{"id":20188,"date":"2026-03-09T16:33:59","date_gmt":"2026-03-09T20:33:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.makivvik.ca\/?post_type=taqralikonline&p=20188"},"modified":"2026-03-09T16:34:02","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T20:34:02","slug":"tidal-truths","status":"publish","type":"taqralikonline","link":"https:\/\/www.makivvik.ca\/fr\/article\/tidal-truths\/","title":{"rendered":"Tidal Truths"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

How Inuit Knowledge and Tasiujaq Could Rewrite Canada\u2019s Tide Map<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In Tasiujaq, people have always known the tides are high. You can see it in the fast current where Leaf Basin narrows, in the thick bands of seaweed that line the rocks, in the way boats move when the water rises and falls. When the tide goes out, it reveals stretches of seabed that seem to go on forever, dotted with rocks. And when it comes in, it rushes back with force, changing the whole landscape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For many in the North, these tides are just part of life. But now, Inuit divers and researchers are putting that knowledge into numbers and the results may soon change how all of Canada sees our coastline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thanks to data collected by community members in Tasiujaq, it has been proven that Leaf Basin has the highest tides in the world, even higher than the famous Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia. That would mean a big change in how maps, books, and tourism guides describe the natural wonders of this country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But for the people doing the work, it\u2019s not just about records. It\u2019s about reclaiming what they already knew and showing the power of Inuit knowledge. In September 2025, Makivvik put out a press release with the headline: \u201cLeaf Bay Tide Research Project Proves Once Again World\u2019s Highest Tide.\u201d The announcement came after a year-long effort based in Tasiujaq to record the exact height of the tide in Leaf Basin. It was a quiet project, without much media attention, but the resulting numbers were big.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2024, Makivvik\u2019s Department of Wildlife, Environment and Research (DEWR) organized training for a group of local divers, to install scientific equipment on the sea floor and collect it again after a full year. Two gauges were placed far apart near the mouth of the Leaf River. These measured the water\u2019s rise and fall through every tide of the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Preparing to pull up one of the two tide sensors. \u00a9 Miriam Dewar\/Makivvik<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

When the data was collected and checked this past August, the numbers showed a maximum vertical tidal range of 16.81 metres, notably higher than the known readings at Burntcoat Head in the Bay of Fundy. The official Canadian Hydrographic Service measurement for Burntcoat Head is 16.42 metres. This confirms what Elders in Tasiujaq and nearby communities have said for generations: these Northern tides are extreme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tasiujaq\u2019s James May captained the boat used to install and collect the sensors. Speaking on the water in 2024, he said he\u2019s familiar with the stretch between the town and the deployment site and knows from experience it\u2019s a place where the water really moves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fisherman, he sees what the high tides bring in. \u201cIt\u2019s different, hard to explain. But you notice the species that show up only during those big tides. Mussels, clams, seaweed, they\u2019re all part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Does it matter to him whether the tides here are officially the highest in the world?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes, I think it\u2019s important that it\u2019s recognized, he said. \u201cNunavik is unique, just like the North. People always talk about polar bears or muskox, the usual tourist stuff, but not many come here just to see the tide. I don\u2019t think they realize that there\u2019s such amazement when it comes to newcomers seeing the tides.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He\u2019s seen how visitors react. \u201cA lot of people don\u2019t expect to see that much of a difference. It\u2019s not just the water rising and falling. It\u2019s the ice, the tidal currents, even tidal rapids.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it means something different when it\u2019s measured, recorded, and shown to the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Behind the headlines is the hard work of people in the community. The tide project didn\u2019t start with perfect conditions. It took patience, training, and a second try.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first year, Makivvik brought in instructors and gear to train divers from Tasiujaq. But the compressor had to be upgraded, and the training didn\u2019t go well. \u201cIt was a bit of a disaster,\u201d said Adamie Delisle Alaku, Makivvik\u2019s Vice President of Environment, Wildlife, and Research. \u201cBut we didn\u2019t give up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, they sent four participants to Nova Scotia in 2025 to complete cold-water dive training in a better environment. Three of them completed the full certification, including James May, Charlie Angnatuk, and Lazarusie Angnatuk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Laz Angnatuk remembers his first dive in Tasiujaq in 2024. \u201cThe first time in the water it was hard to balance at first. It\u2019s the weights. I\u2019m not used to swimming with them, so I was tilting on one side, but I got the hang of it,\u201d he said. \u201cThe most challenging thing was getting the water out of the mask because we have to blow the water out when we\u2019re in the water and the water kept trying to go up my nostrils.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Laz Angnatuk and Dave DeWolfe getting ready to redeploy the tide sensors. \u00a9 Miriam Dewar\/Makivvik<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

