Surf's up at the Bagaduce

The expression, "surf's up" refers to the rising tide and the waves that accompany it.  In the surfing world, it would be time to get your board and head out in hope of catching the big one.  In Hawaii that big one would probably be known as the Big Kahuna, and if you were on the north shore of Oahu you'd be riding the pipeline hoping for that perfect wave.  Well, if you are in Maine on a hot summer's day, and you time the tides correctly, you might just have to head on down to the Bagaduce to "catch" the waves.

On a return visit to the Blue Hill peninsula, my good friends and I pondered our options for the sun filled morning in Maine.  After throwing out a few ideas, a trip to the Bagaduce river won out by popular demand.  The Bagaduce River runs through the Blue Hill peninsula but reverses its flow depending on the tides. So, a trip to the Bagaduce meant loading up the trailer with kayaks, tossing in the life jackets and paddles, putting on the sun screen, getting the water skis and tow rope, and timing the tide change just right to experience the reversing flow, surfing phenomenon.  When we arrived at the bridge, we looked at the current thinking that we had missed the peak.  However, shortly after we arrived, we realized that we had timed the changing tides perfectly, so we could witness and experience this natural water park.  This really meant that the surf was up, and it was time to have some fun.

We wasted no time getting wet while negotiating the white water in the kayaks, however, after some moments of sheer terror, we decided it was time to literally take the plunge.  We convened on the bridge for the annual baptismal leap, and with the rushing water below and the Sun shining brightly, what better alternative could you have had?  So, without much further discussion, we began the countdown, 1...2...3...jump, and that we did.  The raging waters carried us down about a quarter mile through white water and and you made your way over to the edge, an eddy current carried you back up stream for another jump...perfect.  All of this was followed by the final event, water skiing from the bridge.  After tying a tow rope to the bridge, several of us attempted to ski the rapids of the Bagaduce.  Unfortunately, not all of us were able to master that skill, but no one could fault us for trying.

A day at the Bagaduce is not even a day at all, but as long as the tide is changing, there is plenty of opportunity for fun.  We kayaked, jumped, swam, and even tried some novel water skiing, all in the course of a few hours, and much like so many other creative activities, we made our own kind of fun.  So, when the surf's up at the Bagaduce, we go down!