Iceberg lovers go wild over viral photos of the 'dickie berg' off Newfoundland's coast

Photographer Ken Pretty spotted this strangely shaped iceberg off the coast of Harbour Grace, N.L., on Thursday. (Ken Pretty/Facebook - image credit)
Photographer Ken Pretty spotted this strangely shaped iceberg off the coast of Harbour Grace, N.L., on Thursday. (Ken Pretty/Facebook - image credit)
Ken Pretty/Facebook
Ken Pretty/Facebook

A man from Dildo, N.L. has captured the attention of iceberg lovers after photographing an oddly-shaped hunk — now popularly known as the "dickie berg" on social media — off the coast of Newfoundland.

"I'm gettin' a lot of response, a lot of reaction to the photo because of its resemblance to ... part of the male anatomy, say," chuckled drone photographer Ken Pretty.

In an interview Friday, Pretty said he noticed from his very first photograph that the iceberg, in an area of the province known as Conception Bay, had online potential.

The berg got its nickname from the term "dickie bird," a Newfoundland euphemism for the male anatomy.

Pictures of it on Facebook had garnered over 3,000 shares and "a lot of comments" by Friday morning, Pretty said.

"Maybe I should call him," one user wrote.

"Frozen stiff," remarked another.

Pretty says he's lucky he got there when he did.

"It's melting all the time. I mean, it might go limp," he said.

Ken Pretty/Facebook
Ken Pretty/Facebook

It's already shaping up to be a banner year for icebergs in Newfoundland and Labrador, with tourists and locals alike sharing their encounters online after a stretch of less-than-impressive seasons.

Canadian Ice Service data shows over 200 icebergs off the coast of Newfoundland alone as of last week, with dozens more off the coast of Labrador making their way south.

"Onshore winds brought in both the pack ice and the bergs," said Diane Davis, who runs a Facebook group for iceberg hunters in the province. "If the trend holds up, we should see them for May and June, too. Mother Nature only gave us a handful last year."

But anyone rushing off to see the "dickie berg" of Harbour Grace for themselves is in for a disappointment.

Facebook users say the tip has fallen off.

Listen to the full interview with CBC Radio's Weekend AM: 

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