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Alma Wharf at Low Tide.  At high water
 this estuary is flooded.

 Those Incredible Tides

The Alma Wharf, set upon the backdrop of the 'Owl's Head' bluff behind, is the best place in Alma to gain a real appreciation of the high tides of Fundy.

These fishing boats, resting in cradles upon the ocean's floor, will rise over 15 feet when the tide is at its highest, bringing them up almost level with the top of the wharf.  

During the lobster fishing season, the local fishermen leave the harbour each day as soon as the rising water begins to lift the boats clear of the bottom.  Then they must ensure they are back before the water leaves once more, or they will be stranded out in the bay.  
Life here revolves around the rhythm of these tides, and depends upon them as well.  The farther up the bay you travel, the higher the tides become, as 100 billion tons of water fills the ever-narrowing Bay of Fundy, twice every day.  

It is the shape of the bay that contributes to the extraordinary high tides here.  Not only does it continually narrow and split off into smaller basins, but the actual dimensions are also a factor.  At 180 miles in length, the time it takes for the tides to flood the bay and wash back out again, matches the tidal rhythm of the ocean. This creates a 'bathtub' effect, where the resonance of the ocean matches that of the bay, causing the tidal flow to become amplified....much like the sloshing of water in a bathtub.
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