Tidal Bore Project

A tidal bore is a very large wave that runs from the sea up a narrow river at particular times of year.

In the last century, there have been more than sixty reported tidal bores occurring around the world. Many of these are baby bores reaching no higher than a foot at the head that wash drearily up shallow channels.
Then there are the bore giants, such as the Severn Bore in Gloucester, UK with giant waves that can plough up the river tearing up everything in its path.

Mark and Alister will be heading down to the river Severn for the first significant high tides of 2009 to capture the manficent Severn Bore in all her glory. They will be capturing the tidal bore from the ground, the river itself and the air in order to capture the heart and soul of this amazing natural spectacle. There will also be featur of the filming that will be truly unique. All will be revealed soon so do come back and check this out.

The Severn Bore is one of Britain’s few truly spectacular natural phenomena. It is a large surge wave that, on certain days throughout the year, runs into the River Severn estuary, where the tidal range is the 2nd highest in the world. This can be as much as 50 feet (over 15m). The shape of the Severn estuary is such that the water is funnelled into an increasingly narrow channel as the tide rises. The tide-wave is slowed by the river bed and constricting nature of the estuary. The rising flood tide consequently becomes unstable and a bore forms at the leading edge thus forming the large wave.

The Severn Bore is classified in intensity by star (*) ratings ranging from a small event 1* to a large 5* event. 4 or 5* events can be particularly spectacular and occur, if at all, on very few days throughout the year.