Shubenacadie River Runners
Shubenacadie River Runners
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Shubenacadie River Runners
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
4.9
395 reviews
Excellent
372
Very good
22
Average
0
Poor
0
Terrible
1
JoanB03
Naples, FL6 contributions
Aug 2023 • Family
Such a class operation. Friendly, helpful, fun staff! This adventure is so much fun from mud surfing to the actual rafting. Emmit, the owner, did an outstanding job of explaining the natural phenomenon that makes this Shubie rafting trip such a blast. Don’t miss it!
Written August 17, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dundalk
Markdale, Canada1 contribution
Jul 2022 • Family
A great value for your time and money. Hours of action packed river fun! My 13 year old son and 16 year old daughter actually agreed on something; That this river trip was the highlight of their vacation. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable, educating us about how the river bore tides work, the wildlife along the river all the while keeping us laughing, thanks Issac!
Written July 22, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
kmhansing
Halifax, Canada103 contributions
Sept 2016 • Friends
So my friend and I went tidal bore rafting yesterday in Maitland, Nova Scotia. This is right in the very end of the Bay of Fundy, known for having the highest tides in the world. I'm pretty sure it's a function of the shape of the land and the influx of part of the Gulf Stream that does it. They said the highest regular tide measured on the Shubenacadie River in that area is over 58 feet. There is no other place on the planet where the tides come in so fast and in such a manner that you can raft the tidal bore. So here's whar it is.
As you're driving through this incredibly picturesque countryside, you're struck by the awful, deep, red muddy gashes through the land. These are the tidal bores, and it is low tide. At high tide, these are picturesque lazy blue rivers. Though, not really rivers, because it's sea water, or brackish, anyway, a mix of river water and sea water.
You get to the lovely blue house that serves as HQ for River Runners, and you sign a waiver. You're prepared as the website has warned you to be: no cotton or white/light clothes, shoes that will stay on your feet with non-slip soles. You have a set of dry clothes and your shower supplies and a towel or two. You take a Gravol, because you get motion-sick. As they outfit you for the ride, you are offered yellow rubber rain gear, which is optional, and a life jacket, which is not. More than one person will check this garment to make sure it is snugly fitted. It's a corset for active people.
You walk down a long boardwalk to the edge of the Shubenacadie River... and then walk across some mud... and walk across some river rocks, and you walk some more across mud and river rocks. The "rafts" do not look like the flexible orange things that one imagines in whitewater mountain rafting, they are sleek and black, pointed at the front, inflated to the point of solidity, and with a four-stroke motor on the back. They're designed to take on water and have two holes in the back near the motor to let it out. The inflation of the raft keeps it afloat, not lack of holes. You will have a "guide" (ours was KIM) who drives your raft. You walk out to water just above your knees and do an ungainly glorp over the edge of the raft. The guide, Kim, positions you sitting along the edges of the boat. You are taught to hold tightly to the rope which runs along the edge of the boat and to lean forward at all times, so if you fall off the round rubber edge of the raft, you will fall IN instead of OUT. All of this happens shortly after the tide has turned.
The raft is driven a few hundred meters into the river to a very large sandbar. Get out and explore it, you're told, so you do. It's made of the same red, staining clay that all of Prince Edward Island is made of, and has fascinating black striations through it. This is titanium, the guide says. You walk around the sandbar for a bit, then you notice the rapid water beginning at the end of the sandbar, so you go stand at the edge of the water near your raft. Within seconds, the water is ankle deep. You move back to the edge again, and the water follows. You do this again, and again. And again. You do it so many times you lose count as the water moves up onto the sandbar. Kim-the-guide tells you it will be under 20 feet of water within 3 hours. You clamber back onto the raft and watch, fascinated, because the swallowing of the sand bar reminds you of renderings of water encroachment due to polar ice melt. Kim points out a bald eagle.
Then, it's time for the action.
Here is how tidal bore rapids happen. The riverbed is uneven, with deeper and shallower places. As the water RUSHES in through the bottleneck of the river, the shallower places create rapids. The purpose of the motor on the raft is to gun around to the beginning of the area of rapids, which you then ride. Our day was relatively mild, the waves were only 3-5 feet high. "Intense" days have waves up to 12 feet high. "Riding" the rapids consists of the raft going over a crest and down into the trough, water slashing over you as the boat hits that wave and crests it, and then down into the next trough. When you get to the end of the section of rapids, Kim guns the motor around and you get to go again. Most of the areas of rapids are good for a few go-arounds before enough water has filled the channel to make it smooth out. You chase the tide up the river, hitting each section of rapids a few times, then flying upriver to the next section. You do this for 6 kilometers.
