We all have at least a basic understanding of how tides work. The gravitational pull between the moon, the Earth, the sun, and the Earth’s rotation causes a rise and fall across bodies of water.
Surfers schedule their lives around changing tides because they dictate the conditions of something we live for, which is simply riding waves. But just as that dynamic interaction with nature draws us in for something joyful, it can have catastrophic impacts on a given environment. Take the Pororoca, for example, a tidal bore that ravages parts of the Amazon but also calls to plenty of surfers. It’s possibly one of the most fascinating ways man has found to ride waves.
With an elementary buffer on tides, this CBC mini-doc breaks down how the Pororoca works just as much as the impact it has, tearing down trees and even sweeping away animals.
