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Forget the Hamptons, visit the Bay of Fundy!

By Tim Hancock


The Bay of Fundy is located off the northern coast of Maine and extends into Canada between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. It truly is one of the greatest natural tourist attractions on the planet and is currently representing Canada as one of the 28 finalists aroud the world in the Official New7Wonders of Nature contest. What makes the Bay of Fundy so special? Below are the top 3 reasons to visit the Bay of Fundy:

1. The Highest Tides on the Planet

The enormous spring tides in the Bay of Fundy make it one of the planet's top natural spectacles. Twice daily the bay floods with and empties of its 100 billion tonnes of water in the course of every tide cycle. That tops the outflow of all the freshwater rivers in the world together.

The height of the tide difference goes from 3.5 meters (11ft) along the southwest seacoast of Nova Scotia and evenly increases as the flood waters flow up the 174 miles (280 km) of coastline to the tip of the Bay where, in the Minas Basin, the range of the tide can reach an unthinkable 16 meters (53ft). That is five to 10 times more than any other tide on the globe!

2. Equals the Amazon Rainforest in Marine Biodiversity

The remarkable and unsurpassed tides of Fundy form the motor which fuels, cultivates and supports one of the greatest natural ecosystems of the planet. The Bay of Fundy is an absolutely fundamental location for bird, fish and marine mammal migrations.

Its marine biodiversity rivals that of the Amazon Rainforest. Many have also ranked the Bay of Fundy above Australia's Great Barrier Reef when examining the extensive and exceptional pyramid of the marine food-chain it has created, and as a consequence, the broad and diverse range of creatures it attracts.

3. Home to Over eight Species of Whales

At least eight species of whales are to be found in the Bay of Fundy during the summer months, including the Minke, Humpback, Finback and the endangered Northern Right Whale. The Bay of Fundy is a preferred site for whales to give birth, both for the plentiful amounts of food and for the protection that the Bay provides. The Bay of Fundy provides an important "nursery" where more than half of the world's population of endangered North Atlantic Right whale raise their calves.

The first whales arrive from their southern migration grounds in the late spring and by mid-July all the whales, including the rare North Atlantic Right Whale, have returned and they usually stay in the Bay of Fundy until fall. For this reason, the Bay of Fundy whale watching season runs from June to October inclusive. The top month to go whale watching is certainly August.




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