Iceberg Alley

“Every year, half of Greenland breaks off and comes down on top of us.” —Peter Decker, Fisherman and Fogo Islander

Fogo Island is located in an area often colloquially referred to as “Iceberg Alley” due to the numerous icebergs that traverse the North Atlantic waters between Greenland and Newfoundland. According to Stephen Bruneau’s Field Guide to Icebergs of Newfoundland and Labrador, the majority of North Atlantic icebergs come from approximately 100 iceberg-producing glaciers along the coast of Greenland. The icebergs seen from the coastal regions of Newfoundland, including from Fogo Island, are carried south by the powerful Labrador Current. The quantity of icebergs visiting Fogo Island changes from year to year and they don’t exactly operate on a schedule, but you can usually spot them dotting our coastal waters between mid May and June.

Iceberg hunters wishing to track the movements of these migrating monoliths may visit: icebergfinder.com for live iceberg updates.