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Volume 28 • Issue No. 1 •

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Surf Zone

Hunting Wild Bore
A guide to the world’s best tidal bore surfing
David Weber

Whitewater paddlers know the stomach-dropping sensation of spotting a monstrous hole lurking below to throttle their tiny craft.

But what if such menaces could actually pursue paddlers upstream? Strangely enough, some can. Crawling upriver capsizing boats and scouring the banks, tidal bores are moving waves or holes that rise from the ocean, appearing at full or new moons, their size depending on weather, swell and season. Historically, they’ve been responsible for untold damage and loss of life in unsuspecting riverside towns. Only recently have they become the domain of adrenaline junkies. Imagine riding a single wave upstream for miles on end, and then, when through, simply letting the current wash you back to the put-in.

Tidal bores are rare—there are only about 100 observable bores throughout the world, far fewer of which can be surfed. They occur when incoming tides surge upriver, developing a steep forward slope from the friction of the downstream current. Predicting the bores is tricky, depending upon more than just a tide chart: Prevailing weather direction, barometric pressure and the river’s flow all help determine the intensity of a bore. The best tides for bores occur near the equinoxes, and there is even a nine-year cycle reaching its apex this year. Typically, the bore’s leading edge is smooth and glassy where the river is deepest in the middle and breaks along the banks where friction is greater. But for surfers, bores are far more mercurial than ocean waves,

and usually considerably faster—in some cases up to 25 mph. Add river debris and strainers and bore riding becomes pretty interesting. Following is a list of some of the world’s surf-friendliest bores.

Severn, England
"You could hear the noise, like a steam train hurtling round the corner. And, around the corner, we were met by a 5-foot solid head of water which was getting bigger and bigger. By the time it got to Garden Cliff, it was at least 9 feet—almost double overhead." —Steve ‘Wizard’ King

The Severn River in Glouchestershire, England, has become the cradle of this growing sport. Dragged upstream at speeds up to 13 mph, the Severn bore can be a glassy swell, a monstrous breaking wave or even a moving hole as it cruises the English countryside, turning the peaceful river into an inland surf zone. A 1955 account describes one of the first attempts to ride these waves on surfboards, and today the Severn bore is frequently surfed by both board and kayak. The best bore riders can travel several miles, with Steve King’s unofficial record being 6.3 miles—almost a full hour surfing one continuous wave. The Severn also has the most extensive online documentation at www.boreriders.com.

Turnagain, Alaska
Just below Anchorage, Alaska, is Turnagain Arm Bay, home of the Turnagain bore, the United States’ only rideable bore. Turnagain has the distinction of being the most northerly bore on the planet and is therefore life-threateningly cold. Other unique hazards include quicksand (spiced up by the occasional griz), mud flats and shallows that can cause the bore to break and dump the rider onto (almost) solid ground. Turnagain is unique among bores because it traverses a tidal-sediment-filled fjord, forcing riders to choose among its many shallow channels rather than just following a single riverbed. The advantage: midnight sun surfing in the spring.

Shubenacadie, Canada
The Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick has the highest difference between high and low tide on earth—as much as 48 feet. Once among the largest bores in the world, the 1968 construction of Moncton Causeway reduced the Petitcodiac tidal bore to a mere trickle, which the locals then dubbed the "total bore." However, strong bores still heave up the Shubenacadie River, which can reach heights of 10 feet or more. Unique to the Shubenacadie is the fact that, because of the huge tidal variation, the bore occurs every day, ranging from a few inches to several feet in size. Info: www.petitcodiac.org, www3.ns.sympatico.ca/river.runners/.

Pororoca, Brazil
The Amazon River’s Pororoca has terrorized locals for centuries. Forming several miles out to sea and traveling inland as far as 125 miles, the Pororoca has become the destination event for big bore surfing. With miles of channels and tributaries to choose from, it offers a cornucopia of breaks and features to surf. Unique hazards include entire logs ejecting from the water, the dangerous piranha and the even more sinister candirú fish—a small, urinophilic catfish rumored to be able to enter the urethra of submerged victims, causing severe discomfort and possible phallus amputation. Just don’t swim.

The Dragon, China
It has killed thousands of unsuspecting bystanders over the years, stands over 30 feet tall and its roar can be heard from 20 miles away: The appropriately named Qaintang Dragon is the largest, fastest and most catastrophic bore in the world. While local legend tells of men trying to placate the Dragon by surfing it on wooden planks, only one attempt to surf it has been recorded. In 1988 a team of surfers were given permission by the Chinese government to ride the Dragon. The ride lasted 11 seconds and was featured in the documentary Jaws of the Dragon.

Mascaret, France
Once comparable to the Dragon, the Mascaret on the Seine River in France is now only a ghost story. Around the turn of the 20th century, it reportedly destroyed more than 200 ships in a 60-year period. It is even reported to have killed Victor Hugo’s (author of Les Misérables) daughter, Léopoldine. Like almost all natural wonders opposing the commerce of man, its days were numbered and was slain by the completion of the Tancarville canal in 1963 and the dredging of the Seine estuaries.

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