Super tidal bore rolls into Moncton

MONCTON — The Petitcodiac River tidal bore surged into Moncton today at a level people haven’t seen in years and even the locals were impressed.

“It was kind weird because I wasn’t expecting myself to feel joy. But just to see it and watching the river fill it’s quite the phenomenon,” said Elyse Hamel, who grew up in Moncton and recently moved back to the city.

This week, the Spring moon phase known as the super moon is producing the highest tides of the year in the Bay of Fundy.

As all that water pushes through the mouth of the Petitcodiac River, it produces a wall of water known as the tidal bore.

This is biggest one of the year, Daniel LeBlanc with Petitcodiac River Keepers calls it the Super Bore and says it is only going to get more impressive in the coming years.

“There’s no question that reason we have a beautiful bore is because of the restoration of the river.”

The Petitcodiac causeway gates were opened in April 2010.  Since then, much of the silt build up in the river has moved out and the river has widened.  LeBlanc says that’s paved the way for a bigger bore, which is very good news for the head of Moncton Tourism, Ben Champoux.

“Now it’s back you saw the number of people here today it becoming again a major tourism attraction,” says Champoux.

When the causeway was built back in 1968 it caused silt built up in the river causing the tidal bore to shrink to a trickle. Over time, the bore inherited a rather unflattering nickname, the Total Bore.

But the crowd of well over 2000 people that came out to witness the bore on Tuesday didn’t seem bored at all.

“I think it’s very hopeful to see how much it’s grown since the causeway’s been opened,” says Hamel

Champoux hopes the crowds will continue to grow and that the tidal bore can finally shake its nick name and no longer he known as the total bore.

“Ask everyone here today and they’ll say they don’t even know what nickname you are talking about.”