Burntcoat Head, Nova Scotia

Burntcoat Head (Improperly known as Burncoat) is an unincorporated rural Canadian community in Hants County, Nova Scotia and is known internationally as the site where it was officially recorded that the Bay of Fundy, and specifically Burntcoat, has the highest tides in the world.

Burntcoat Head had a public wharf that has been the location of a tide gauge since the 19th century. The tide gauge at Burntcoat Head was operated by the Canadian Hydrographic Service and has recorded the highest tidal range in the world. Currently, the tidal gauge is no longer in operation. Tides at Burntcoat Head average 55.8 feet, with the highest being set during the 1869 Saxby Gale at 70.9 feet.

The Guinness Book of World Records (1975) declared that Burntcoat had the highest tides in the world:

“The Natural World, Greatest Tides: The greatest tides in the world occur in the Bay of Fundy.... Burntcoat Head in the Minas Basin, Nova Scotia, has the greatest mean spring range with 14.5 metres (47.5 feet) and an extreme range of 16.3 metres (53.5 feet).”

The National Geographic Magazine (August 1957) also made a similar assertion: “The famous tides of the Bay of Fundy move with deceptive quiet. Sheltered from the open sea, they ebb and flood to a recorded range unequal in the rest of the world.”

Burntcoat Head experiences two high tides and two low tides each day. The Bay of Fundy fills and empties with approximately 160 billion tones of water twice a day. On average it takes 6 hours and 13 minutes between high and low tide.  As soon as the tide has reached it lowest or highest point it will change directions and either begin to come to shore or flow back out. Each day the tides times will change approximately by one hour. The reason why the tides fills and empties the Bay of Fundy each day is due to gravitational pull of the moon and the sun on the earth, as well as earths rotation. 

Spring tides happen twice a month when the sun, moon, and earth are aligned. During this alignment the tides rise higher then average.

Neap tides occur during the first and third quarter moon. During this time the high tides heights are lower than average.

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Wikipedia