Offbeat Traveler: Canada’s Bay of Fundy

Last week we took you to Komodo National Park and its gigantic lizards. Before that, Plitvice Lakes National Park in Croatia, with its stunning waterfalls. Now, on to eastern Canada and the Bay of Fundy.

The bay is a picturesque body of water with impressive rock formations, marine diversity and fossil deposits. But what makes it unique are its remarkably high tides: More than 100 billion tons of water rush in and out every day. The tides measure 53 feet, the highest in the world, according to Terri McCulloch, executive director of the Bay of Fundy Tourism Partnership.

Two chief factors contribute to the Bay of Fundy’s impressive tides. The first is shape. From its mouth to its end, the bay gets more narrow and shallow, causing a large amount of water to fill a smaller space, forcing it higher onto the shore. The second factor is tidal resonance, which happens when a body of water’s natural tides are reinforced by the rocking motions of its waters. View the gallery below to see the effect of the bay’s massive tides.

--Jason La