The incredible power of the tides
There's a good chance that you'll only remember the tides when that hand-picked spot where you put your beach chair, just a few meters from the shoreline, suddenly finds itself underwater and you have to collect all your things in a hurry before the ebb tide takes everything away. This is because on most of the coasts of Brazil and other countries, the tidal range is a maximum of 1m, and this has little impact on your life. But what would you say to a tidal range of almost 17m?
The Bay of Fundy, in Nova Scotia, Canada, has the highest tidal range on Earth: 16.6m. This is because this bay is shaped like a funnel, narrowing towards its shallower portions, which means that the tidal variation increases as you move towards the interior of the continent. At low tide, you can calmly walk along the ocean floor. But when the tide starts to rise, a wave of up to 4m in height forms in front of it, moving at a speed of 15km/h (250m/minute). In other words, get out of the way.
In the process of a rising or falling tide, which occurs every six hours, 100 billion tons of water are displaced, using the equivalent energy of 8,000 locomotives. Imagine the erosive power of these waters on the cliffs surrounding the bay! Think about getting to know this place quickly, before these beautiful cliffs that you can see in the video below are completely wiped out by the force of the waters.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnDJ6_XpGfo
The second highest tidal range is at Mont Saint-Michel, on the Normandy coast of France. There the tides reach 15m and turn the mountain into an island at high tide. At low tide, it is possible to cross the bay on foot, if you know how to escape the quicksand. These walks are only allowed in the company of a tour guide who knows the area well. As you walk along, you can watch the sheep that invade the sands at the bottom of the sea to graze on the seaweed, which gives their meat a naturally salty flavor. However, the tide moves so fast that in the past it used to be said that it moved at the speed of a gallop. For this reason, many unsuspecting tourists who parked their cars around Mont Saint-Michel would find them submerged a few hours later, when they had finished their visit to the Abbey.
Brazil has the third highest tide in the world. The tide in São Marcos Bay, in São Luís do Maranhão, reaches 8m at certain times of the year and allows ships of up to 400,000 tons to dock in the port of São Luís without the need to dredge its bottom. Other beaches, such as Cumuruxatiba, in Bahia, which is also famous for its monazite sands, are also known for the effect of the tides. Although in this region the tides are on average only 2m wide, any variation in sea level has a big impact on the coastline as this beach has an incredibly smooth and flat terrain. At low tide, you can walk up to 1km into the sea, and around you may come across small barriers of submerged coral.
On your next vacation, if you like to explore the coastline by driving along the sands of the beach, stopping every now and then to sprawl out on the sand and have a beer, remember two things: take a look at the local tide table and don't get too drunk.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
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