Surfing the Petitcodiac River Tidal Bore

International Surfers Ride the "Super" Tidal Bore, in July 2013

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During the week of 21-27 July, 2013, the Petitcodiac River's tidal bore hosted four surfers from California, France and Canada. The surfers were here to take advantage of natural factors that cause a higher wave than usual. The event reached an unexpected magnitude as many tourists and local citizens flocked to Moncton's Bore Park to witness the surfers ride the wave upriver.

Once upon a time, before the construction of a causeway in 1968, the tidal bore would usually reach a height of 1 to 2 metres (about 3 to 6 feet). This blocking of the river caused a lot of silting and a reduction in the flow of the river. Before 2010, when the causeway gates were opened permanently, the wave was usually just a few centimetres in height. Since regaining its natural flow (somewhat), the tidal bore has regained alot of strength. Tourists and local citizens seem to have found a renewed interest in this rare natural phenomenon, a characteristic of the Petitcodiac River.