ON THE ROAD WITH RISING SEAS
For five days we traveled up and down the coast lines of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island looking for the people whose lives are the Ocean. We learned to watch the horizon for far off bumps to expect good surf. We now know there is nothing that man has built that the Ocean can’t destroy. We were even told the Ocean is an evil mistress. We weren’t prepared for the adventure but the adventure was sure prepared for us.
We’re shooting this piece on rising global sea levels, interviewing surfers, fishermen, oceanographers, house builders and weather forecasters from Environment Canada.

Sitting here now in the edit suite, previewing music scores, I am very glad to be out of the rain. It was beautiful for weeks, perfect fall weather, red leaves, crisp nights, and crystal blue skies. Good weather to fall in love to. But sure and don’t it start raining the day I have to be outside for a week.
This past weekend a storm surge came on shore at Sea Cow Pond, on the north west tip of Prince Edward Island – we rented a plane and flew to the scene of the disaster. We got these big SUV’s, threw on our all-weather gear, taped the film equipment inside plastic and hit the beach.

" If I say it’s safe to surf this beach, we surf this beach."


A storm surge is a great dome of water often 50 miles wide, that comes sweeping across the coastline near the area where the eye of the hurricane makes landfall. The surge, aided by the hammering effect of breaking waves, acts like a giant bulldozer sweeping everything in its path. The stronger the hurricane, the higher the storm surge will be. This is unquestionably the most dangerous part of a hurricane. Nine out of ten hurricane fatalities are caused by the storm surge.

The surge in PEI, measured 1.6 meters above normal tide level. The storm waves at sea were measured at over 11 meters. The land flooded and 20 feet of coast line washed out to sea overnight. The storm threw rocks weighing a ton or more over a hundred feet back from the shore, destroying breakwaters, wharves and bridges. Also an estimated 8,000 pounds of lobster washed ashore during the storm. ( which unfortunately we missed, coming in the day after the storm.)
" You could barely get on the beach - there was no beach - it was completely covered in water." The wind was howling in through your seams. The stuff coming out of the air was best described as painful. We were never sure if it was rain, snow or ice. We were hit by a rogue wave at the end of the pier and could have been swept away to sea. I spent the next half hour running around in the weather wondering what hypothermia feels like. The wind drove the weather hard at the beach but we stayed and shot for an hour or more out there in the thick of it. As night fell we drove back to Charlettetown along the shore past the devastated coastline where some folks had lost out-buildings as well as their land to the sea.

No one spoke.

We shot for another three days, combing coast lines for exploding waves, scenic fish shacks, and sailing ships. The Director of Photography went so far as to wear a wet suit and follow the action into the water. The Recordist hung from the edge of cliffs in the rogue wave zone for the perfect roaring ocean sound bite. The PA managed to find a lost interview by chance in the storm and the camera assistant managed to kill someone’s brand new Neon with our big bad black Durango at Peggy’s Cove. Whenever you make a little magic something always must die.

Finally putting it together here in this warm dry place, it’s good to know that each time someone draws a line in the sand both the ocean and our crew will be there to cross it.

I’ll bet you a dollar, it stops raining the minute we put this show in the can.

I can just feel it.

Joshua Hannigan
Producer/Director
Rising Seas