This week also marked the beginning of Whale Fest, which runs until Sunday with card games, a dance, bonfire and musical performances.

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