Brier Island versus Digby (or Annapolis Royal)
Apr 29th, 2013, 06:14 PM
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Brier Island versus Digby (or Annapolis Royal)
Some of you might remember I was supposed to take my mom (who is almost 80) to see the Bay of Fundy last summer (something she's wanted to do for several years). The trip got postponed because she fell ill a month before the departure date. It's back on for this summer, so here's the question:
Is staying on Brier Island and taking a whale watch cruise from there worth the extra time it takes to get out there, as opposed to taking a cruise from Digby (and staying in Digby or Annapolis Royal) instead?
Right now we plan to spend the night on Brier Island and do the whale watch from there the next day. I've heard the whale watching is better from Brier Island than from Digby (if only because you spend less time getting to the whales and more time actually watching). But I've started wondering if it is enough better (along with the general experience of being out on the island) to justify the time it takes to drive out to Brier Island and back.
Mapping programs says it is 2 hours (or more) each way from Digby. That's 4+ hours that could be spent at the tidal power station, the gardens in Annapolis Royal, and such.
Of course, the whole purpose of this trip is a Bay of Fundy Experience, so I want it to be as good as it can be for Mom. (We'll also be visiting places like Hall's Harbour, Burntcoat Head, and Parrsboro, along with Hopewell Cape and Fundy National Park in New Brunswick.)
Thanks for any advice you can offer!
Is staying on Brier Island and taking a whale watch cruise from there worth the extra time it takes to get out there, as opposed to taking a cruise from Digby (and staying in Digby or Annapolis Royal) instead?
Right now we plan to spend the night on Brier Island and do the whale watch from there the next day. I've heard the whale watching is better from Brier Island than from Digby (if only because you spend less time getting to the whales and more time actually watching). But I've started wondering if it is enough better (along with the general experience of being out on the island) to justify the time it takes to drive out to Brier Island and back.
Mapping programs says it is 2 hours (or more) each way from Digby. That's 4+ hours that could be spent at the tidal power station, the gardens in Annapolis Royal, and such.
Of course, the whole purpose of this trip is a Bay of Fundy Experience, so I want it to be as good as it can be for Mom. (We'll also be visiting places like Hall's Harbour, Burntcoat Head, and Parrsboro, along with Hopewell Cape and Fundy National Park in New Brunswick.)
Thanks for any advice you can offer!
May 12th, 2013, 11:33 AM
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I love the Bay of Fundy, and while I don't know anything about Brier Island, AND while I've given lots of travel advice here to people who are heading to NS, and only tangentially interested in the Bay of Fundy, I think that someone targeting the true "Bay of Fundy Experience" could better invest her time elsewhere than such an island.
You've outlined some significant spots, and you might as well include the tidal bore in Moncton. Lets face it, someone who truly (actively or passively) inspired YOU to take her to the Bay of Fundy did so <b>because of the tides and their effects</b>.
I think that to oooooh and ahhhhhh at ocean-going vessels sitting on the ocean floor while tied to docks will be significant, and that lookoffs from where you can see hundreds of yards of sand where the Bay had been hours earlier, will be of great significance. To stand/sit near to Parrsboro, and look across at Cape Split, and marvel at the idea that <I>as much water flows through that channel during an average day as flows through <b>all of the rivers on earth combined</b> during the same average day</I>, is pretty impressive too.
Burntcoat Head is significant because of the record tide, but I don't imagine you'll find the grandest views of anything there. (I'd still GO, particularly after you've done TIDE-watching all over the area)
Be sure that you print out <b>tide tables</b> from this website: http://www.bayoffundytourism.com/tides/times/ <b>for the entire window of your trip</b> for about 4 or 5 spots around the Bay. (Hopewell Cape, Digby, Wolfville, Truro...?)
That way you will have constant reference material in hand while attempting to contrast the views from various points. (Often to swing past a certain spot hours or days later beats sitting around for 6 hours in places that don't have too much to occupy your time)
Finally, of course I have no understanding of how <I>successful</I> the average <I>whale watching</I> cruise is... but it is a fair guess that the Bay of Fundy's allure to most <I>is not the random presence of whales</I>.
My guess is that you'll do well for mom if merely sticking to land (<I>dry</I> land, or not).
You've outlined some significant spots, and you might as well include the tidal bore in Moncton. Lets face it, someone who truly (actively or passively) inspired YOU to take her to the Bay of Fundy did so <b>because of the tides and their effects</b>.
I think that to oooooh and ahhhhhh at ocean-going vessels sitting on the ocean floor while tied to docks will be significant, and that lookoffs from where you can see hundreds of yards of sand where the Bay had been hours earlier, will be of great significance. To stand/sit near to Parrsboro, and look across at Cape Split, and marvel at the idea that <I>as much water flows through that channel during an average day as flows through <b>all of the rivers on earth combined</b> during the same average day</I>, is pretty impressive too.
Burntcoat Head is significant because of the record tide, but I don't imagine you'll find the grandest views of anything there. (I'd still GO, particularly after you've done TIDE-watching all over the area)
Be sure that you print out <b>tide tables</b> from this website: http://www.bayoffundytourism.com/tides/times/ <b>for the entire window of your trip</b> for about 4 or 5 spots around the Bay. (Hopewell Cape, Digby, Wolfville, Truro...?)
That way you will have constant reference material in hand while attempting to contrast the views from various points. (Often to swing past a certain spot hours or days later beats sitting around for 6 hours in places that don't have too much to occupy your time)
Finally, of course I have no understanding of how <I>successful</I> the average <I>whale watching</I> cruise is... but it is a fair guess that the Bay of Fundy's allure to most <I>is not the random presence of whales</I>.
My guess is that you'll do well for mom if merely sticking to land (<I>dry</I> land, or not).
May 12th, 2013, 03:57 PM
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Thanks OB1 for topping, and thanks NMW for feedback.
Mom wants to do a whale watch, both for seeing whales and just to actually get out on the Bay, so we are doing a whale watch. (The ferry from Digby to Saint John is not a possibility given our itinerary.) From all I understand, the Bay of Fundy is a prime place for whale watching precisely because the tides regularly churn up plankton for the whales. Brier Island is supposed to be an excellent place from which to embark (it takes less time to get out on the bay, so you can stay longer), and the trips almost always see several whale species that time of year. One might even see a rare North Atlantic right whale or blue whale.
Mom wants to do a whale watch, both for seeing whales and just to actually get out on the Bay, so we are doing a whale watch. (The ferry from Digby to Saint John is not a possibility given our itinerary.) From all I understand, the Bay of Fundy is a prime place for whale watching precisely because the tides regularly churn up plankton for the whales. Brier Island is supposed to be an excellent place from which to embark (it takes less time to get out on the bay, so you can stay longer), and the trips almost always see several whale species that time of year. One might even see a rare North Atlantic right whale or blue whale.
