Walking on the Ocean Floor

That's what these folks were seen doing on our recent road trip during a stop in New Brunswick Canada. This scene, a natural phenomena, was in Hopewell Rocks where the ocean floor was accessible for 3 hours before until 3 hours after low tide. 

These unique rock formations are on the shores of the Bay of Fundy at Hopewell Cape, New Brunswick, which has some of the world's highest tides, and is considered one of the most interesting marine wonders worldwide. It's taken thousands of years for the massive tides of the Bay of Fundy to sculpt these unusual formations. They stand 40 to 70 feet high (12–21 meters).

The large volume of water flowing in to and out of the Bay of Fundy modifies the landscape surrounding it. After the retreat of the glaciers in the region following the last ice age, surface water filtering through cracks in the cliff has eroded and separated the formations from the rest of the cliff face. Meanwhile, advancing and retreating tides and the associated waves have eroded the base of the rocks at a faster rate than the tops, resulting in their unusual shapes.

The rock formations that make up the Hopewell Rocks are called Sea Stacks and have been carved from the cliffs by time, tide and wind. They are commonly referred to as Flowerpot Rocks since at high tide only the tree tops are visible. There's over 20 free-standing sea stacks scattered along just over a mile (2 kilometers) of shoreline. 

The Hopewell Rocks Provincial Park website gives information on daily low tide times. The tides can vary daily with high tide as high 52 feet (16 meters) which gives the Hopewell Rocks one of the highest average tides in the world. Visitors can explore the beach on their own or join a Park interpreter. The website notes that the formations aren't ever 100 per cent safe. Sturdy footwear is recommended, although we saw folks wearing sneakers and sandals. Due to the mud, the ocean floor isn't handicap accessible; wheelchairs can be difficult to navigate.

The muddy bottom is because the Bay of Fundy tides are always in motion. As the tide flows over the mud flats, it moves the sediment and suspends it in the water. This sediment never fully settles and so results in mud. Swimming isn't allowed at the Hopewell Rocks and neither does the park allow the launching of private watercraft. 

If you're wondering about what looks like brown wet mud, that's exactly right and it's also slippery. Sturdy footwear is recommended, although we saw folks wearing sneakers and sandals. Due to the mud, the ocean floor isn't handicap accessible as wheelchairs can be difficult to navigate. 

The muddy bottom is because the Bay of Fundy tides are always in motion. As the tide flows over the mud flats, it moves the sediment and suspends it in the water. This sediment never fully settles and so results in mud. Swimming isn't allowed at the Hopewell Rocks and neither does the park allow the launching of private watercraft. 

We didn't walk on the ocean floor as we didn't want mud-covered shoes. Instead we watched from the observation deck, 99 steps above the ground. The deck had a washing station where shoes, feet, and pets could be cleared of mud. We saw a formerly white dog on the mud flats the day of our visit.

The large volumes of water flowing in to and out of the Bay of Fundy has modified the landscape surrounding it. When glaciers in the region retreated after the last ice age, surface water filtering through cracks in the cliff eroded and separated the formations from the rest of the cliff face. Meanwhile, advancing and retreating tides and associated waves eroded the base of the rocks at a faster rate than the tops, resulting in their unusual shapes.

Elephant Rock (Hopewell Rocks) before and after its 2016 collapse (CBC photo)

We missed seeing one of the most well-known Flowerpot Rock formations by nearly a decade. In 2016, Elephant Rock split and collapsed from ongoing erosion forces. It was one of the most photographed of these formations. When it was sheared nearly in half, an estimated 100 to 200 tons of rock fell to the ground. Elephant Rock was so popular that it's featured on New Brunswick's Medicare card. Names of some of the other formations are Bear, Dinosaur, ET and even Mother-in-Law.

Like so many popular sights, even natural wonders, this experience comes with an admission cost. The good news is that it covers two consecutive days and visitors are encouraged to visit at both high tide and low tide. Unfortunately, we bypassed that chance as we didn't have time to return a second day. We were continuing to Prince Edward Island on the next part of our road trip. 

Dorothy & Patrick at Hopewell Rocks, New Brunswick, Canada

I read that no Canadian vacation is complete without having experienced these rock icons. (Yes, I know that's an awful pun.) Even though we didn't walk on the ocean floor, just seeing it was an experience. If you get the chance to visit, by all means It's a sight that should not be overlooked. Our thanks to fellow blogger Rain for the recommendation.

Confederation Bridge links New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, Canada

Leaving New Brunswick we travelled on the Confederation Bridge, a two-lane bridge  that links the province of Prince Edward Island with the mainland province of New Brunswick. Opened in May 1997, the 8-mile (12.9-kilometer) bridge is Canada's longest and the world's longest bridge over ice-covered water. If you enter PEI through the Confederation Bridge and leave through the same bridge, there is no entry charge but there is an exit charge, currently it's $50.25. PEI is the only province in Canada where residents have to pay at its border to leave. 

