Bay of Fundy, So Many Reasons to Vote ‘Yes’!

Today is the last day to Vote for the Bay of Fundy as one of the new 7Wonders of the World. Think of all of the possibilities should the Bay of Fundy win the competition. To help in the last-minute drive for votes, Tidal Bore Rafting Park & Cottages has asked local artist, Anthony Kawalski to write a ‘guest blog’.

100 billion tonnes of water rise 53 feet over and above these 300 million year old remnants of the supercontinent Pangaea every tide cycle. Enough to fill the Grand Canyon twice in a day. The Earth’s surface deflects under the weight of those tonnes of water and the inrush and outflow cause the Earth to wobble on its axis as it spins its way around the Sun.

Titanium and many other exotic metals coalesce with sandstones laid down over eons and basaltic rocks blasted from ancient volcanic calderas.

Seabirds and Eagles soaring, nesting ashore then fishing the racing waters. Frenzied fish feeding, Salmon, the prized Bass and the portentous Smelt of the snow storms of late Winter, all are a framework for the noble cetaceans that grace these waters as they feed here for the Summer. Endangered Right Whales, Finbacks and the mighty Humpbacks as mighty as the Sperm Whales who gained notoriety through Ahab, captain of the Pequod and the mighty Moby Dick. Rock weeds, other seaweeds and plankton abound as the fish spawn and add to the richness of these waters. Lush marsh grasses of a hue few cameras or artists can capture and of a freshness so inviting. Fertile red soils that herald so much promise in the Spring and deliver so much by Thanksgiving.

A junction of ancient continents has created all of this and it sits on the Northern Shore of Hants County with the stars of our Milky Way arcing over it between the most beautiful sunrises and sunsets I have witnessed. A Moon larger and brighter than ever I have witnessed.

So many reasons why I voted, so many reasons for us to vote ‘yes’!

So many reasons for us to know that we truly are ‘winners’ to have this Natural Wonder at our doorstep!

Anthony Kawalski

The Old Parsonage, Selma, NS

Vote Fundy 7Natural

Cliffs along of the Bay of Findy Shore.

The Bay of Fundy coast, always beautiful to photograph.

The Shubenacadie River at Maitland, Nova Scotia.

Pic of the Week: New Tourism Tidal Bore Rafting Video

The number of tidal bore rafting videos on YouTube is increasing almost daily. Today the Canadian Tourism Commission released several in a series of well-produced, short videos on Nova Scotia. Tidal Bore Rafting Park and owner, Jack Robinson are featured in one of those productions. There are some great shots of river but the action ‘rafting’ images are really not in the same league as some of the footage from Nova Scotia rafting enthusiast, Daniel Marshall. The video is nevertheless very professionally done. We would thank the commission for the video and hope all of our fans and customers enjoy this ride on the river.

The Grand Opening of the Sandbar Restaurant

Last week the Sandbar Restaurant held its official grand opening. The Nova Scotia facility was built in 2007 but was never properly introduced to our many friends, fans, followers, customers and business associates. This year we added a new awning, a few landscape changes, a new wine and beverage list and a new and expanded restaurant menu. The timing seemed perfect for an opening celebration.

The Sandbar Restaurant is open daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (including breakfast) and is available for special functions, events and business meetings. It’s the perfect place for a wedding reception! Daily specials available – Chicken Wings are a local favourite. Call us for more information (including custom menu preparation) and don’t forget to join is on the deck for a spectacular view of the Shubenacadie River Tidal Bore (click HERE for tide times).

Our staff prepares for the big event. Our kinds of food and beverages, live entertainment and a great view to boot. And the weather couldn’t be better.

Live entertainment was part of the opening festivities. And as you can see, the deck of the Sandbar Restaurant is large enough for any type of music venue.

The new awning and large deck of the Sandbar Restaurant provides an unrestricted and shaded view of the Shubenacadie River.

Imagine all of the friends, family and staff you could accommodate on the spacious deck at the Sandbar Restaurant. And the food..ummm..good!

Pic of the Week: June 19th Ride on the River

Welcome to the Pic of the Week. This is the latest tidal bore rafting video from Nova Scotian, Daniel Marshall, a hardcore Shubenacadie River rafter.  Remember Daniel? Last year two of his videos were chosen among the Top Five Tidal Bore Rafting Videos in Nova Scotia. This one is bound to make the shortlist for 2010. The new video (of his June 19th, 2010 ride on the river) contains some great landscape and mud sliding shots; and like all of his productions it is entertaining and well edited. Thank you once again Daniel for a job well done.

