Surfers from across the globe have travelled to Gloucestershire for the ‘Severn Bore’ – a large surge wave that drives up the River Severn from the estuary (where the river meets the sea).
It is a natural phenomenon that only happens in 60 places in the world, as the river estuary must be the right shape with optimal tidal conditions so that a wave can form. There are 8 locations around the UK where bores occur.
Surfers are drawn to the Severn as it produces the second highest tidal range in the world, stretching as much as 50 feet (approximately 15.4m) – exceeded only by the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia, Canada. Bores occur around 12 times a year in the Severn, typically during the spring and autumn equinoxes.
The shape of the Severn estuary means that the rising tide is funnelled into an increasingly narrow channel as the tide rises, thus forming the large wave.
The surge starts at Avonmouth (5 miles wide) and pushes upstream until it reaches Minsterworth, where it is less than a hundred yards across and maintains this width all the way to Gloucester.
Surge waves are categorised from one-star up to five-stars, and surfers were treated to a 10-metre high four-star bore this morning – the only one predicted this month.
There are no five-star waves predicted for 2018, but surfers and spectators will have much more than in 2017. There is due to be two more four-star waves in the first weekend of March 2018.
For detailed predictions and more information, go to http://www.severn-bore.co.uk/2018_times.html.
