Nova Scotia - Bay of Fundy

When I first heard about the the huge tidal exchanges that occur at the Bay of Fundy, I was intrigued and so this was something on my must see list for Nova Scotia.

  So we devoted a day to seeing the phenomenon take place. We learned that the best way to experience the event was to first view it at one extreme, high or low tide, then go back at the opposite extreme tide and see it again.  If you go at low tide, you can watch the water come rushing in when the tide changes or or less dramatic flowing out at high tide. The timing of the tide was ideal for us as the low tide was mid morning so we didn't have to rush and still had time to explore the area for a few hours and come back to see it at the other end of the cycle.  To watch the incoming tide we drove three hours to the Fundy Tidal Interpretive Centre in South Maitland where a viewing ramp has been built out over the Shubenacadie River on a former railway bridge.

 

 A crowd of people gathered there to watch the tidal bore, as it's called.  When we arrived, the river at its lowest point:

And then:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYCww43XvEs

The river changed direction as the tide rushed in and a guide from the interpretive centre came out and gave us a little talk about the tidal bore. 

A whole slew of rafting companies have sprung up to take people out in rafts during the exchange.  

https://www.youtube.com/edit?video_id=ZHSefDOB24U&video_referrer=watch

The rafts give you some perspective on the size of this event. 

(Sorry about the wobbly cameraman.)  

Later we drove along the shore where we could see just how far the tide had gone out.  The bay is reduced to less than half it's size at high tide.  It's really quite amazing.

 I asked the guide at the interpretive centre where the best place was to view the tide change at it's most dramatic.  She directed us back the way we had come to the town of Truro where, at the peak exchange, a small wave comes rushing up the by then nearly dry Salmon River.  Not really very dramatic but, in comparison to our tides here, it's pretty significant and it was interesting to see the river go from a trickle flowing toward the bay to a swift river going the other direction.  

From Truro we drove back along the coast and stopped at Burntcoat Head where, as you saw in the sign at the top, there are the greatest tidal exchanges.

At low tide, you can walk across here to the island.  Some enterprising entrepreneur has started a business offering dining on the ocean floor here.  When the tide is out, they do up a fancy dinner for a group.  The dinner hours must be crazy given that the time of the tide changes every day.  Check this out: http://www.novascotia.com/packages/experiences/dining-on-the-ocean-floor/201988

When it was time for the tide to have completed its cycle, we drove back to South Maitland and had a look at the river at high tide.  Quite a difference from six hours earlier.

Low tide

High tide

That made for a long day and a lot of driving so we headed for home happy that we'd seen this sight.  It would be something to cross off the bucket list if I had one.