On bright summer mornings, when the capelin roll and seabirds wheel, one whale has a knack for stirring a sense of wonder along the Newfoundland coast—Ryan, a grand traveller with the North Atlantic in her heart.

Ryan’s story winds its way across oceans and back again. It all began one warm August day in 2018 near Catalina, where she surfaced in the sparkling blue and caught the sun on her back. Folks marvelled at her easy glides amid drifting kelp and a sea smudged with mist.

Just when one might've thought she’d linger, word of Ryan washed up all the way from Iceland’s Eyjafjörður, not once but twice in May of 2019. The chilly fjord welcomed her, surrounded by snow-streaked hills and echoes of old Viking songs. It was a daring leap across the Atlantic, showing off the distance these gentle giants can span—almost as if Ryan had stamped her fluke on both sides of the pond.

She kept the mystery rolling, vanishing for a spell, before suddenly reappearing in July of 2022 in Mobile Bay, Newfoundland. Maybe she’d missed the tuckamore and the scent of salt spray. Then, as if drawn to familiar waters, July of 2024 brought her to Witless Bay, followed quick as a wink by another appearance in Bay Bulls. She seemed to favour the sheltered coves and boisterous seabird chatter there—no doubt a fine place for a seasoned traveller like Ryan.