Our Pic of Week: Blue Skies on the Shubenacadie

Welcome to our new photo feature. Every week during the summer and fall periods we’re selecting one of our favourite photos at the park. We hope you enjoy the images and encourage our many blog readers and social media fans to contribute their own favourite photo. Just add your image to our Facebook wall with a brief description. You never know, your photo could be featured in next week’s ‘Pic of the Week’.

2006 was a great year at Tidal Bore Rafting Park. In August of that year the weather was nearly perfect (if I recall). There were a lot of group tours (more than the year before) and the river was a popular travel destination that summer. This shot was a good one. The puffy white clouds and bright blue sky, the dramatic shoreline of the Shubenacadie River, the churning water from the bore, the look of excitement and skepticism on the faces of the rafters, all contributed to this great photo, of a great ride on the river.

Know these people in our ‘Pic of the Week’? What was the occasion? Where were they from? Tell us more if you can, by leaving a comment below.

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One of the Great Rafting Adventures in the World!

To ride the waves of the tidal bore in Nova Scotia is to experience one of the greatest rafting adventures in the world!  Many of us have recognized this for years, but is only now being championed by bloggers, travel writers, adventurers and media outlets beyond the borders of Atlantic Canada.

Most recently, the prestigious adventure travel guide, Lonely Planet, endorsed the guide, Backpack Canada in naming the Shubenacadie River among ‘The Top Five Rivers for White Water Rafting in Canada’. This is good news for the adventure travel industry in Nova Scotia, if only as a start toward receiving the recognition the river deserves. The designation of the Bay of Fundy as one of the ‘New Seven Natural Wonders of the World‘ can only further the cause.

Last November The Shubenacadie River in Nova Scotia was selected as one of the ‘Top Five Rivers for White Water Rafting in Canada’. To read the full feature from Lonely Planet click HERE.

The Backpack Canada blog noted that the Shubenacadie was not only “one of Canada’s white water rafting oddities” but “was one of the only places to tidal bore raft” in the country. Certainly, there are many unusual and exciting tidal bores to see and experience in China, England and elsewhere, but there is no other location in the world where tidal bore rafting is a known adventure activity.  Why? Because it is only the Bay of Fundy tides that create these most unusual conditions every 12 hours  - where a series of large waves or a tidal bore is the result, as the ‘highest tides in the world’ enter the Bay and move toward the rivers which enter it.

Tidal Bore rafting is indeed a unique adventure that all Nova Scotians can be proud of. We will continue our media monitoring, our boasting and promotion of this most exciting of natural phenomena.

Facebook Fan Page Official Launch

Our Facebook Fan Page was officially launched today. We want you to enjoy the comments, photos and travel information on our new page and hope you will become a regular contributor.

As a Fan (or Twitter follower) you will be entitled to special discounts and promotions at Tidal Bore Rafting Park. We hope you’ll share your rafting experiences, thoughts, photos and videos with our Facebook community. Just add them to our wall, there are no restrictions.

Follow our page closely, you can expect great things from us in the coming weeks and months!

New Tidal Bore Rafting Compilation Video Release

Perhaps you remember Daniel Marshall of Nova Scotia. Daniel was able to garner the first two of the ‘Top Five Tidal Bore Rafting Videos in Nova Scotia‘ earlier this year. Well, Daniel has just released a compilation video of his many tidal bore rafting adventures on the Shubenacadie River in 2009. This is one of his best. The mud sliding segments are particularly good.

Daniel spends hours editing his material and the result is often a very polished product – which is all the more amazing when you consider he uses a hand held digital camera (a Pentax Optio W10). Anyway..this is it! Enjoy!

Soaring Bald Eagles on the Shubenacadie River

There are few of us who have not been mezmorized by the sight of a bald eagle soaring across a bright blue sky. A symbol of strength and independence in the United States; one of many icons of ‘wilderness Canada; a soaring bald eagle is a common sight on the Shubenacadie River. This majestic hunter, once near extinction in North America has followed many a rafting tour down river in search of the Shubenacadie Tidal Bore.

A Bald Eagle in flight in the Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia. A mature Bald Eagle (such as the one shown here) is dark brown, nearly black, with a white tail and head.

Dark brown, nearly black, with white head and tail, a mature Bald Eagle is a spectacular and powerful bird. Just how powerfully these magnificant birds of prey can attack a victim can be routinely observed in Kings County, Nova Scotia in late winter. Farmers there spread chicken carrion at designated feeding stations in the region. The diving and bombing  manoeuvres of these 400 or so raptors  attract birding enthusiasts from across North America, who attend the Sheffield Mills Eagle Watch every year in late January (or early February). The drive to this small Annapolis Valley community makes a great day trip for guests of Tidal Bore Rafting Park.

