Tidal Bore Rafting in Nova Scotia?!

Hey guys!! You might remember from a couple of my recent posts about my travels in Canada that I had the opportunity to do Tidal Bore Rafting in the Shubenacadie River of Nova Scotia while I was there. The Shubenacadie River is actually the best place in the world to do tidal bore rafting with the highest wave ever recorded there reaching a massive 52 ft high!! The only time at which tidal bore rafting can take place is at high tide each day. This is because the boats ride on the force of the waves, powered by the incoming tide from the Fundy at the mouth of the Shubenacadie River. As the shape of the river narrows, the volume of water can go nowhere but up, therefore creating the massive waves. The tide reverses the natural flow of the river as it journeys 30 miles inland at a fast pace. During the course of the rafting experience, the river level will rise by between 20 to 30 ft. The tour I experienced was 3 hours long in total and I immensely enjoyed it and wished I could do it all again. So in today’s post, I’m going to outline my experience of tidal bore rafting in Nova Scotia.

In total, there were 7 people from my family who took part in the rafting: me, my cousins Sophia and Daniella, my Dad, my Uncle Jake, my Uncle Sam and my great Auntie Jane. There was actually some raining and thundering before we set out and we were all praying that it wouldn’t lead to lightning as well since that was the only way the tour could be cancelled. Thankfully, the storm passed and we were equipped with wellies and life jackets before we wandered down to the edge of the Shubenacadie River. I was breathtaken at the beauty of the river with its glassy clear sheen on top of it and it’s striving greenery on the banks. Our group was introduced to our tour guide who was called Garrett. We all gingerly inched down to the boat and were instructed to perch on the boat and clutch the rubber handles there for us. I had a death grip on them since I was terrified of falling from the boat. Admittedly, I was excited but nervous as I was unsure of what to expect. Me and Sophia initially placed ourselves right at the front of the boat but once we’d experienced the first cycle of waves, we soon moved back. At the front, you became the most soaked and took on most of the waves as they pounced at you.

The river was practically flat when we first set out so Garrett had to accelerate to gain distance across it. I felt rejuvenated as the wind whipped into my face. Little waves started to build up, creating a more bumpy ride and they gradually grew in size. When we hit a sweet spot where all the massive waves were, Garrett turned off the engine on the boat and allowed the waves to carry us. I can’t describe how alive I felt as we rocked up and down on the waves, ranging from 3 to 6 ft tall. The first wave that hit me square in the face brushed away all of the cobwebs and reignited my sense of adventure. Once we reached the end of the sweet spot area, Garrett turned around the boat and we repeated the whole cycle several times. Sometimes, the waves would hurl themselves at us and pool in the boat. To prevent a build up of water leading to a sinkage, we’d all position ourselves further back so the water could be drained. We returned to the shore and had a five minute break where water was provided for us.

After that, we travelled along the river to some mud banks where we could do mud sliding. There were already some slides made up and we all had so much fun sliding down the mud into the water and covering ourselves in it. Sophia instigated a mud fight and soon after, me and all my family were launching mud at each other. I felt like a little kid again as we gleefully caked each other with mud.

The final part of our adventure was the most intense as we journeyed further down the river to another sweet spot. At that point, the rain had returned for an encore and as we raced along the water, it pelted us all in the face and felt more like hail. The waves developed again and dipped us up and down. Some absolutely soaked us with the warm salt water which was greatly welcomed after the cold rain had hammered down on us. After a couple of cycles, we journeyed back to the shore and that was the end of our rafting adventure. I was freezing cold but exhilarated and I wished I could experience it all again.

I was very impressed with the company whom we did tidal bore rafting with called Shubenacadie River Adventure Tours. They provided for us well with life jackets and wellies for the rafting, full use of their lodge and all their facilities and refreshments and an all you can eat barbeque afterwards for no extra fee at all. They also ensured that our safety came first and granted us with an unforgettable experience of tidal bore rafting. You can click here to see their website. I would definitely recommend tidal bore rafting if you live in or near Nova Scotia or are ever visiting the area. It truly is an incredible experience which I’m sure I’ll never forget.

Thank you for reading this blog post!! Have you ever done an extreme sport? Let me know in the comments!! There’ll be another post out soon but until then bye for now!!

Amelia Grace a.k.a Amelia in Hull