Rafting Vacation » Shubenacadie River

Our Pic of Week: Blue Skies on the Shubenacadie

admin — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 19:56:52 +0000

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.

New Tidal Bore Rafting Compilation Video

admin — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 14:40:08 +0000

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

admin — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 13:00:38 +0000

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 in Nova Scotia

admin — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 12:30:37 +0000

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

Art Connection Celebrates Historic Shubenacadie Canal

admin — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 20:00:16 +0000

Art Connection Celebrates Historic Shubenacadie Canal

Today marks the beginning of a visual arts celebration of the Shubenacadie Canal. This historic canal and waterway connecting the Bay of Fundy with the Atlantic Ocean was considered a 19th century mega project and flourishes today as an important recreational resource for all of us to enjoy.

The Shubenacdie Art Connection is the first of what many hope will become an annual event of local art exhibits stretching along the length of the waterway from Maitland on Cobequid Bay to the Dartmouth, Nova Scotia waterfront. For two weeks and three weekends from September 19th to October 4th, 2009 twenty-two artists will showcase their love and appreciation of the canal and the Shubenacadie River region.

Among those participating in the event are well-known oil paint artists, Sarah Jane Conklin of Fall River and Carol Morrison of Oakfield; pastel artist, Janice Guinan of Bible Hill and versatile watercolour artist, Gail Sutherland of Bedford (just to mention a few).

Guinan, who paints portraits, landscapes and seascapes usually in pastel, also works in watercolour, acrylic and oil. Guinan notes that her ancestors came to the area in the 1700s and settled in Riverside, near Maitland, Nova Scotia. She said she has often wondered if her family (originally from Ireland) might have helped in the building of the canal.

Work on the Shubenacadie Canal system began in 1826 and was finally completed in 1861. Between 1856 and 1870 steam ships hauling barges moved gold mining equipment, coal, lumber, bricks, and granite through the intricate system of nine locks along two planes on the canal. By 1870, however, the dawn of an efficient railway system in Nova Scotia that was able to transport goods across the province faster and more cheaply made the canal obsolete.

The Look-Off by Janice Guinan of Bible Hill is among the many pieces of visual art featured at The Shubenacadie Art Connection (series of exhibits) beginning today in Central Nova Scotia.

Rafting Park Welcomes North American Media Attention!

admin — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 13:10:05 +0000

Rafting Park Welcomes North American Media Attention!

The owner of Tidal Bore Rafting Park & Cottages, near Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia reports the media attention his business has received from regional and national newspapers, blog sites, TV networks and other media across North America, is good for the region and good for the hospitality industry in the province. Jack Robinson says “There is growing interest in the Tidal Bore rafting phenomena in Nova Scotia and the number of local and international media wanting to learn about it is on the rise.”

According to Mr. Robinson, his staff began noticing more media inquiries in 2007 resulting in feature articles in The Boston Globe, The London Times, Audubon Magazine and several other publications. The trend continued in 2008 with a film crew visit from the Discovery Channel, numerous internet travel blog entries about the business and the production of at least one national video featuring his staff and the filming of a rafting tour on the Shubenacadie River.

This year Tidal Bore Rafting Park has been mentioned dozens of times on Twitter, featured on a number of YouTube videos and added to several prominent travel blog sites, including the Canadian Tourism Commission’s ‘Big Place Blog‘ (resulting from the bloggers’ visit to the park in July). In June, the host and film crew of the Travel Channel’s new travel lifestyle show, The Travel Guy, visited the park. Their production is expected to air across the Travel Channel network late this year or early 2010.

According to Mr. Robinson, in 2008, nearly 8000 people from across North America, Europe and Asia visited Tidal Bore Rafting Park & Cottages. In 2009, the company celebrates 25 years of rafting in Nova Scotia.

In August, 2008, The Hosptiality Guide host and producer, George Tsioutsioulas (on right) released a video of his visit to Tidal Bore Rafting Park. The Hosptality Guide is a website and weekly broadcast designed to focus on all aspects of the tourism hospitality business in North America. The guide is viewed by thousands of travelers across the continent. Click HERE to watch video.

“There is a growing interest in the Tidal Bore Rafting phenomena in Nova Scotia and the number of local and international media wanting to know more about it is on the rise.”

- Jack Robinson, owner of Tidal Bore Rafting Park

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