Bay of Fundy: new wonder of the world? | The Times http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/travel/destinations/canada/arti...

Bay of Fundy: new wonder of the

world?

Whale watch in the Bay of Fundy off Digby Neck in southwestern Nova Scotia Wally Hayes/Nova Scotia Tourism

Meera Dattani
August 23 2010 4:15PM

The Nova Scotia inlet is up for a pretigious award - no

wonder with scenery, wildlife, and adventure to boot,
says Meera Dattani
The water looks calm as we coast along the Shubenacadie River. We’re happily
lifejacket-ed up on an inflatable Zodiac boat, spotting soaring eagles and enjoying the
riverside scenery.

Suddenly we speed up and turn back on ourselves. A huge wave rolls over us, and then
another, as we screech and squeal in delight. Holding on tightly, we carry on rafting the
rollercoaster waves that appear to come from nowhere, soaking us right through, but

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Bay of Fundy: new wonder of the world? | The Times http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/travel/destinations/canada/arti...

proving to be addictively good fun.

We’re in the funnel-shaped Bay of Fundy, a 270km-long (170-mile) ocean bay stretching
between the provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia on Canada’s eastern Atlantic
coast, just five hours from the UK.

In the running for one of the new seven wonders of nature, the bay is something of a
phenomenon. It is 48 miles wide at the mouth and narrows inwards; around 100 billion
tonnes of water move in and out of it daily (more than the combined flow of the world’s
freshwater rivers), creating the world’s highest tides – and the tidal bores that make
rafting a unique experience.

In between getting drenched, our guide explains the bay’s inner workings. Tidal waters
gush in at its widest point against the normal flow, and as it’s squeezed by the
narrowing sides and increasingly shallow bottom, waves or tidal bores occur – ranging
from a tiny ripple to 10 feet in height. The highest waves occur around the full and new
moons.

There’s nowhere else in the world with tidal bores of this size, one reason why the Tidal
Bore Rafting Park on the Shubenacadie River near Truro is onto a winner. Set in 180
acres of secluded nature, one hour from Nova Scotia’s main city, Halifax, it offers
two-hour trips along 9km of river and four-hour excursions along 18km of thr longest
section of river past wonderful scenery en route downstream and up to eight sets of
rapids on the return.

The trip ends with a spot of (optional) mudsliding where adults and children alike alight
from the zodiac boats, clambering onto squidgy sloping riverbanks before sliding down
in pure unadulterated joy – proving to be as much fun as the rafting itself.

While the tidal bores are impressive, the tides are equally so. Thousands of years of
Fundy tides have carved and sculpted cliffs and caves to create the extraordinary
coastline. At low tide, you can walk on the ocean floor to see the rock formations,
especially around Economy, Five Islands and Parrsboro at the narrowing end. The Bay
also has the world’s highest vertical tides with the highest tidal range of an
extraordinary 17 metres (the height difference between high and low water).

A seventh wonder?

It’s these tides and waves that have put the Bay of Fundy into the running for one of
the new seven wonders of the world. Already compared to the Amazon for its marine
life, the New Brunswick side also became Canada’s 15th UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in
2007.

Whale watching off Digby Neck is one of the region’s highlights – humpback, minke, fin
and right whales are among the 15 species that flock here, as well as porpoises,
dolphins, seals and numerous seabirds. The Bay of Fundy is also rich in history, home
of the region’s First People, the Mi’kmaq.

Their ancient interpretations of the Fundy’s geological and marine wonders are often
referred to, such as the tides caused by a giant whale splashing in the water, and
places like Shubenacadie and Kejimkujik National Park remain in the Mi’kmaq language.

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Bay of Fundy: new wonder of the world? | The Times http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/travel/destinations/canada/arti...

Now, the Bay is one of 28 finalists in the New Seven Wonders Foundation campaign,
alongside the Amazon rainforest, South Africa’s Table Mountain, Uluru in Australia and
Italy’s Mount Vesuvius. The winners will be announced in November 2011.

Land attractions

The Bay’s not all about waves, though. The Annapolis Valley, with the Fundy Shore on
one side and the North and South mountain ridges on the others, stretches 160 km
from Digby to Windsor and is dotted with pretty Victorian towns, red cliffs, farmers’
markets and beautifully restored hotels.

Annapolis Royal is one of the most picturesque towns, with its Royal Historic Gardens
and Fort Anne National Historic Site. Guided hikes also take in the historic dykes built
by the Acadians. These French settlers devised slopes to regulate water levels and
protect the rich farmland, and drainage ditches (aboiteau) so fresh water would run off
the marshes at low tide but prevent saltwater flowing onto the farmland when tides
rose.

Fine food and wine also go hand-in-hand with Fundy life. With all the fresh seafood,
berries and maple products around, it’s hard to stop eating – don’t forget to try the
Fundy’s seaweed snack, dulse, albeit not to everyone’s tastes, including mine.

The Fundy Shore also produces award-winning wines - at the Domaine de Grand Pré
winery near Wolfville, use Nova Scotia-grown grapes or apples are used. At Halls
Harbour Lobster Pound, selecting your crustacean for lunch is part of the experience
while the picturesque quay is an attraction in itself, with lobster boats bobbing about
until low tide when they sit silently on the harbour floor.

Food, wine, tides and waves, the Bay of Fundy has these all in abundance. Whether or
not it becomes a new seventh wonder, this spectacular seascape is one of the best
reasons to visit Nova Scotia. That and the mudsliding of course.

Need to know

To discover more about Atlantic Canada visit www.AtlanticCanadaHoliday.ca or take a

tour

Air Canada offers more services between the UK and Canada than any other airline with
flights from London Heathrow to Calgary, Edmonton, Halifax and St. John’s, Montreal,
Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver, plus connections from its Toronto hub to North
America, Latin America and the Caribbean. London-Halifax fares start from £683.30
(incl. taxes). Call 0871 220 1111 or visit www.aircanada.com

Other useful links

Tidal Bore Rafting Park

Bay of Fundy tourism

© Times Newspapers Ltd 2010

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