Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
WISE WORDS:
Where the water comes in fast, it is of-
ten better to wait until the tide falls rather than try to
wade across fast-rising water. Not only is the ocean
colder than you think, but it is easy to find yourself off
good ground and get caught in the mud. Currents can
also make swimming difficult.
Rockweed
Keep an eye out for rockweed. This most common seaweed grows
below the high tide line is extremely slippery when the tide is
out, even if it appears dry on the surface. Air bladders in the
plant allow it to float free when the water is up. But, beneath the
dry upper layer there is plenty of slippery stuff. People breaking
arms, legs and cracking heads after slipping on rockweed is one
of the most common reasons for emergency room visits along the
coast.
Fauna
S
eeing animals and birds in the wild is one of the most exciting parts of
any Maine adventure. The woods and waters of the state are home to a
wide variety of species ranging from the regal and majestic moose to the
sleek and extraordinarily fast Peregrine falcons.
As the tourism industry shifts more toward what officials call
“ecotourism,” bird- and animal-watching tours are gaining in popularity.
While moose safaris (hunt here with cameras only please) are now big
business around the Greenville and Moosehead Lake region, by far the
greatest amount of interest is found along the coast. Numerous ports now
feature companies offering whale-watching tours. In Bar Harbor alone
three companies vie for the business with a total of nearly 3,000 seats a
day available.
Whale-watching in Maine was once an all-day affair, but now sleek cata-
marans and multi-prop mono-hulls speed passengers out to the whale
grounds offshore and back in just a few hours. All tours offer spectacular
visibility as you scan the horizon for finbacks or watch as massive hump-
backs soar straight up, nearly out of the water, in a move called breach-
ing.
