Just like any other coastal sea line, the Bay of Fundy experiences high and low tides along its shore. High and low tides are caused by the gravitational force of the moon and the sun in conjunction with the constant spinning motion of the earth. However, where an average tidal range is about three feet, the Bay of Fundy has the highest tidal range in world, measuring up to 16 meters or 50 feet in height.

This tidal range is so large because of the motion caused by the long funnel shape of the bay. Because the Bay of Fundy is long and narrow, it experiences oscillation. Oscillation is the continuous back and forth motion where the water in the bay sways from one side to another. This period of oscillation, where the water in the Bay of Fundy moves back and forth, takes about 12 to 13 hours. Remarkably, the occurrence of this oscillation movement matches seamlessly with the time the tide comes in and out of the bay from the Atlantic Ocean. Therefore, when oscillation is causing the water levels at the top of the bay to rise, the high tide is coming in at the exact same time. Because of these phenomena of events, the unique high and low tides of the Bay of Fundy are created.

In Burncoat Head Park, Nova Scotia, the tidal height changes in the early morning from 47.9 feet to 1.6 feet in under seven hours. However by noon, the tidal height is back to 46.6 feet, and then down again in the evening to 2.3 feet. This rapid water level change happens daily in the Bay of Fundy, and is experienced by towns along both the New Brunswick and Nova Scotia shorelines. These shorelines are a popular destination among tourists because they allow people the ability to walk on what was once the ocean floor only hours before.

Check out this Excel chart, High and Low Tides of the Bay of Fundy to see the drastic change in high and low tides at Burncoat Head Park.