On a day when the sea glimmered with the promise of adventure, Florence made her quiet entrance, her presence as steady and dependable as the old fishing boats that dot the bays of Newfoundland and Labrador. She is a traveller by heart, finding home in both tropical warmth and northern breezes.
Florence first turned heads down in the balmy embrace of Samaná Bay, Dominican Republic, on a January morning. While most folks back home were still shovelling snow from the walkway, she was gliding through turquoise waters, likely savouring the comfort of gentle swells and sun-dappled tides. It's always a treat to see these northern visitors basking in southern seas, a reminder that the world is a lot smaller than it sometimes feels.
By the time July arrived, Florence had made her way all the way to Gull Island in Newfoundland and Labrador. The cliffs echoed with the calls of seabirds and the air danced with the scent of salt and sun-warmed kelp. There, amongst the bustling life of the island’s summer, she surfaced, unfurling her fluke to the delight of onlookers. It's quite a journey, that leap from the Caribbean up to our bold North Atlantic coastline—a feat that would make even the hardiest outport mariner tip his cap.
Florence’s routes remind us that these whales connect distant places, tying together communities and shores with each passage. Her journey is a piece of a much larger story, painted on the canvas of two hemispheres.
Have you seen Florence? Your photos and stories can help fill in the threads of her journeys, letting us map her travels and understand even more about the mysteries of humpback migrations. By sharing a sighting, you help grow the lore of the sea for all of us.
Did you know humpback whales can travel over 8,000 kilometres between their northern feeding grounds and southern breeding spots every year? Florence sure knows how to clock in the miles!
Samana Bay, Samaná, Dominican Republic
January 16, 2026
Gull Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
July 13, 2026
This is Happywhale's real data for this whale. The story above was generated based on these details, and a few creative assumptions.
Now that you've met Florence, introduce them to your friends! Share this page directly below or to post as a social media story. Use #HelloHumpbackNL in your post to stay connected to all the other whale stories from Newfoundland and Labrador's coasts.
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By submitting to Happywhale, your sighting can become part of Florence's data. Not only will it make their story richer for the next time they're spotted, but you'll become part of a global citizen science effort to better understand our oceans and the humpback whales that call them home.