After a few rapids, though, you are wet, the boat is wet, nothing in your world isn't wet and salty, and you end up spending a lot of time in the floor of the boat with about a foot of water and more crashing in, and you can't stop laughing. You offer your front seat to people closer to the back on occasion, but you don't really mean it and you're relieved when they say no. After all the rapids are done for the day, you speed down to the observation deck, where the tourists who, for whatever reason chose not to do this awesome thing, have been watching you, and you wave to them before turning back to the mouth of the river. Six kilometers takes 20 or 30 minutes to cover on the water, and it's sunset. The several rafts speed alongside each other through the sunset waters, making you feel like you're in a movie montage. Bald eagles watch. You wonder what they must think of these weird humans, doing this weird thing in the water.
The water's edge is now at the top of the boardwalk that you walked down before, and the company's owner helps you out of the raft and steadies your sea legs. Your hands and arms are sore from holding so tightly to the ropes. You know your chiropractor is going to kill you for the jolts to your back. You can't even imagine how your capri pants leg ended up in such an intimate place. And the smile simply will not leave your face. You dunk your gear in the rain water barrels to wash the salt off and go inside for coffee and a maple cookie. You take a hot shower and dress in dry clothes and feel like a million bucks. You giggle thinking of what everyone else in the raft must have experienced with a fat chick floating around their feet for so many of the runs, but you're proud you kept your seat for the last couple. Hell, you're proud you did this thing.
You look at your friend, both of you with crazy grins, and say, "Let's go again!"
**The rides happen at different times of day, so you might not have the same sunset-y type thing we did. Also, our guide KIM was FANTASTIC, but they have lots of guides! :) I wouldn't recommend this for small children. I also marked that you need a car to access this attraction, but just because it's relatively remote.
As you're driving through this incredibly picturesque countryside, you're struck by the awful, deep, red muddy gashes through the land. These are the tidal bores, and it is low tide. At high tide, these are picturesque lazy blue rivers. Though, not really rivers, because it's sea water, or brackish, anyway, a mix of river water and sea water.
You get to the lovely blue house that serves as HQ for River Runners, and you sign a waiver. You're prepared as the website has warned you to be: no cotton or white/light clothes, shoes that will stay on your feet with non-slip soles. You have a set of dry clothes and your shower supplies and a towel or two. You take a Gravol, because you get motion-sick. As they outfit you for the ride, you are offered yellow rubber rain gear, which is optional, and a life jacket, which is not. More than one person will check this garment to make sure it is snugly fitted. It's a corset for active people.
You walk down a long boardwalk to the edge of the Shubenacadie River... and then walk across some mud... and walk across some river rocks, and you walk some more across mud and river rocks. The "rafts" do not look like the flexible orange things that one imagines in whitewater mountain rafting, they are sleek and black, pointed at the front, inflated to the point of solidity, and with a four-stroke motor on the back. They're designed to take on water and have two holes in the back near the motor to let it out. The inflation of the raft keeps it afloat, not lack of holes. You will have a "guide" (ours was KIM) who drives your raft. You walk out to water just above your knees and do an ungainly glorp over the edge of the raft. The guide, Kim, positions you sitting along the edges of the boat. You are taught to hold tightly to the rope which runs along the edge of the boat and to lean forward at all times, so if you fall off the round rubber edge of the raft, you will fall IN instead of OUT. All of this happens shortly after the tide has turned.
The raft is driven a few hundred meters into the river to a very large sandbar. Get out and explore it, you're told, so you do. It's made of the same red, staining clay that all of Prince Edward Island is made of, and has fascinating black striations through it. This is titanium, the guide says. You walk around the sandbar for a bit, then you notice the rapid water beginning at the end of the sandbar, so you go stand at the edge of the water near your raft. Within seconds, the water is ankle deep. You move back to the edge again, and the water follows. You do this again, and again. And again. You do it so many times you lose count as the water moves up onto the sandbar. Kim-the-guide tells you it will be under 20 feet of water within 3 hours. You clamber back onto the raft and watch, fascinated, because the swallowing of the sand bar reminds you of renderings of water encroachment due to polar ice melt. Kim points out a bald eagle.
