Tidal Bore Rafting

Yesterday morning it was up at 6 a.m. to drive to Tidal Bore Rafting Park & Cottages in Shubenacadie.  I had heard of tidal bore rafting, know several people have gone, but had yet to go myself.  My mother wanted to go, and Dad's brother was down with his wife and daughter, so it was decided we would all go on an adventure.

There were actually thirteen of us going; my mother's brother was also visiting, my sister decided she wanted to go and brought her boyfriend and his two kids, and last but not least, of course, my girlfriend.  The boats only hold eight, though, so we were actually separated for most of the time on the river.

I don't really know what I was expecting, but it wasn't quite what I encountered.  We arrived in three SUV's (and waited for my girlfriend to show up in her four cylinder hatchback) and stood around for a bit since we managed to be slightly early.  Then there were waivers to sign (of course!) after which we wandered over to where the sign said to wait.

First it was eliminating anything we didn't want to get wet or lose (wallets, cell phones, jewellery, sunglasses, etc.) and tying glasses onto the heads of those who couldn't manage without.  Next it was life jackets, or PFDs.  The one I was wearing seemed somewhere between the two; I had never encountered one quite like it.  No helmets.  I don't know why I was expecting helmets, but I was.  Not that I was complaining.  As it was a beautiful day, we didn't bother with rain gear.

It was a bit of a walk down the hill to the dock, and we walked past the little cottages that are available to rent.  I didn't look into how much they cost, just assumed they were too expensive to justify when we live less than an hour and a half drive away.  But we could have stayed there the night before and just rolled out of bed around 7:30 a.m., dressed and ate something before heading up at the recommended 7:45a.m. meeting.  The departure time was 8:30a.m.

The boats weren't what I was expecting even after seeing pictures on their website.  It was just a 14' (maybe 16') RIB with a 40 hp motor on it.  I didn't realize how many people were going at the same time as us; I didn't count but guessed at a dozen boats.  I don't know why I expected them to be bigger, but I did.  As it was low tide, we had to walk from the dock (uneven, since it was a floating dock sitting on the bottom of the river) down a gentle slope of slick mud to step into the river before climbing into our boat.  The process involved a lot of back and forth as the drivers tried to work out how to keep all the groups together (except ours, of course.)

My girlfriend and I got in a boat with my parents and uncle while the other eight filled a boat.  Also in our boat were two girls roughly twenty years old and their mother.  Our pilot (driver, captain, operator, guide, whatever) was a third year engineering student from DAL who didn't want the summer to end.

Our pilot didn't exactly make a graceful boarding after pushing us out, but like I said, slick mud.

The first leg of the trip was pretty much what I was expecting.  We followed the channel that was deep enough down river.  Our pilot (Kaylee, I think, might have been Haley) told us some stories about the area, facts about the river and tides.  Then we beached on a sand bar and got out to wait for the tidal bore.

We wandered around for a bit, chatted, even waded out into the water.  At waist deep, the current was pretty strong.  Then I looked up and saw two things at once: a white line approaching the sandbar and people getting back into the boats.  So we hurried back and got into our boat.  A few minutes later, the entire sandbar (a couple acres) was covered in several inches of water.

Where the incoming tidal bore meets the sandbar, huge swells form.  We spent about an hour going down river, turning and coming up river to ride the waves, and turn to go back down.  We got soaked and knocked around a bit, and had to rearrange the seating a few times.  I was expecting what would have been rather boring -- just following the tidal bore up river where the waves wouldn't be as big.

The first wave took me by surprise, knocked me right off the side of the boat.  By that I mean I ended up on the floor with my legs tangled up, still hanging on to the rope.  Up until then I had only needed one hand to hold on.  There aren't seats in these boats, you just balance on the inflated sides and hang on to the rope.  I had a mouthful of salty water and sand, which I had to spit out, and then had to wipe my eyes.  I got used to it and gave up and held onto the rope with both hands eventually.

At one point I saw one of the other boats sitting there empty, all its passengers bobbing in the water.  I don't know what happened.  I don't even know if they were a group with the same company (there are at least two other companies and the only difference you can see in the boats is the name printed on one side) but everyone looked fine.

The waves died down and our guide asked if anyone wanted to go swimming.  The two other girls got in after some debating, and as they were being hauled in my girlfriend decided she wanted to go in.  So we did.  It wasn't really swimming.  You can't swim with one of those life jackets on.

After we got back in, it was up to mud sliding.  Basically, this involves pulling up to the bank, climbing up the mud, and sliding down into the water.  We were warned not to put our feet down and dig them in, because that has been known to result in sprains and broken limbs.

This actually may have been the most fun part of the trip.  I can't explain how fun it was.  It was like a cross between sledding and a water-slide, but it was like playing in the mud when you're a kid at the same time.  It was great.

After that it was just heading back up the river to rinse off and change.  I'd love to do it again, but it's a bit expensive.  Next summer, though, I'm doing the four hour run.  Anyone want to join me?