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Old SowThe Old Sow is the name of the largest tidal whirlpool in the Western Hemisphere located off the southwestern shore of Deer Island, New Brunswick between the island and Eastport, Maine. The whirlpool is caused by variations in local bathymetry combined with the extreme tidal range of the Western Passage where waters exchange between Passamaquoddy Bay and the Bay of Fundy. The name Old Sow may be derived from a variety of sources ranging from the sucking "pig-like noises" it makes when churning, to a corruption of the word "sough" (pronounced "suff") which means a sucking noise or a drain. It has been measured with a diameter of approximately 75 metres (250 feet). The Old Sow is one of five significant whirlpools worldwide (Corryvreckan, Scotland; Saltstraumen, Norway; Moskstraumen, Norway; Naruto, Japan). It is claimed that the Old Sow vies with the Moskstraumen for title of the world's most powerful whirlpool with the former being measured with a speed of water current up to 27.8 km/h and the latter being measured with a speed of up to 27.7 km/h. Most of the time, the Old Sow creates tremendous water turbulence in the area but doesn't usually constitute a navigation hazard for large vessels, although small craft are warned to stay away from the area when the tide is running. The building of tidal barriers for the failed "Quoddy Project" (see Passamaquoddy Bay for further information) in Cobscook Bay between Pleasant Point and Moose Island in the 1930s reportedly sometimes on certain tides causes a large "funnel" in the water to develop in the Old Sow with a corresponding drop in local water level at its centre.
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