Twice everyday the Bay of Fundy fills and empties of its 100 billion tonnes of water, creating the highest tides in the world. The height of the tide is 3.5 meters (11ft) along the southwest shore of Nova Scotia and steadily increases as the floodwaters travel up the 280 km (174 miles) of shoreline to the head of the Bay where, in the Minas Basin, the height of the tide can reach 16 meters (53ft).
The force created by these mighty waters is equal to 8000 locomotives or 25 million horses at the Minas Channel. This energy works within the Bay’s waters to stir up nutrients from the ocean floor, the mud flats and salt water marshes providing an abundance of food for the birds, whales, fish and bottom dwellers that visit or call Fundy home.
Nowhere else in the world can you see tides like those found in the Bay of Fundy! You can read much more about the highest tides in the world in the about section on our website. This was the 45th article in our “52 Reasons to visit the Bay of Fundy” series. Machias Seal Island was last week’s reason to visit the Bay of Fundy. Don’t forget to mark your calendar or use our RSS feed so you won’t miss the 46th reason next week!