Tidal Bore Rafting – A Unique Nova Scotia Adventure

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If you’re looking for a truly unique Nova Scotia experience, then Tidal Bore rafting might be for you! Mention those words to anyone outside of the maritimes and they likely have no idea what you are talking about! We have done it a few times and it’s always one of those laugh-until-your-face-hurts experiences. But what is tidal bore rafting? First we need to talk about the Bay of Fundy…

World’s Highest Tides

The Bay of Fundy is located between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, and as I mentioned when I wrote about Burntcoat Head Park – it is home to the world’s highest tides! Every 12 hours and 25 minutes the tides rise and fall, but this tide rises 52 feet! While the tide is rising up to 1 inch per minute, it causes something exciting to happen in the Shubenacadie River…

The Tidal Bore

As the tide rises, more water flows into the rivers off the Bay of Fundy, and the Shubenacadie river is one of them. As the water rushes into the river, the first wave is called the tidal bore! But here’s where it gets interesting…  all that water rushing in causes the river to change directions! As the river changes direction to inland, at 30 km/hr it rushes over sandbars and islands causing rapids that have 4 foot and up to 18 foot waves! 

Where & When To Go Tidal Bore Rafting

The Shubenacadie River is on the Western side of Nova Scotia, and there are several companies that offer tidal bore rafting tours. All of the tours start from around the same general area. We went with Fundy Tidal Bore Adventures which is located at 45 Hwy 236, Green Oaks, Nova Scotia, it was about an hour from downtown Halifax.

Tours are usually offered mid May through September, but I would recommend going in the summer as it’s usually still chilly here in May & June. Tour times depend on the tide schedule, so sometimes tours are in the morning and sometimes they are in the late afternoon. 

Fundy Tidal Bore Adventures Review

We opted to go with Fundy Tidal Bore Adventures and we were not disappointed! First we got to their main building about an hour before our tour was scheduled to pay and sign the waivers. You have to wear close toed shoes on the boats (and no crocs) so if you forgot to bring your own then they have some there that you can use. They supplied life vests for all of us to use and made sure we were ready for our adventure.

Once you are out in the boats they took us to mud hills to slide down while we waited for the tidal bore! It was so much fun to play in the mud. You will get very very dirty on this tour even if you don’t slide in the mud, so wear old clothes! Once the tidal bore came in that’s when the fun really started. Our tour guide Morgan owns the company and it was clear he knew the river like the back of his hand. We spent the next couple of hours screaming and laughing until our faces hurt because we were having so much fun! The boat really bounces around so you have to hold on tight but no one fell out. At the end you get a little time to swim after the river has calmed down, and then you head back to home base.

At their main building they have showers that you can use to clean off. They also have picnic tables and lawn games if you want to spend some time hanging out before or after your adventure! They supplied water and a granola bar snack after the tour was finished.

Important Info:

You must make a reservation for the tour as it does fill up! Book your tour with Fundy Tidal Adventures through email or by phone.

They have 2 options for tours: a 2 hour or a 4 hour tour. 2 hour tours are $60+tax for adults and $50+tax for children. 4 hour tours are $89+tax for adults and $79+tax for children.

Children must be over 6 (or over 9 for extreme wave days).

Final Thoughts

Tidal bore rafting is one of the most adventurous things that you can do while visiting Nova Scotia! We had such a great time and are looking forward to doing it again. If you’d like to explore other places in the area, I recommend Burntcoat Head Park!