Canada Guide
The Maritime Provinces
Reversing Falls Rapids
Like just about everywhere else on the shores of the Bay of Fundy, Saint John is proud of its tides. What you have here are the Reversing Falls Rapids, created by a sharp bend in the Saint John River about 3km west of the centre. At low tide, the river – still some 60m deep – flows quite normally, but the incoming tide forces it into reverse, causing a brief period of equilibrium when the surface of the water is totally calm, before a churning, often tumultuous, surge upstream. You need to stick around for a couple of hours to see the complete process, and there's a viewing station (mid-May to mid-Oct daily 8am–7pm; free) high above the river at the far end of the bridge on Hwy 100. To get there by public transport, take the East– West transit bus (#1, #2, #3 or #4) from King's Square. The attached information centre shows a film telescoping a day's tidal flow into fifteen minutes. There are also a couple of mini-parks beneath the bridge where you can view the phenomenon from near the riverbank: one upstream in eyeshot of a noxious paper mill, the other downstream and reached via a short, steep path from the car park. Better still, Reversing Falls Jet Boat operates ‘thrill rides' through the Reversing Falls during the summer from their jetty near the bridge on Fallsview Avenue (June to mid-Oct; 20min; 
506/634-8987 or 1-888/634-8987, 
www.jetboatrides.com ; $37).