Blogger: Wally Hayes

View of the Minas Basin of the Bay of Fundy from The Lookoff near Canning; Below: Double Crested Cormorant
   
I was once asked how many times a month the tide in the Bay of Fundy changes and was greeted with skepticism when I said there are two high tides and two low tides each day.
This was an isolated incident, to be sure, but what is more common is for visitors to go to view the Fundy tides and expect it all to happen in the space of a few minutes.

The Bay of Fundy has the highest recorded tide in the world, 16.8 meters or 54.5 feet, although the average is about 14 meters or 45.5 feet. Twice each day 115 billion tones of water flow in and out of the 160-mile long bay.

Oceanography is not my bag, but as a photographer who travels frequently to the Bay of Fundy, I've developed a few tricks to make the experience as rewarding and safe as possible.

One of them is to always be sure which way the tide is going and when it is safe to venture out on the ocean bottom. I carry a tide app in my iPhone which gives me precise information on the tides in any given area around the Bay.

Many villages and parks along the Bay have tide times posted, so visitors can be aware of when it's safe to venture out onto the mud flats or along the cliff faces. Local fishermen or clam diggers can also be reliable sources of tide info, but if in doubt, don't go out. The tide comes in very quickly and it's no fun to find yourself surrounded by water or to get trapped against a cliff face with nowhere to go but up.

Another trick I use to see both sides of the tides is to confine my trip to a small area of the Bay and try to visit the same place four to six hours apart.

Hall's Harbour at low and high tides

Baxter's Harbour at low and high tides

The low and high tide photos in this blog were actually taken on two back-to-back days, but you could do the same thing on the same day by checking tide times and going to a place when it's low or high, then returning hours later when the tide is opposite to what it was on your first visit.

In my case, I visited Hall's Harbour and nearby Baxter's Harbour at low tide one day; camped overnight in Blomidon Provincial Park and then returned to the same places the following day when the tide was nearly high.

I say nearly high, as I dawdled at a few other places in the area shooting pictures and did not get to Baxter's Harbour until a half hour after the tide was fully high. By the time I reached Hall's Harbour, I'd missed high tide by almost an hour.

(L) Sunset at Blomidon Provincial Park and (R) Breakfast overlooking the Bay of Fundy


(L)Fishing boats at Delhaven and (R) Exploring the shore at Scott's Bay


(L) Low tide at Black Rock beach and (R) Green rocks contradict Black Rock's name

 
(L) High and dry at low tide in Harbourville and (R) Ladies only beach party at Harbourville


The Bay of Fundy is a fascinating place to visit and if you pay attention to which way the tide is moving it can be a safe experience.

(L) Hall's Harbour lobster pound and restaurant and (R) Beach at Hall's Harbour

If you're not the adventurous type who wants to get down ans dirty on the mud flats, you can always sit on a dock eating lobster as the tide changes.

Some websites to check for more info on the Bay of Fundy:
www.bayoffundytourism.com/tides
www.exploreourshores.com
www.destinationsouthwestnova.com
www.novascotia.com