It is Saturday, July 8th, in the morning. Ms. Côté and a friend, Maude Richard St-Vincent, took advantage of this beautiful morning to go kayaking on the sea in a bay near Franquelin, not far from Ms. Côté and her partner’s chalet.
“It is a very deep bay and several species come close to the edge to feed,” explains Baie-Comoise. There are often minke whales, but occasionally there are also humpback whales, small porpoises, white-sided dolphins and seals. We really have a beautiful river on the north coast and can see marine mammals up close, but this was really unexpected. I was surprised. »
Suddenly, Mariève Côté was thrown from her kayak and into the air. A minke whale hit him hard and directly from below. “I saw absolutely nothing. I felt the impact hard, like a car accident. I remember the impact and the moment I surfaced, but nothing in between. When I came back I felt like things weren’t right. “My kayak was out at sea, but my paddle was nearby and I was able to put it behind my neck to breathe a little easier,” she admits.
Fortunately, under these circumstances, the two women are anything but new to nature on the river. They also have training in sea kayaking and water safety. In distress and hypothermia, Ms Côté was cared for by Ms Richard St-Vincent, assisted by another local kayaker and a couple on board a Zodiac. The group managed to carry the injured woman to a boat ramp, about 500 meters from the scene, until paramedics arrived.
Mariève Côté suffered multiple trauma with numerous fractures and internal bleeding. She also suffered a collapsed left lung. In total, she was hospitalized at the Baie-Comeau hospital and the Enfant-Jésus hospital at the CHU de Québec-Université Laval for about six weeks. The mother of two young people aged 16 and 19 has been back home for two weeks. “I’m still in pain, but it’s getting better every day,” says the woman, who has not yet returned to her job as a psychologist at the Cégep de Baie-Comeau.
The whale wanted to eat
In all likelihood, Mariève Côté was the victim of a stroke of fate. Minke whales do not attack people or boats. The most plausible hypothesis would be that the marine mammal was hunting a school of small fish, sand eels, right under the kayak, whose underside is white. It was warm, but the sky was cloudy, which may have contributed to the animal not seeing the kayak.
“If the whale had come to the surface to breathe, I would most likely have simply capsized, but as it was feeding it came at greater speed. »
— Mariève Côté
Ms Côté spoke to a specialist on the subject, scientific director of the Marine Mammal Research and Education Group, Robert Michaud. He also said he was very surprised by the accident and confirmed that such an event is very rare.
“There are thousands of kayakers on the north coast and in the fjord [du Saguenay] and we’ve never heard of it. However, it shows that there are risks no matter what activity we do.
“People shouldn’t be afraid, especially since there were all sorts of rumors circulating about my accident, including that I was attacked and bitten by a killer whale! Marine mammals do not attack people,” continues Mariève Côté, pointing out, however, that in the event of an encounter it is essential to maintain a distance of at least 100 meters.
Training, crucial
According to Ms Côté, training in sea kayaking and water safety was crucial during the event. “Preparation can make the difference. The training allowed me to show the proper reflexes when it happened, if only to know how to keep my head above water with a paddle. Maude also had her whistle, which allowed her to alert the Zodiac, who wasn’t too far away. It was almost a miracle that he was there. »
The kayaker also thanks Providence for resisting the temptation to dress more lightly on the hot day. “The wetsuit probably saved my life by slowing down hypothermia. The paramedics did not arrive quickly because the area was difficult to access. Before our trip, I wondered if I would put on my wetsuit to be more comfortable. “Luckily I made the right choice that morning,” she exclaims, laughing.
“As I have a holiday home on the river, I often see people paddling without wetsuits when the weather is nice. On the St. Lawrence you should not dress according to the temperature, but according to safety. Don’t forget the water temperature, which is always cold at this altitude.
In addition to the wetsuit and whistle, the nature lover strongly recommends a personal life jacket, ropes and a cell phone in a waterproof bag. All these elements contributed to his salvation. She also takes this opportunity to sincerely thank everyone who contributed to the rescue operations, the paramedics and the staff of the two hospital centers where she was accommodated.
This bad experience will not stop Mariève Côté from returning to the river as soon as possible. “At the moment I’m mostly looking forward to being able to drive my car in comfort, but I love the Saint-Laurent too much not to go back next year. », she concludes.