Despite an overcast and dreary day, surfers hoping to catch a big wave at Moncton’s tidal bore got what they wanted Wednesday, thanks to this week’s supermoon.
Nearly waist-high, the wave came in at 10:40 a.m. with hundreds of onlookers lining the shore.
This natural phenomenon happens when the rising tides of the Bay of Fundy are funneled into the narrow Petitcodiac River, creating a tidal wave.
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The tidal bore comes into the Petitcodiac Causeway twice a day and travels at about 13 km/h.
Costa Rica-born Melvin Perez rode the wave Wednesday, and even though it wasn’t his first time, this one was special.
“Here you only have one try — the power is insane because its all the water from the tide coming in, so that’s a big, big, big difference,” Perez said.
The unusually high tide was caused by the supermoon — the moon was at its perigee, the point where it’s closest to earth, Sunday night and into Monday morning. The last time the moon was this close was in 1948, and it wont be this close again until December 2034.
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“We already have the biggest tides on earth here in the Bay of Fundy, there’s going to be tides at Hopewell Rocks today of 48 feet, Burntcoat Head which is literally where the highest tides on earth are, its pushing 52 feet, it’s huge,” said James Upham, Resurgo Place program director.
The effects of the supermoon on the tides should last for another day or two.