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This is the moment a line of surfers rode a five-star Severn Bore as the rare natural phenomenon appeared in daylight today for the first time in five years.
Bore, a tidal wave that occurs in the lower reaches of the river, was visible this morning as it rose between Newnham-on-Severn and Over in Gloucestershire.
Hundreds of spectators lined the riverbank and bridges to catch a glimpse of the year’s first and only five-star bore, while dozens of surfers and paddleboarders tried to catch the wave.
The Severn Estuary receives the second highest tides anywhere in the world, and the difference between the lowest and highest tides in a day can be more than 47 feet.
These high or spring tides occur on several days of each lunar cycle throughout the spring and fall, and the bore occurs when the incoming tide is channeled into an increasingly narrow channel against the river’s current.
Bore, a tidal wave that occurs in the lower reaches of the river, was visible as it rose between Newnham-on-Severn and Over in Gloucestershire
Dozens of surfers and paddleboarders tried to ride the wave – with varying degrees of success
The Severn Estuary receives the second highest tides anywhere in the world and the difference between the lowest and highest tides in a day can be more than 14.5 meters (47 feet)
Today was the first time the borehole has reached its highest “five-star” daylight status in five years.
Every year, enthusiasts flock to the river in an attempt to surf the wave while thousands of spectators watch.
Six surfers, Will, Beth, Sarah, Arron, MJ and Alex, traveled from Bristol to ride the bore today and described it as ‘one of the best minutes of our lives’.
Speaking to the BBC, they added that there was a strong current and that the bore was ‘difficult to capture’.
Another surfer, Steve King, said the challenge with a single wave was the need to leave enough room for everyone else.
“We’re all trying to catch the same wave, so 30 or 40 people are on it,” he said.
Cornish surf instructor Peter Abell proposed to his marine biologist girlfriend Angie de Burgh while driving the rig in 2016.
Video shows the pair balancing on their boards as the tidal wave sweeps up the River Severn, before Angie shouts: ‘Yes.’
The place has special meaning for Peter and Angie because it is where their love of surfing first brought them together in 2013.
Today marked the first time the borehole has reached its highest “five-star” daylight status in five years
Every year, enthusiasts flock to the river in an attempt to surf the wave while thousands of spectators watch.
Surfers waiting for the bore to make its way towards them this morning
Surfers enter the River Severn ahead of the rig’s arrival