Bay of Fundy FAQs

With thanks to Terri McCullough from Bay of Fundy Tourism

1. Are the Bay of Fundy tides a 50-foot "wall of water"?
The Bay's tides do officially measure 50 feet in height but the tidal bore (just one of several ways to see the tides) is not a 50 foot 'wall of water' twice a day. More information about the various tidal effects you can experience in addition to the bore below.

Cape Enrage Photo Gallery 

The History of Cape Enrage Lightstation

Cape Enrage lighthouse is one of the oldest on New Brunswick’s Fundy coastline. The original light was built about 1840 at a cost of £600 and was probably a fixed, white light which may have been changed later to a green hazard light. David Tingley sold the land for £50 and allowed a road to be constructed to the Cape at no charge. The Commissioners determined the site to be suitable; it had water, stone for building, some arable land and the point of land reserved for the lighthouse was in direct sight of all points from Rockport southward to St Martins.

Beaches at Cape Enrage

Barn Marsh Island Beach

About half a kilometre before you arrive at the Cape Enrage Interprative Centre you will pass Barn Marsh Island beach.

This extensive sandbeach is covered during the last two hours of the incoming (flood) tide and the first two hours of the outgoing (ebb) tide. The exposed, sandy ocean floor extends for about two hundred metres at low tide and its width extends from Inner Head to Outer Head, the latter being the cliffs of Barn Marsh Island upon which sits the Cape Enrage lighthouse.

The beach is owned by New Brunswick Nature Trust, as are portions of the adjoining marsh. Swimming is common; however it is always at your own risk. No known undercurrents are present but extreme Bay currents extend from Inner Head to Outer Head at almost all times of tide.

The Reef and Shipwrecks at Cape Enrage

Cape Enrage has a large reef pointing south and extending into the bay. This is a prime reason the water gets violent, especially during mid-tide when it is partially exposed and the water is in motion.

"The fact that Cape Enrage jutted out into the Bay of Fundy nearly half way to Nova Scotia made it prone to shipwreck many sailors. The water is very deep on the seaward (northeast) side of Cape Enrage and sailors tended to travel close to Cape Enrage in the winter to avoid ice which was common along the south shore against Nova Scotia. In addition, the busiest trade route was past Cape Enrage rather than past Apple River."

Geology and Fossils of Cape Enrage

The fossils at Cape Enrage are contained in the layers of sedimentary rock approximately 320 million years old.

They have all been transported from elsewhere, with an abundance of plant trunk fossils washed downstream and trapped along the the river channels in 'log jam-ups' along the sides of large river channels.