Oops, it’s been a while since my last blog. I haven’t shared how much fun I had in Nova Scotia a few weeks back which was amazing. I arrived early and spend a few days being shown around by Chris Lockyer, chief honcho at “Committed to the Core” sea kayaking. First stop was a great tidal race off the end of Brier Island at the entrance to the Bay of Fundy. There was a long line of juicy waves as the flood tide swept over a shallow reef, and dozens of seals kept popping their heads out of the water to look on. Day 2 saw an ultimate whale watching trip. Chris’s parents-in-law took us out on their lobster fishing boat. Once we spotted 2 humbpack whales, we slid the kayaks into the water and waited for the whales to come to us. They were even curious enough to take a look at us above the water and roll on their bellies under the kayaks. It was an incredible experience.
The next 3 days saw us run the Shubie river – this muddy watercourse runs upstream when the flood tide sweeps up the drainage. As the water level rises over sand banks, it forms temporary delicious chocolately waves if you are in the right place at the right time. By day 3, I had either learnt something about the waves, or I was lucky, as I had some amazing rides.
The final afternoon in that area, Chris took us to a ‘play spot’ that he’s only recently discovered – the Walton Whoppa. This works on the ebb as water rushes back out to sea under a narrow bridge. It starts off as a nice wave and ends up as a nasty hole. It was hard to maintain control on the fast flowing wave and by the time the hole formed, it was a like a rodeo ride which made for some exciting cartwheels and pirouettes for those brave enough to venture onto it. I’ll be making a film of all these events…. the film below is made by Chris and is the first of a series of films he’s making about the tidal races in the Bay of Fundy.
My last stop was the first Bay of Fundy sea kayak symposium in the Argyle region of Nova Scotia. We stayed at the fantastic ‘Ye Olde Argyler Lodge‘ which was beautifully situated right on the water with dozens of tree-covered islands making up the view. Events ranged from surfing, tidal race paddling, rescues, paddling in style and guided trips. The 100+ participants seemed to enjoy it. If you missed it – or want some more – dates for next year are September 12-15th 2014.
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