The Extraordinary Bay of FundyA natural phenomenon not to be missed is the famous coastline of the Bay of Fundy. It has the highest tides in the world, where in some locations its incoming tides can rise to a height of up to 48 feet above low tide. The Bay itself is approximately 170 miles long that stretches between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. During the tide cycle each day, approximately 100 billion tons of seawater flows in and out of the Bay, an amount greater than the combined flow of all freshwater rivers of the world.
To view the vertical effect of the Bay of Fundy's tides, a good observation point would be Cape Chignecto Provincial Park with its towering 185-meter (600-foot) cliffs rising from the Bay of Fundy, where the Bay water's lap at their base. Cape Chignecto is a natural environment park located on Cape Chignecto peninsula, which juts out into the Bay. It is here where you can capture some great views of the high tides, as its waters claw its way up the sandstone cliffs some 40 or more feet. The park is located in Advocate Harbor, Nova Scotia. You can glimpse the great horizontal change effect of the tides at nearby Five Island Provincial Park, where at low tide a vast expanse of the ocean floor is exposed. In the upper part of the Bay, the tide can be a few miles away from where it was at high tide, and where at low tide, you can walk out over the exposed mud flats, just teeming with marine crustaceans, food for millions of shorebirds during their migration period, then scamper back before the tide changes, that just moments ago the water levels were well over your head.
And, of course, there is nothing like sea kayaking at high tide over where you were previously walking at low tide. Five Island Provincial Park is located just 20 miles east of Parrsboro, Nova Scotia. While you're in Parrsboro, plan a visit to the Fundy Geological Museum, where they have a nice display and presentation of the Bay of Fundy of almost 200 million years ago, when dinosaurs roamed the area. Besides the collection of various fossils taken during this period, they also have an impressive display of rocks and minerals of this period, where you can learn about the unique geology of the Bay area. Also in Parrsboro, you will find the Ottawa House By The Sea, one of the oldest structures on the Minas Basin. With the central core of the current building dated c 1775 and containing a rare surviving example of Acadian construction, the Ottawa House is a truly unique structure, as it experienced the growing province of Nova Scotia as it grew to its current status. It has a vast collection of memorabilia dating fom the 18th century to contemporary times. Land of FossilsSandstone cliffs line the northern side of the Fundy coast. It's quite a dramatic sight to see this long line of red cliff exposed to view.Today, the cliffs are a treasure trove for fossil hunters at low tide. Although the area has pretty much been picked clean by now, occasionally you can come acoss a piece of what is probably part of an old fossil.
A stop at the newly opened Joggins Fossil Centre on the Fundy Shore, where you will find on display a large collection of 300 million-year-old fossils, should also be on your list of places to visit, if your interest in fossils is piqued by what you can find in the cliffs. It is here where you can book a place on their guided tours to the neaby Joggins Cliffs. The Fossil Center is located nearby at Amherst, Nova Scotia. Visit the Cape d’Or lighthouse located on Advocate Harbor. Here you can get a panoramic view of the Bay of Fundy from a point of land where the Minas Basin projets out into the Bay of Fundy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dm04n_vDsC4 It is here where you can experience both the morning sunrise and and the setting of the sun over the same body of water! And while you''re there, enjoy a meal at the house of one of the lightkeeper's. The Fundy coast is also one of only a handful of places in the world where the phenomenon known as a tidal bore can be found. When the outgoing low tide changes to incoming high tide, the large volume of water is channeled into the narrower river tributaries, and an actual wall of water, sometimes as high as 2 feet, leads the influx of water up the river, reversing its natural flow and causing a great amount of turbulence. There are boat operators available for those who wish to ride on this churning current, much like riding white water rapids. Whale WatchingBecause the two great ocean currents, the warm Gulf of Mexico and the colder Fundy stream meet here, the ensuing collision churns the waters and its nutrients, bringing up tons of plankton – whale food.As a result, the Bay has become a “hot spot” to observe the high concentration of whales in their natural environment. Rent a space on one of the many boat excursions and enjoy the Whale Watching.
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