Then, it's time for the action.
Here is how tidal bore rapids happen. The riverbed is uneven, with deeper and shallower places. As the water RUSHES in through the bottleneck of the river, the shallower places create rapids. The purpose of the motor on the raft is to gun around to the beginning of the area of rapids, which you then ride. Our day was relatively mild, the waves were only 3-5 feet high. "Intense" days have waves up to 12 feet high. "Riding" the rapids consists of the raft going over a crest and down into the trough, water slashing over you as the boat hits that wave and crests it, and then down into the next trough. When you get to the end of the section of rapids, Kim guns the motor around and you get to go again. Most of the areas of rapids are good for a few go-arounds before enough water has filled the channel to make it smooth out. You chase the tide up the river, hitting each section of rapids a few times, then flying upriver to the next section. You do this for 6 kilometers.
After a few rapids, though, you are wet, the boat is wet, nothing in your world isn't wet and salty, and you end up spending a lot of time in the floor of the boat with about a foot of water and more crashing in, and you can't stop laughing. You offer your front seat to people closer to the back on occasion, but you don't really mean it and you're relieved when they say no. After all the rapids are done for the day, you speed down to the observation deck, where the tourists who, for whatever reason chose not to do this awesome thing, have been watching you, and you wave to them before turning back to the mouth of the river. Six kilometers takes 20 or 30 minutes to cover on the water, and it's sunset. The several rafts speed alongside each other through the sunset waters, making you feel like you're in a movie montage. Bald eagles watch. You wonder what they must think of these weird humans, doing this weird thing in the water.
The water's edge is now at the top of the boardwalk that you walked down before, and the company's owner helps you out of the raft and steadies your sea legs. Your hands and arms are sore from holding so tightly to the ropes. You know your chiropractor is going to kill you for the jolts to your back. You can't even imagine how your capri pants leg ended up in such an intimate place. And the smile simply will not leave your face. You dunk your gear in the rain water barrels to wash the salt off and go inside for coffee and a maple cookie. You take a hot shower and dress in dry clothes and feel like a million bucks. You giggle thinking of what everyone else in the raft must have experienced with a fat chick floating around their feet for so many of the runs, but you're proud you kept your seat for the last couple. Hell, you're proud you did this thing.
You look at your friend, both of you with crazy grins, and say, "Let's go again!"
**The rides happen at different times of day, so you might not have the same sunset-y type thing we did. Also, our guide KIM was FANTASTIC, but they have lots of guides! :) I wouldn't recommend this for small children. I also marked that you need a car to access this attraction, but just because it's relatively remote.
Written September 11, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Theovincent
2 contributions
Aug 2021
Business has been sold and moved location. The new location Shubie River Wranglers the facility are not as good. No indoor toilets or showers. Only 4 outdoor showers with cold water for 60 people. Long wait. The ride on the river is fun the the guide was very good. The staff the office were not very friendly. I would try one of the other companies offing the same river tour.
Have a good trio to Nova Scotia
Have a good trio to Nova Scotia
Written August 11, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ANDREW L
25 contributions
Jun 2017
My wife and I are fit seniors (+60) and didn't know what to except. This company is very safety conscious and runs a very good operation. We went out on a "high tide". The river rose 23ft. What we didn't realise that it's the wash off sandbars about 5 minutes after the start of the tide, causing large backward motion wave to raft through in motorised rubber duckies. It lasts 5 minutes of waves, getting saturated and buffeted. Very exciting. Your then race downstream to the next sandbar and do it all again. Large whirlpools are created as well. Tips:
1. Wear old clothes as the water is silty
2. Waterproof gear is provided to keep you warm but expect to get wet.
3. Wear sandals. Rubber boots are provided if you prefer but fill with water
4. You can shower after. Bring towel and change of clothes
5. We did 2 hr trip which provided ample thrills
6. You need to arrive 45 min prior
1. Wear old clothes as the water is silty
2. Waterproof gear is provided to keep you warm but expect to get wet.
3. Wear sandals. Rubber boots are provided if you prefer but fill with water
4. You can shower after. Bring towel and change of clothes
5. We did 2 hr trip which provided ample thrills
6. You need to arrive 45 min prior
Written June 13, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
KathyP
Arlington, VA89 contributions
Jul 2018 • Couples
My husband and I loved our 2 hour trip with Shubenacadie River Runners. The staff members were all very professional and kind. The experience is really stupendous. Not too wild (even for a 68 yr old and 72 yr old). Really enjoyed swimming in the river and feeling the current too. Really recommend this company for the ride.
