Gumbo was walking on the floor of ocean at the Bay of Fundy during low tide (specifically in Burntcoat Head Park). I think this was a challenging and somewhat unusual puzzle, with congratulations to ace travel sleuths George G, PortMoresby and Roderick Simpson who solved it!
The highest tides in the world occur in Canada’s Bay of Fundy, which separates New Brunswick from Nova Scotia. Twice each day the Bay of Fundy fills and empties about 160 billion tons of water. In 1975 The Guinness Book of World Records listed Burntcoat Head Park in Nova Scotia as the site of the greatest average tide of 47.5 feet. with an extreme range of 53.6 feet. That’s about as tall as a four story building!
When I visited Nova Scotia last fall, one of the top things on my “to do” list was to see the sight of this great tidal surge. Ideally you want to be there at both low and high tide to see the contrast, but because of limited time we had to confine our visit to the few hours around low tide. And it was a dramatic experience.
Burntcoat Park has a small visitor center built in a replica lighthouse which also houses a small museum and gift shop. The Park is not large by Canadian standards but has a nice picnic area, walking trails and gardens. The main reason you come, of course, is to walk on the ocean floor and to see the effects of this great tidal movement.
A staircase takes you down from the escarpment to the ocean floor. Be cautious as it is slippery from moisture and algae; water shoes (eg. Crocs or Tevas) are most definitely an asset. I’d also take trekking poles to help you keep your balance on the slippery bottom.
I was a little surprised to find how relatively lifeless the walk on the ocean floor was, but I guess spending large amounts of time exposed to air will do that to an aquatic environment. I did see some water plants, snails and barnacles, but not much in the way of tidal pools or fauna. Still, it was quite surreal descending hundreds of meter to the distant ocean across trapped pools of water and polished sandstone and granite. Fossils have been found in the sandstone nearby but collecting fossils is not permitted.
If you visit:
There is no admission fee. From May to Thanksgiving guided tours of the shoreline are available (for which there is a small charge), or you can do what I did and just explore on your own. The visitor center has a few limited displays which are worth reading before you head out. The people working here were friendly and more than happy to answer your questions
Some more photos of our walk on the floor of the Bay of Fundy…
(looking back towards the Visitor Center)
Our drive alongside the coast from the park provided nice views of the Bay of Fundy, including livestock and a river with a tidal bore.
