Moominmama at the Bay of Fundy

In which Moominmama sees the amazing tides in the Bay of Fundy and slips on the ocean floor...

The Bay of Fundy between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia is famous for its tides with a hundred billion tons of water pouring in and out of the bay with each cycle. Water can rise at high tide by as much as 56 feet, and at Hopewell Rocks, pictured above, it averages around 46 feet at high tide.

According to the Mi'kmaq legend, the giant Glooscap wanted to take a bath and got Beaver to build him a dam across the mouth of the bay. A whale took objection and slapped the dam down, sending water rushing into and out of the bay with a force so strong it continues to this day.

Since it pours in at about 6-feet an hour, the bay fills quickly and can be dangerous. Visitors are allowed to walk on the "ocean floor" at low tide but the staircase is closed as the tide comes in. In fact, the lower levels of the stairs flood.

Moominmama joined the crowds for low tide to explore the rock features known as flower pots. Shaped by erosion, they are an ever-changing set of oddly shaped pillars that will wear away and eventually collapse only to be replaced as the cliff face breaks apart to create new ones.

At high tide, the eroded bases are fully visible, as are hidden arches and cracks under them. The rock is a combination of compressed silt, sand and chunks of rock. The conglomerate is brittle and easily erodes. 

Geologically, it dates back about 360 million years ago, when flash floods sent massive volumes of rock, sand and mud down from the highlands. High in iron, the rock mix oxidized and gave the coast and adjacent rivers their chocolate-red color.

However much it looks like melted chocolate on the ground, Moominmama can testify that it is not. 

Having walked down at low tide, Moominmama looked to position the sun behind her for a photo when her legs slid out from under on a treacherous combination of mud and seaweed hillock.

No damage done, but it was embarrassing and my muddy bum was a mark of shame for the rest of the day. 

With greater caution, I wandered among the stacks, caves and arches. The idea was to spend some time there during low tide, then head into Moncton, New Brunswick to see a different tidal feature called a tidal bore, then return to Hopewell to see the scene at high tide.

Moncton is a city on the Petitcodiac River, which connects to the Bay of Fundy. In a somewhat similar fashion to the bay, the tides rush in twice a day, but in this case, the tide comes in initially as a wave.

The wave, called a tidal bore, will vary in size depending on the pull of the moon, typically between one and four feet high and even attracts surfers on some days.

The city of Moncton is accustomed to visitors eager to see the tidal bore and has set up a park with a grandstand at a curve in the river. Moominmama went to Bore Park and enjoyed a leisurely lunch before the tidal bore was due to arrive, then got a riverside seat to see the phenomenon unfold.

It was all over in about five minutes, but it is unusual to see a wave move like a line all the way along the river, with families of geese hurrying to get to shore to avoid it.

From there, Moominmama returned to her car and drove back to Hopewell to catch the high tide. You can see the ocean and river water remain muddy, given how the silt gets stirred up each time it flows in and out.

After snapping a few high tide photos, Moominmama took herself home for a much needed shower. 

Swimming is not easy here in Fundy, in part because of the crazy tides and muddy water. 

For exercise, Moominmama has hiked cliffside trails overlooking the bay, which made for some beautiful views between the birch, maple, spruce and fir trees (including balsam fir with its magical Christmas-tree smell). After navigating rocks in the Gaspé, here the trails are crisscrossed with roots!

I'll end this week with a view toward beach near where I'm staying. From this vantage, you can see how far the mud flats extend at low tide. I'll be heading next to Prince Edward Island, so more oceanside photos likely from there!