These divers became the core team for retrieving and redeploying the tide gauges and will be responsible for their maintenance going forward. It\u2019s risky work, but the team takes it seriously. Makivvik is currently working on training three more locals that have showed interest after the success of this study.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This isn\u2019t the first time people have talked about the world\u2019s highest tides being in Nunavik. In fact, there was a time when it was already official.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1953, a Canadian government report recorded a tidal range of 18 metres in Leaf Basin, making it into the Guinness Book of World Records. But over time, the Bay of Fundy became better known, with more tourism and more measurements, while Leaf Basin was mostly forgotten by outside researchers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In June 2001, the Nunavik Tourism Association, along with consultant Dave DeWolfe embarked on a tidal study in the vicinity of Nuvukutaak (Gauge Point), a few miles out from Tasiujaq, the same site used for measurements taken by the Canadian Hydrographic Service in 1953.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over a year later, the two instruments were recovered and the tidal data collected was analyzed and compared with previous measurements made in the Leaf Basin, as well as in the Bay of Fundy. In an October 2002 report, results showed that even though the tides of Tasiujaq and the Bay of Fundy are considered to be equivalent because of the very small difference in the results, the then highest measured tide had been recorded in the Leaf Basin of Tasiujaq on March 31, 2002, at 16.1 metres.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
A close look at the tide sensor after it has been submerged for a year. \u00a9 Miriam Dewar\/Makivvik<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But people still equate the world\u2019s highest tides with the Bay of Fundy. That\u2019s why the new 2024\u20132025 readings are so important. They are complete, recorded with modern equipment, and they were collected with help from local Inuit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis time, we did it right,\u201d said Oumer Ahmed, of Makivvik\u2019s DEWR who oversaw the project, again using consultant Dave DeWolfe. \u201cEverything worked. And the data is solid.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said the full data is now with the Canadian Hydrographic Service, the government agency that officially tracks tides and ocean conditions. They will double-check the accuracy before confirming the record.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some newspapers in the South have already picked up the story. In September 2025, The Guardian published an article titled: \u201cWhose tide is highest? Canadian towns battle it out over Guinness World Record title.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It described the situation like a competition between the Bay of Fundy and Nunavik. Some people from Nova Scotia have defended their title, saying they believe their tides are still the biggest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Delisle Alaku says that\u2019s expected. \u201cThey\u2019ll try to say it\u2019s not real, or not measured the right way,\u201d he said. Anecdotally, while joining the Nunavik Tourism Association in New Brunswick in October for a tide festival, Delisle Alaku said there were many heated debates on world\u2019s highest tide title.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOn one occasion a tour bus operator said, \u2018Until I see raw data and proof I will not be dismissed.\u2019 So, I showed him our research data and he answered, \u2018Yeah, but we have the Moon!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
From left, Makivvik\u2019s Oumer Ahmed, James May, and Laz Angnatuk work with consultant Dave DeWolfe to decide the best areas to redeploy the tide sensors. \u00a9 Miriam Dewar\/Makivvik<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Based on local knowledge, the sensors were redeployed in a slightly different location this August, to attempt measuring even higher tide levels. Makivvik will continue recording the measurements, with the help of the local divers. There\u2019s also talk of building a real-time tide display in the community, so people can see the water levels change live, and visitors can understand what\u2019s happening beneath their feet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Makivvik President Pita Aatami said this project is about more than numbers, it\u2019s about reclaiming knowledge and creating opportunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Leaf Basin tidal study confirms what our Elders have always known: that Nunavik is home to some of the world\u2019s most extraordinary tides,\u201d he said. \u201cThis knowledge strengthens our vision for the future: to protect our environment and way of life, while also harnessing these natural wonders to create meaningful tourism opportunities, showcase our unique culture, and generate lasting economic benefits for communities across Nunavik.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Right now, thousands of people go to the Bay of Fundy every year to walk on tidal flats and take pictures of dramatic tides. If the world\u2019s highest tides are officially in Tasiujaq, that could bring new visitors, jobs, and awareness to the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Delisle Alaku said the tides are another of many natural features for Nunavik to be proud of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis adds to the list of items that we want to showcase to the world,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have beautiful wildlife, we have world class scenery, mountains, and we have national parks. This just this adds to the list of wonders that are there to be seen and to be discovered in Nunavik.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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