Written July 30, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Shawna S
Washington DC, DC1 contribution
Aug 2012 • Friends
Went on August 25, 2012. This was the most fun I've had on the water in my 34 years. Our adorable guide Tom was calm and collected as he grinned while sending us crashing over 16-foot waves. My sides hurt from laughing after sitting up front and hanging on for dear life. but it's totally safe. We went on an extreme day and had three kids in our boat. Don't be afraid to go...I got nervous and almost chickened out at the last second and am forever glad that I didn't. Planning another week-long trip to Nova Scotia next summer and setting aside two days so I can do it twice more, even on my limited budget!! Thank you all at River Runners for making this melancholy gal hoot and holler for three hours straight like I didn't have a care in the world. Definitely a highlight of my life and I'll never forget it :)
Written September 8, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Frances T
Cheltenham7 contributions
Jun 2019 • Family
Wow! An amazing, river’ting experience of ups & downs. Jason our river guide made the whole journey full of fun and excitement. You just have to do this.
Written June 4, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
1963tammyp
9 contributions
Sept 2017 • Couples
What can I say other than this was the most exciting thing we did while down east. Loved every minute of it. I was amazed at how the rapids just appear. Our guide was very informative and took into consideration that there were 4 other ladies with use that were a little more nervous than us. The only complaint I have is that the guide was not wearing a gopro as pics would have been awesome. We definitely would have paid for them if available. Would highly recommend this adventure to all travelling in the area.
Written September 26, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sam P
Acton, MA91 contributions
Jul 2017 • Couples
My wife and I loved the tidal bore rafting, and River Runners was fantastic. This activity is not for the faint of heart -- it's hard to describe just how wild a ride it is! And take it seriously when they say to wear something you really don't care about -- whatever you're wearing WILL get stained reddish-brown. I wore an old white t-shirt and it is now an old brown t-shirt. :-) There are many outfits running these tidal bore rafting trips, but don't be fooled -- River Runners seems to be the best run by far, based on what we observed out on the river. For example, this was the only outfit that has a safety boat (a boat with no passengers and with first aid and such, and which you can jump in if the ride becomes too much for you after a while), and River Runners' safety boat ended up playing the good samaritan and stopping to help out two boats from *other* outfits during the course of our trip. The drivers on some of the other boats were also acting immaturely at times -- for example, cutting right in front of other boats (there are a LOT of boats out on the river during the tidal bore, which only lasts a couple of hours each high tide).
Written July 17, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Do you have to know how to swim and if not what happens if you fall in?
Written August 6, 2018
I asked our guide and she said that in 2 years only 2 boys fell in "by accident" and they were goofing off in her boat. The guides tell you when to lean in just in case it is bumpy and I actually fell forward into the boat (but not backwards out of the boat). It really is great fun.
Written August 8, 2018
What perks do you offer over over tour companies for the rafting trip? Do you include mudsliding?
Written March 2, 2018
Do you do these trips in Ictober?
Written September 23, 2016
We just did it last week and I'm pretty sure they close The first week in October . They have a toll free number so do phone and ask, Also we needed reservations when we did it on a Saturday. I wore a fleece jacket under their rain suits and the water was cold.
Written September 23, 2016
When in this month of September is the highest tidal bore and what do you charge per person? Over 65 senior rates?
Written March 18, 2016
If you go to their website it will give you a full breakdown of the tides; as for seniors rates, I would give their 1-800 # a call. if no seniors rates, you'll still get a great exchange on your US$ :-)
Written March 22, 2016
My wife and I have been to Nova Scotia twice and were taken in by the tidal bore . However, both tidal bores we have seen were quite small - 4 to 6 inches. We are planning to visit again in Aug/Sep 2016. When with the highest tidal bores be during that time and any estimate of how high?
Bill
Written February 11, 2016
go to tidalborerafting dot come and click on departures 2016
Red is the biggest/best adventure! remember a complete change of clothing - you WILL be soaked! :-)
Written March 22, 2016
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*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.