bay of fundy - new wonder of the world

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

Bay of Fundy: new wonder of theworld?

Meera Dattani August 23 2010 4:15PM

The Nova Scotia inlet is up for a pretigious award - nowonder with scenery, wildlife, and adventure to boot,says Meera Dattani

The water looks calm as we coast along the Shubenacadie River. We’re happilylifejacket-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 thenanother, as we screech and squeal in delight. Holding on tightly, we carry on rafting therollercoaster waves that appear to come from nowhere, soaking us right through, but

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

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proving to be addictively good fun.

We’re in the funnel-shaped Bay of Fundy, a 270km-long (170-mile) ocean bay stretchingbetween the provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia on Canada’s eastern Atlanticcoast, 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 billiontonnes of water move in and out of it daily (more than the combined flow of the world’sfreshwater rivers), creating the world’s highest tides – and the tidal bores that makerafting a unique experience.

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

There’s nowhere else in the world with tidal bores of this size, one reason why the TidalBore Rafting Park on the Shubenacadie River near Truro is onto a winner. Set in 180acres of secluded nature, one hour from Nova Scotia’s main city, Halifax, it offerstwo-hour trips along 9km of river and four-hour excursions along 18km of thr longestsection 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 alightfrom the zodiac boats, clambering onto squidgy sloping riverbanks before sliding downin 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 extraordinarycoastline. 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 Bayalso has the world’s highest vertical tides with the highest tidal range of anextraordinary 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 marinelife, the New Brunswick side also became Canada’s 15th UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in2007.

Whale watching off Digby Neck is one of the region’s highlights – humpback, minke, finand 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 oftenreferred to, such as the tides caused by a giant whale splashing in the water, andplaces like Shubenacadie and Kejimkujik National Park remain in the Mi’kmaq language.


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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 andItaly’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 kmfrom 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 Gardensand Fort Anne National Historic Site. Guided hikes also take in the historic dykes builtby the Acadians. These French settlers devised slopes to regulate water levels andprotect 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 tidesrose.

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 theFundy’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 Préwinery near Wolfville, use Nova Scotia-grown grapes or apples are used. At HallsHarbour Lobster Pound, selecting your crustacean for lunch is part of the experiencewhile the picturesque quay is an attraction in itself, with lobster boats bobbing aboutuntil 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 ornot it becomes a new seventh wonder, this spectacular seascape is one of the bestreasons 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 atour

Air Canada offers more services between the UK and Canada than any other airline withflights 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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bay of fundy - new wonder of the world

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