Bald eagles can be observed along the shores of the Shubenacadie in a more natural environment and nearly any time of the year. In summer, it is not uncommon for rafters to view several birds and a large nest of twigs and debris on a single rafting trip.  During the winter, the birds are more widespread, especially along coastal areas in the province. The shores of  the Shubenacadie River is one of only a few areas in Nova Scotia where there are large winter concentrations of the birds.

And if you want to see a Bald Eagle up close, real close, The Shubenacadie Wildlife Park is about 20 minutes away. There you can see, photograph and observe a Bald Eagle in all its splendor. The rescued bird is a favourite with hundreds of visitors to the wildlife park every year.

Hundreds of Bald Eagles gather in a farmer’s field during the Sheffield Mills Eagle Watch in Kings County, Nova Scotia. The event is held every year in this small Annapolis Valley community.

Top Five Tidal Bore Rafting Videos

There are probably very few Canadians who have not watched Susan Boyle’s emotional video on You Tube. What is perhaps more interesting, however, is that Canadians watch more videos than many other countries including the United States, France, Britain and Germany. According to a recent comscore survey, 21 million Canadians watched  3.1 billion videos (1.6 billion on You Tube alone) in February, 2009. It would appear that Canadians have a real passion for the medium and it should be no great surprise that many of us are turning to videos for travel and entertainment information about Nova Scotia.

For example, an informal survey of  ‘tidal bore rafting’ videos on You Tube and other websites reveals that the number of videos this year have more than tripled the numbers for 2008 (and there is still a lot of good rafting time left). And the productions, well, they are really quite good! So good in fact we have looked at all of the rafting videos from this and previous years and have selected the Top Five Tidal Bore Rafting Videos in Nova Scotia.

1. Title: Shubenacadie Tidal Bore Rafting – September 21st, 2009 (6.50 minutes) – It is no accident that the first two of our top five choices are videos from Daniel Marshall, an avid tidal bore rafting fan and a Nova Scotian. His You Tube channel reveals several well edited, thoughtful and informative videos of his visits to various Nova Scotia destinations. While many are a little lengthy, they are great to watch and very entertaining. One which deserves a special mention is his filming of  the pounding tidal bore surf hitting the bow of his Zodiac tour boat.  One could feel the roll of the waves,  as his camera, often submerged in muddy water, captured each wave as it broke across the bow.

2. Title: Shubenacadie Tidal Bore Rafting – September 8th, 2009 (6.50 minutes) – In both this and Daniel’s September 21st video one quickly learns that the ‘tidal bore rafting’ experience can be more than just riding the waves. It is fun in the mud of the Shubenacadie River. Daniel’s filming of his friends sliding, falling, rolling and laughing in the dark mud near Maitland, Nova Scotia will bring a smile to your face. After watching this video mud sliding is something you will want to consider with your next tidal bore rafting adventure.

3. Title: Tidal Bore Rafting Bay of Fundy – November 8th, 2007 (3.43 minutes) – While lacking the impact and clarity of some of the other productions, motorcyclist Matt from Waverley, Nova Scotia has produced a first-class video. The music track works well,  the editing is smooth and Matt’s filming of neighbouring Zodiacs climbing wave after wave on the river would have required a steady hand for sure. Matt’s video is the most popular ‘tidal bore rafting’ video on the internet and has received nearly 12,000 views on You Tube.

4. Title: Tidal Bore Rafting, Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia, Canada – August 20th, 2009 (1.57 minutes) – When you’re watching this video it is not difficult to imagine why wetsuits and a change of clothes are strongly recommended when enjoying a tidal bore rafting adventure on the Shubenacadie! With the river waves pounding over the bow of the Zodiac, the water constantly filling the boat and splashing the faces of passengers, you quickly discover why they are so important on a rafting tour! But it is all good fun and this popular You Tube video is one of the best.

5. Title: Tidal Bore Rafting – August 8th, 2008 (5.48 minutes) – As you might expect, the production of this Hospitality Guide video is the most professional of all the video material considered. There are interviews with rafting staff, customers, drivers and background information has been added, making it much more informative than the other videos. The production falls short, however, in the actual filming of the action on the water. You don’t feel the excitement or magnitude of the waves associated with a rafting adventure. Despite the shortcomings, the video is well done and certainly worthy of a top five designation.

Hospitality Guide Video