Hopewell Rocks and a Walk on the Ocean Floor

After our arrival at the campground, we hurried 6 miles down the road to the Hopewell Rocks National Park to see high tide and take a few pictures. It is amazing to think that the tides are as high as they are. Once the water recedes, it immediately starts coming in again and once high tide is over, the water immediately starts receding. 160 BILLION tons of water moves in, and then out every day. To put this in perspective, if you were to catch all the water flowing over both the American and Canadian falls at Niagara, you would have to collect water for one year and nine months to match the amount of water that flows in and out of the Bay in one day!

This is an example of the "flower pot" rock. During high tide, the water will normally be about halfway up the dark shadow on the left of the rock. At extreme high tide when a full moon is closest to the earth and the sun are all aligned it will reach to the very top of the shadow. The two people standing to the left would be about shoulder high to the green seaweed. The tide was coming is as we were walking along here. Park employees station themselves along the walking area to herd people out as the tide gets higher.

This is the emergency platform at the end of the beach walk. It is there in case a person is cutoff from the route back due to rising water. One of the park employees was saying in her ten years she is aware of it being used once by a local couple who decided to do this walk in early winter. The park is not really manned and the husband wanted to charge on but the wife said she was worried and went back. Well, the tide caught him and the wife, not knowing where he was found a supervisor who was working on paperwork and told him what had happen. The supervisor went to an overlook above this platform and yelled to see if he was there and sure enough the husband answered. He asked how he was going to taken off the platform and the supervisor told him he would walk out at low tide in about 5 or 6 hours. The man got really beligerent and demanded someone or a helicopter come and get him. After some rude words to the supervisor, the man again demanded to know what the park supervisor was going to do, to which the supervisor replied "It is getting cold and late and I will take your wife to dinner, when you can walk out, please call her and she will come and get you!" The man walked out at low tide.

The stand in the background is the high tide viewing and beach access stand from the trail to the visitor center. During high tide, the water covers up to the concrete beam seen at the bottom of the third level. the men in the blue and yellow shirt are both 6 foot tall so you can see the height the water reaches.

This is "six minute rock", once the water reaches this rock you have six minutes before the water starts to climb the rocks in the back and you will be cutoff from any land exit.

The first evening at the park we arrived about one hour after high tide and you can already see how much the water has receded. "six minute rock" is about 100 yards on the other side of this formation in a larger cove. The water is extremely cold and you do not want to have to swim in it for an hour until you can reach land, you would not last.

We are looking through "Lovers Arch" at low tide. It is about 3/4 of the way down the beach walk. You can see the level of the algae on the large rock behind, this is the normal tide level is this section of the beach.

This was taken from the lower level of the viewing tower. It is some of our tour members kayaking through "Lovers Arch", The water is about 6 feet below my feet. Notice in the sunny background the brown line, this is the normal color of the water of the Bay of Fundy. The constant motion of the tide sloshing in and out keeps the sediment stirred up. Older photographs show nice blue water but that is the result of doctoring the photo.

It was truly a great thing to see and to experience. We have heard about the tidal bores and the tidal extremes but to see it is person in incredible. Unfortunately, our time here is over and we are heading to our next to final stop on the tour, St. John, New Brunswick where we will see the Martello tower and the reversing rapids. It will then be on to our last stop and our 60th day on tour. Come on along and help us finish right!