Reversing Falls Rapids, Saint John, New Brunswick Canada

“The mind is like water. When it’s turbulent, it’s difficult to see. When it’s calm, everything becomes clear.”

Prasad Mahes

Today we have booked a tour through Cruise Compete to go see the Reversing Falls Rapids, St Martin, and a city tour of Saint John. We had heard about the incredible reversing falls from other people who went on this trip and were excited to get to see them. We boarded our bus across the street from the cruise ship terminal, and off we went. Saint John appears to be a decent size city. One of the main things we noticed was the incredibly beautiful flowers throughout this city. I will get more into Saint John in the next blog.

Our bus weaved through the busy city streets and headed to the Reversing Falls Rapids. It was a short ride from the cruise port of about one and a half miles. When we arrived, he pulled into the parking lot in the Stonehammer UNESCO Global Geopark and they let us get out and view the river at near low tide. This was a great viewing sight for this unusual phenomenon.

Our group walked up to the railed overlook and our guide told us it was near low tide and the water was now flowing into the bay. He explains that the Saint John River runs through a narrow gorge emptying all its water into the Bay of Fundy at speeds of up to 25 knots. Twice a day, 100 billion tons of water, which is equal to all the rivers in the world pumping their water into the ocean, flows in and out of the river to the Bay of Fundy.

There is a lower viewing area that you can get to by walking down the steps to see the rapids which was nice. They had signs there explaining how the rapids were formed. It was amazing being so close to the wild water and watching the power of the water pushing into the Bay of Fundy.

The two tide cycles complete here ever twelve hours and ten minutes. In between, there is a slack tide which makes this area like a placid lake but it only last 20 minutes. It is during that time only that boats and ships can pass. Saint John has a tidal chart published that list the slack time so the vessels can time their trips. The rapid or falls are created by ledges underwater which disrupts the water in either direction creating a huge navigation hazard.

The tidal flow here in Saint John is considered some of the highest in world and at this location goes up or down 28 feet. Our guide told us further up river some of the tidal changes go up to 49 feet. They used to rent Jet boats for rides here but it became too dangerous because the drop in water level in a short distance was too extreme, so they closed that business in 2013 after being open for 19 years. It is now growing as a whitewater kayaking location.

We noticed they have a zip line across the street for those with an adventurous spirit. Across the river on the west side is a pulp mill. Unfortunately it is the first thing you notice when you get to this amazing area. It is operated by J. D. Irving since he purchased it in the 1940’s. He has gotten a lot of criticism for maintaining this company at this tourist site since it does take away from the beauty. While standing there, we did notice there was no smell coming from the company. That amazed and thrilled us. Our guide told us we would come back later when the tide reversed.

After our trip to St Martin and a tour through Saint John, we headed back to the reversing rapids to see it at near high tide. What an amazing site seeing the water flowing in the opposite direction. This is a site worth seeing as it will boggle your mind. The rapids were flowing just as strong as they were earlier but going the other way.

We were thrilled we got to see this amazing site and hope to come back some day to see even the slack tide. If you are in Saint John, this is a must see.