Croisières Baie de Gaspé © Kim Meyer

5 Sea Activities in Gaspésie

Here are 5 activities you can enjoy on or in the salt waters of Gaspésie!

Sea excursions

Breathe in salty fresh air during a sea excursion in Gaspésie! In a sightseeing boat or Zodiac, observe blue whales, minke whales, common dolphins, North Atlantic right whales, basking sharks and other marine species off Percé and Gaspé.

Excursion companies (Les Bateliers de Percé and Croisières Julien Cloutier) offer several daily departures from the Percé wharf for a short cruise to visit Bonaventure Island. Get up close to the northern gannets in parc national de l’Île-Bonaventure-et-du-Rocher-Percé and admire legendary Percé Rock from another angle.

Les Bateliers de Percé. Photo: Mathieu Dupuis

Explore the maritime landscapes of Forillon National Park (Gaspé) in complete safety and comfort while discovering the fascinating lives of marine mammals with interpreter guides and experienced captains from Croisières Baie de Gaspé, Cap Aventure - Croisières aux baleines and Croisière Forillon.

Climb aboard the CE Marin - Exploramer (Sainte-Anne-des-Monts) and set out to sea for an ecological cruise during which you will learn about the ecosystem of the St.Lawrence. Watch rock crab and waved whelks fishing traps being hauled from the water or participate in the collecting of scientific data.

In the magnificent Baie des Chaleurs, on very stable boats, experience the freedom offered by a sailing cruise with Écovoile Baie-des-Chaleurs or with Excursions en catamaran TaxSea (Carleton-sur-Mer). La Belle Vie Sailing (Paspébiac), offers discovery sailing packages and lessons on a luxury catamaran sailboat.

Forillon National Park. Photo: Mathieu Dupuis

Sea kayaking

Go sea kayaking along the coast off Percé or Forillon and enjoy delightful encounters with the many grey and harbour seals that like to bask on long flat rocks in this area. Here is a tip to tell these species apart: grey seals have long snouts that resemble a horse’s head (which is why they are also called horse-head seals), while harbour seals have dog-like snouts. Your sea kayaking excursion will also give you the opportunity to approach Percé Rock as well as the caves and impressive cliffs in Forillon and Percé.

In these sectors, Cap Aventure (Forillon) and Le Nordet (Pointe-Saint-Pierre) offer guided excursions. Eskamer Aventure also offers them near Sainte-Anne-des-Monts.

Kayaking with Le Nordet. Photo: Roger St-Laurent

Scuba diving

Explore one of the most beautiful diving sites in Québec, in Percé Bay! You will be delighted to see colourful coral reefs and a variety of marine species: lobsters, crabs, a multitude of fish and curious seals. The Club nautique de Percé (a yacht club) offers introductory dives to level 3 certification.

Photo: Club nautique de Percé

Deep-sea fishing

Fishing trips on the St. Lawrence, departing from Matane, embark on a Destination Haute-Mer adventure with captains and fishing guides. You can fish for mackerel, cod, striped bass and several species of groundfish or simply head out to sea to observe marine mammals.

Live similar fishing experiences with a departure from Bonaventure Rats de Marées - Guide de pêche, from Chandler with Fish On Aventure or from Carleton-sur-Mer with Pêche Sportive Baie-des-Chaleurs..

Stand-up paddle boarding (SUP), surfing and kitesurfing

Stand-up paddle boarding (SUP) is offered in many locations,t on lakes in the wildlife reserves of Matane, the Chic-Chocs and Port-Daniel, as well as in Gaspésie National Park, on Matapédia Lake at Camping Bois et Berges (Val-Brillant), and on Malcom Lake at Camping Auberge du Lac Malcom (Sayabec).

On the sea, you can paddle at the Auberge Festive Sea Shack (Sainte-Anne-des-Monts), with Vue du Ciel (Mont-Saint-Pierre), in the Forillon National Park area at Cap Aventure (Cap-aux-Os), at Camp de Base Gaspésie (Percé (Coin-du-Banc)), at the Parc de la Pointe Taylor (New Richmond), and with Écovoile Baie-des-Chaleurs (Carleton-sur-Mer).

With Cime Aventure (Bonaventure), explore the Bonaventure River on a self-guided trip—with the option of gear transport for paddleboard camping (equipment rentals available on-site). Nature Aventure (Matapédia) also offers self-guided or guided excursions on the Matapédia and Restigouche Rivers, or a self-guided trip on the Tide Head River—with transportation and rentals available on site.

Stand-up paddle boarding in Forillon National Park. Photo: Roger St-Laurent

Surfing, a sport that is gaining in popularity, can be enjoyed in Percé, near iconic Percé Rock, as well as in Sainte-Flavie, at the gateway to Gaspésie. Put on your wetsuit and get ready to catch the waves in the invigorating waters of Gaspésie! Gaspé Bay, Carleton-sur-Mer and Sainte-Anne-des-Monts also attract kitesurfing enthusiasts.

Kitesurfing in Carleton-sur-Mer. Photo: Tourisme Gaspésie