Some whales glide through history like well-loved melodies, popping up where you least expect them. Chantelle, with the breadth of ocean woven in her story, has left more than a sprinkle of wonder in the chilly air of Newfoundland and the sunlit blue of the Dominican Republic.

Her earliest note drifts back to July 1983, when the summer sun barely kissed the Grand Banks and Chantelle travelled those wide, plankton-rich waters. Then—like a magician whisking away in mid-show—she vanished for more than two decades, the sea keeping her secrets close, until February 2004, when she surfaced far, far south. There she was, at Silver Bank, a place where northern snowbirds turn to tropical sun, whales included. By March 2005, Chantelle lingered a little longer in those balmy waters, soaking in the warmth and stirrings of a new season.

Years spun by, and the cool charm of Newfoundland called again. On a July day in 2007, Chantelle bobbed up off Witless Bay—a spot famed for birds and barnacled beauties alike. Year after year, sightings of her unfurled like bright flags: 2010, 2013 (twice in July, eager to make her presence known), then in 2014, and again in 2017.

By July of 2020, Chantelle drifted off Horse Chops before circling back to the steadier embrace of Witless Bay in 2025. That year, among the puffins and capelin, she was seen with a calf at her side—proof that the story of Chantelle is not just long, but blooming with new chapters. Later that summer, she brushed past Cape Spear, tracing new paths with her young voyageur in tow.