Thunder Hole is a narrow slot in the granite shore where an incoming wave traps a pocket of air and forces it out with a deep boom and a burst of spray that has topped 40 feet. It performs best in the one to two hours before high tide, and best of all when the swell is up, so check the tide table before you go. From the lot, a ramp and a crosswalk lead across the road to viewing decks above the inlet, with stone stairs down to the water's edge. Stay behind the railings, because big waves arrive here without warning and have swept people into the sea. The Passamaquoddy name, Putuwewiw, comes from a root meaning it blows air, the same root as their word for whale. Parking, restrooms and a small shop with snacks are at the stop.
Listen before you look. Thunder Hole is a slot cut into the granite, and when a wave rams into it, the air at the back has nowhere to go but out, with a boom you can feel. Spray here has reached more than forty feet. Stay behind the railing. Big waves arrive here without warning, and they have washed people out to sea. The Passamaquoddy name for this place is Putuwewiw, from a root meaning it blows air, the same root as their word for whale. Geo Neptune says that from the right spot on the platform you can pick out a stone face in the rocks above. Koluskap left it there so his children would know him.
Photo: DrStew82, CC BY-SA 4.0 · CC BY-SA 4.0