Active Pursuits in Passamaquoddy Bay

St. Andrews is an excellent spot to launch an exploration of the bay, which is very much alive, biologically speaking. On the water you’ll look for whales, porpoises, seals, and bald eagles, no matter which trip you select. Two to 3-hour tours generally run C$50 to C$80 (US$40–US$64) per adult, less for children.

Quoddy Link Marine (tel. 877/688-2600 or 506/529-2600) offers seasonal (late June to early Oct) whale-watching tours on a 17m (55-ft.) power catamaran, and the tour includes seafood snacks and use of binoculars; the tours take 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Two-hour tours in search of wildlife aboard 7.2m (24-ft.) rigid-hull Zodiacs are offered by Fundy Tide Runners ( tel. 506/529-4481); passengers wear flotation suits as they zip around the bay. This outfitter is open for a slightly longer season than many others, from mid-May to mid-October.

For a more traditional experience, sign up for a trip aboard the 22m (72-ft.) square-rigged cutter the Jolly Breeze of St. Andrews with Tall Ship Whale Adventures (tel. 866/529-8116 or 506/529-8116). The outfit offers 3-hour tours, three times daily, from mid-June through mid-October; tickets cost C$75 (US$60) per adult, C$50 (US$40) for children age 4 to 14. A discount for families of four or more is available. Watch for seals, dolphins, and eagles—all have been sighted from the ship’s deck.

In St. Andrews, The Algonquin Resort’s Thomas McBroom–designed golf course has long been a beauty—easily among Eastern Canada’s top 10, right behind the bigger-name stars on Cape Breton Island and Prince Edward Island. Among its draws: a set of seaside holes that become increasingly spectacular as you approach the point of land separating New Brunswick from Maine. The course reopened in 2017 following a thorough redesign (still in progress at press time) by golf architect Rod Whitman, who set out to maximize views of the Bay. Service and upkeep are impeccable here, and there are both a snack bar on premises and a roving club car with sandwiches and drinks. Greens fees are C$55 to C$125 (US$44–US$100) for 18 holes (carts cost extra; fees are lowest after 3pm). You can also rent clubs and take lessons, and there’s a short-game practice area in addition to a driving range; call tel. 888/529-8693 or 506/529-8168 for tee times.