The Bay of Fundy is a bay between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, with a small portion touching the US state of Maine. It is an arm of the Gulf of Maine. Its tidal range is the highest in the world. The name is probably a corruption of the French word fendur, meaning ‘split’.
The Bay of Fundy’s resonance (or seiche) and the unusual combination of the shape of the bay differ from those of other basins. Like the water in any basin, the water in the Bay of Fundy has a natural oscillating motion called irrigation. It can be compared to the movement of water in a bathtub. (A temporary disturbance or oscillation in the water level of a lake or partially enclosed lake, especially caused by changes in atmospheric pressure.)
Tides are the periodic rise and fall of ocean water caused by the gravitational pull of the Moon and Sun on Earth. Due to an unusual combination of factors—the resonance and the shape of the Bay of Fundy—the tides are the highest in the world.
The highest tide of 53.6 feet was recorded in the Bay of Fundy here at Barncot Head. The Guinness Book of World Records declared in 1975 that this unique spot in the bay has the highest tides in the world. High tide ranges from 47.5 to 53.6 feet.
The bay’s unique shape helps create some of the world’s most extreme tides. As 100 billion tons of seawater hits the coast every day, the water level rises and falls by as much as 48 feet per day. Low tide reveals rocks carved into dramatic shapes by centuries of water at Hopewell Rocks.
Bathymetric map of the Bay of Fundy (Bathymetric is the study or reading of the “bed” or “floor” of a body of water, including oceans, rivers, streams, and lakes.) Red to orange colors indicate shallow water, and blue to purple colors indicate deep water. Most of the bay is less than 100 meters deep but the southwestern part of the bay reaches a water depth of 240 meters.
These tides sometimes create thrilling rapids, which can reach heights of up to 12 feet. Generally, the best places to watch tides are the smaller rivers that connect to the Bay of Fundy, such as the Salmon River in Truro, Nova Scotia, and the Shubenacadie River near South Maitland.
Not only is the Bay of Fundy famous for its high tides, its coastal cliffs and beaches are home to the world’s most complete fossil record dating back 300 million years, making it a UNESCO World Heritage Site and part of the UNESCO Global Geopark.
In terms of color, the rivers of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick flow through soft red Triassic sandstones that erode easily. The regular churning of sediments and incoming and outgoing tides and tidal currents keeps the bays and rivers permanently muddy with a reddish hue.
Tourists can explore and enjoy the Bay of Fundy in a variety of ways. For example, at low tide, you can take part in races on the bottom of the Bay of Fundy or on the floor, or take a table and have lunch there.
There is a Tidal Interpretive Center on the shores of the Bay of Fundy, where you can stand on a pole and watch the whales.
Swimming in the waters of the Bay of Fundy is not pleasant, as the water is generally very cold.
It took thousands of years of ocean tides to carve the famous petal stone. You’ll want to take the time to feel the full experience. Welcome to The Hopewell Rocks Provincial Park, one of New Brunswick’s best destinations and perhaps the place where the Bay of Fundy’s tidal power is most impressive.
The Bay of Fundy has the highest tidal range in the world. The Bay of Fundy is known for the world’s rarest whales, the highest tides on earth and scattered with dinosaur fossils. In 2014 experts named the Bay of Fundy one of the natural wonders of the world
From remarkable succession of species can encounter small toothed whales, including playful porpoises and dolphins, seals, various species of sharks. In the waters of the bay one can catch many fish including shad, flounder, tuna, sea sturgeon, salmon, cod, herring, pollock, hake, haddock and halibut, as well as lobster.
Ice rafts are almost never seen in the Bay of Fundy, but its two ends, Minas Basin and Cumberland Basin, usually see them every year. Because in salinity, the Minas Basin and Cumberland Basin are less saline than the Bay of Fundy, since rivers flow between them. If the water is not salty, it freezes below 0 degrees Celsius.
With strong currents and super-cool temperatures, you won’t want to swim in the Bay of Fundy, but you’ll want to experience much of the region’s wild and exotic allure. The story of the Fundy Basin begins about 200 million years ago in the Jurassic period, when all this land was part of a supercontinent called Pangaea. At that time it was located near the equator of the Maritimes and had a warm tropical climate and lush-green vegetation. As continental drift reshaped the universe, rift valleys formed, including the Kobequid-Chedabucto fault system.
During continental breakup, the magma erupted as basaltic lava and left igneous rock formations such as columnar jointing that can be seen on Brier and Grand Manan Islands, among other places around the bay. These flows are often the site of rare mineral deposits, including agate, amethyst and stilbite, Nova Scotia’s provincial mineral.
These cracks were filled with sediment which became sedimentary rocks. Many fossils have been found along the Fundy coast. Canada’s oldest dinosaur fossils have been found at Burncote Head. Very early reptiles discovered in Carboniferous tree trunks at Joggins. Wasson Bluff has a rich collection of Jurassic fossils.
The bay is a member of the Global Geoparks Network,” UNESCO’s initiative to promote and preserve the planet’s geological heritage.”
