Until I moved to Nova Scotia just two and a half years ago I had never even heard of a Tidal Bore. Caused by the large tidal change in the Bay of Fundy twice a day the lower 30km of the Shubenacadie river changes direction and flows upstream. This reversing flow can create standing waves of almost 5 meters. For the sane you can ride the waves in high-horse power zodiacs through the local tour operators. For the brave, and experienced you can paddle it in a sea kayak.
For us sea kayakers the adventure begins in Maitland, Nova Scotia. Without an outboard motor we are unable to navigate upstream easily so every part of the run has to be timed properly so that we don't miss the big waves. We get on the water a few minutes before the bore arrives. The bore is most easily seen as an incoming wave against the shoreline. For those of us on the river you can tell when it's passed as the current reverses directions and starts pushing you upstream.
For the next 30-40 minutes we paddle against the current slowly losing ground against the incoming tide. During this time the powered Zodiacs run back and forth on a small set of waves that appear upstream, only returning as we get ready to run the first, and usually largest set of waves called "The Killer K". The Killer K is a ~1km long narrow stretch of the river, as the tide comes in and fills the basin before it all of the water is squeezed into the narrow passage and forms up a clean large Wave Train. After the Killer K we have a short respite before hitting a few smaller wave trains.
After we start up the river there isn't really anywhere to stop, or take a break until the bridge. The bridge is one of the only major potential hazards on the tidal bore. In our 15-17' boats running directly into one of the pillars and becoming pinned is a serious concern. Behind these large pillars are some turbulent eddies that allow us to hold position in the river while we wait for the waves around Anthony's Nose build up. After about 15-20 minutes behind the bridge we move on to the last set of waves. Once we finish surfing this last set of waves we still have to wait an additional 20 minutes or so for enough water to flow up green creek so that we can actually get out, and back to our cars. We pass the time playing in the large eddy by Anthony's nose. During higher tides there is a very visible height difference at the eddy line, and large whirlpools. A perfect recipe for fun!
After we start up the river there isn't really anywhere to stop, or take a break until the bridge. The bridge is one of the only major potential hazards on the tidal bore. In our 15-17' boats running directly into one of the pillars and becoming pinned is a serious concern. Behind these large pillars are some turbulent eddies that allow us to hold position in the river while we wait for the waves around Anthony's Nose build up. After about 15-20 minutes behind the bridge we move on to the last set of waves. Once we finish surfing this last set of waves we still have to wait an additional 20 minutes or so for enough water to flow up green creek so that we can actually get out, and back to our cars. We pass the time playing in the large eddy by Anthony's nose. During higher tides there is a very visible height difference at the eddy line, and large whirlpools. A perfect recipe for fun!
Once the water has risen high enough for us to get out at the take-out we load up our cars, and do our best to clean as much of the shubie-mud off of our gear before heading back to the put-in to pick up the last of our vehicles. The whole run takes around three hours and is one of the most exhausting kayaking trips I've ever experienced, as there is no real option to take a break. We are all invariably starving so we stop at Bings eatery & socialhouse in Maitland, NS. It's a beautiful cafe/gallery/social house with delicious food and very reasonable prices. If you're up in that area I highly recommend stopping by. Try the Shipbuilder, it's delicious!
In order to train for the Tidal Bore, where you have no real option to get out or stop we take every opportunity to surf at Lawrencetown. Here's another video of a recent trip I made with Tim & Fernando, it was their first time surfing, and they did great. We'll get them running the bore before they know it!
Comments
Awesome. I'm so going to practice this summer and try this.
ReplyAngela - I definitely recommend going with someone who has done it before, and is comfortable doing rescues in 5-10ft rolling waves. Unless you have a bomb-proof roll most first timers go for a swim... or two.
There are also very few take-outs along the route so you'll need to setup a shuttle, and then not miss it on the way upstream.
Good luck! - Hope to see you on the water.
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