A fellow blogger asked if residents also have to pay the toll and it seems that they do. According to an online article, tolls had been frozen a second year to support bridge users, especially PEI residents and businesses hit by high inflation.

I also read that the Confederation Bridge is a federally owned asset and that the Government of Canada has an agreement with the bridge operator, Strait Crossing Bridge Limited, to operate and maintain the bridge until 2032. The bridge operator has the exclusive right to collect all tolls.

These Falls Reverse

Dorothy, Rain & Patrick

To be clear, the Reversing Falls does reverse, but we didn't fully experience this unique event in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada on our May road trip.

However, it's where we did have a great experience — a first-time meet-up with a fellow blogger Rain. As it happened, this was a first-time visit for all 3 of us. We met at the falls restaurant for conversation, refreshments and great views.

Of course if we had waited just longer, we might have seen this natural wonder in its totality, but time didn't allow that day. And, we would not be going by this area again on our road trip. Still, we saw at least a part of this daily event. While there, we read about the falls, watched a video, then walked on the Skywalk and watched the falls coming from the Bay of Fundy into the Saint John River.

The extended area from the restaurant at the falls is the skywalk area.

Us on the Skywalk at Reversing Falls

What are the Reversing Falls?

The Reversing Falls are a series of rapids on the Saint John River located in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, where the river runs through a narrow gorge before emptying into the Bay of Fundy. The semidiurnal tides (two high and two low tides of about equal size every lunar day) of the bay force the flow of water to reverse against the prevailing current when the tide is high. The rapids or "falls” are created by a series of underwater ledges which roil the water in either direction. This can cause a significant navigation hazard. Vessels can only enter or exit from the river at slack tide.

The Reversing Falls Rapids are created by the daily collision of the Bay of Fundy and the Saint John River. At different points in the tide cycle, there are three distinct interactions between these bodies of water.

At low tide the river empties into the bay causing a series of rapids and whirlpools. As tides rise they slow the river current for a brief period, slack tide. The Bay's tides continue to rise, gradually reversing the flow of the river; rapids form again, peaking at high tide. 

Slack tide generally is only 20 minutes and occurs when the Bay of Fundy waters begin to rise and slow the river's flow, eventually stopping it completely. This is the only time that sail boats and pleasure crafts can sail between the bay and the river.

At high tide, the Bay of Fundy tide continues to rise, gradually reversing the flow of the river, and rapids form again, peaking at high tide.

A full tide cycle takes 12 hours, 25 minutes. From high to low tide takes 6 hours, 13 minutes.

Now a tourist destination, the Reversing Falls have been an important industrial site for over a century. The Canadian Pacific Railway constructed the Reversing Falls Railway Bridge in 1885. This structure was replaced in 1922 and is now used by the New Brunswick Southern Railway. The railway bridge crosses the gorge immediately downstream from the falls, parallel to the Reversing Falls Road Bridge.

Irving Pulp & Paper, New Brunswick, Canada

The location of the falls was the site of a foundry and other light industrial operations on the east side of the gorge The large Irving Pulp & Paper Limited mill is on the west side. The paper company which has operated the pulp mill since purchasing it in the late 1940s, has encountered criticism for maintaining the facility at what is seen as one of Saint John's prime tourism spots. 

This criticism was most voiced in the 1980s and 1990s when the city government created Fallsview Park on former industrial foundry lands on the east side of the gorge. The park lookouts are considered a prime viewing location for the Reversing Falls Rapids. Unlike the Skywalk there's no cost to visit this park and use the lookouts.. 

Years ago, a popular travel book labelled the Reversing Falls with the distinction as being among the worst tourist attractions in the world. Admittedly, that does seem rather extreme. As we know from personal experience, reviews are subject to opinion and often even a bad review can attract more folks than not. In reading a number of online reviews from others who have also visited the falls, that review seems not to have deterred any.

Even though we didn't view the complete transformation, we enjoyed our visit. As the main purpose was a blogger meetup, this natural phenomena was an added bonus.

Since returning home, I've watched several online videos to see the full Reversing Falls effect. This drone video by Jesse Sullivan (only background music) is interesting if you are included to watch it. Total playing time is a bit over 7 minutes.

By the way, we did see a moose at the falls, luckily it wasn't on the roadways. This one was captive in the restaurant lodge area.

The Reversing Falls weren't the only natural wonder we experienced in Saint John, New Brunswick. A future post will show how it's possible to walk on the ocean floor, of course, at low tide.