Kelsey Thomson, a Teva-supported kayaker, has been traveling in search of some great tides to ride. Here is his update from his recent session in Canada:
I’ve always found Reversing Falls in Saint John, New Brunswick to be a bit of a pain in the butt. It’s about three and a half hours from where I live in Nova Scotia and is one of the only places you can paddle whitewater in the area most summers. It gets the name 'Reversing Falls' due to the fact that it’s a tidal rapid and…well it changes directions. Unlike more popular tidal spots like the Skookumchuck Narrows, it is very difficult to predict what the features will be like at Reversing Falls, due to the influence of the Saint John River. The tide height and the river level both play major roles in how the rapids form since they are located where the river meets the ocean, rather than in the standard ocean inlet. This added factor makes it that much harder to predict when the waves will be good. My previous visits to the falls had been frustrating. I always seemed to get, “you should have been here last week”, or “I thought it was going to be better today”. But when nothing else is running I always try to make the trip there because it’s the closest spot to go paddling in the summer. Before I drove up I kept hearing people talk about how the river was unseasonably high and how good the waves had been. I’m happy to say that I finally had a good trip! The build-up and die-down were sweet, by far the best they’ve ever been for me. Before any of the waves came in we were treated with Broken Paddle, a hole upstream that gets its name from a lot of broken paddles at low water, but at high water it’s deep and nasty! Next up we headed downstream to the Greasy Chicken--the name for this one is a post of its own, maybe next time. Anyway the Chicken is usually just a big hole that manhandles the bejesus out of you. Consider yourself lucky if you get one intentional trick per session. This time that wasn't the case. It transformed into a nice green wave with a really funky uneven face, which may not sound super fun but it was! Then after much anticipation the Cookie Monster finally showed itself. It must have known I was willing to trade some Chips Ahoys for a few good surfs. I don’t know how to explain the Cookie Monster, it’s a great wave that gives up some of the biggest air you can get at the falls but keeps you on your toes. One minute you’re surfing a sick wave and the next the wave has shifted fifteen feet to the right. It often surges and builds making for a huge near vertical face. On my first night near mid-session the wave jacked up really big with me right at the top of it, perfectly set up for a huge move…I dropped down the face and rocked a sweet front surf right into the bottom, totally wasting my pass! I’m currently on the tidal tour, next stop the other side of the country for some surfs at Skookumchuck, and howls at the moon!
Location: PostList
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