World’s Largest Tidal Bore Surges Up Qiantang River in China 中秋八月十八錢塘江大潮壯景

Today (September 24, 2021) is the highest tide day of the year. Thousands of tourists gather in Haining to enjoy the spectacular Qiantang River, the largest tide in the world. The oldest known tide table (AD 1056) is for the Qiantang River and may have aided ancient travelers wishing to see the famous tidal bore. The tide rushing into the river mouth from the bay causes a bore that can reach up to 9 meters (30 ft) in height, and travel at up to 40 km per hour (25 miles an hour). Known locally as the Silver (or Black) Dragon, the wave sweeps past Hangzhou, menacing shipping in the harbor. There have been attempts to surf the tidal bore. The first person to ride the bore was Stuart Matthews from England. The 1988 record was 1.9 km by Stuart Matthews. Then, in October 2007, a group of international surfers brought by Antony Colas, did several attempts, one wave being ridden continuously by French Patrick Audoy and Brazilian Eduardo Bagé for 1h10min, for 17 km. In September 2008 a group of American surfers conv