This is SeaTalk: Ocean News from the University of Delaware.

In Delaware, water levels at high tide and low tide differ by several feet. Average tide ranges in Delaware are approximately four feet along the Atlantic coast and four to six feet along the Delaware Bay coastline. In other places the difference between high and low tide can be much greater. Canada’s Bay of Fundy has one of the highest tidal ranges in the world. About 110 billion tons of water move in and out of the bay twice a day. That makes for a sea level change of more than 50 feet! Folklore claims the high tides there are caused by a giant whale splashing its tail on the water. In reality, several factors affect the intensity of tides in coastal waters, including the shape of the shoreline, the wind, and gravitational attractions of the sun and the moon. This is SeaTalk, a public service announcement from the University of Delaware, the Delaware Sea Grant College Program, and this station.