Shubenacadie Tidal Bore

When the Fundy tide floods into the narrowing Minas Basin it pushes a wave up the rivers that drain into it, and on the Shubenacadie the bore can arrive as a wall of brown water a metre or more high, travelling upstream against the river's own current at some fifteen kilometres an hour. Rafting operators run zodiacs out to meet it and then ride the standing waves that build behind as the tide fills the channel. The water is opaque with red mud and everyone finishes covered in it. Bore heights vary with the moon, so operators publish which days are large.

What you actually see

• The bore wave - a wall of water running upstream against the current.
• The standing waves - rapids that build behind the bore as the tide fills in.
• The red mud - opaque water that coats everything and everyone.
• The viewpoints - free spots at South Maitland to watch the bore pass.

When to go

June to September for rafting; the bore itself runs year-round twice daily. Wave size depends on the lunar cycle, and operators publish the big days around new and full moons.

Honest expectations

On small tides the bore is a ripple and the rafting is tame. Everyone gets soaked in red mud that stains clothing. Trips book ahead for the big tide days.

Nearby

Burntcoat Head lies west; Truro is northeast.