# Where is the world's largest whirlpool? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 7, 2001, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-worlds-largest-whirlpool/80280 "2001-09-07T19:10:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2001, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-worlds-largest-whirlpool/80280/1 "2001-09-07T19:10:41Z")
What a surprise to read in the Lonely Planet guide to Canada that New Brunswick has the world’s second largest whirlpool. “Old Sow”, less than an hour from Saint John off Deer Island, is a permanent whirlpool three kilometres across and the bane of many an incoming ship. But where is the biggest? ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2001, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-worlds-largest-whirlpool/80280/2 "2001-09-07T19:23:46Z")
I think our **Scylla** may take a personal interest in this question. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2001, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-worlds-largest-whirlpool/80280/3 "2001-09-07T19:26:30Z")
Wow, I would have guessed Oprah’s toilet. New Brunswick, eh? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2001, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-worlds-largest-whirlpool/80280/4 "2001-09-07T19:45:05Z")
I suspect it would be the famous _Maelstrom_, off the coast of Norway. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2001, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-worlds-largest-whirlpool/80280/5 "2001-09-07T19:49:05Z")
[The Maelstrom](http://www.the-strange.com/maelstrom.html) Apparently its existence is unconfirmed, but this is probably the one the guidebook is assuming is larger than the Old Sow. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2001, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-worlds-largest-whirlpool/80280/6 "2001-09-07T19:54:33Z")
Apparently it does indeed exist, as [this site](http://www.smithsonianmag.si.edu/journeys/01/aug01/travel_tips.html) offers tours, under the name Mosktraumnen. Another site claims the Corryvrecken in Scotland is the third largest. ---
**Author:** ![Threadkiller](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/aca169/32.png) [@Threadkiller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Threadkiller)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2001, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-worlds-largest-whirlpool/80280/7 "2001-09-07T20:28:12Z")
[Smithsonian](http://www.smithsonianmag.si.edu/journeys/01/aug01/feature_full_page_1.html) magazine had an article in the Aug. 2001 edition on whirlpools. (the site listed gives an intro and has a few pictures) ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2001, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-worlds-largest-whirlpool/80280/8 "2001-09-07T20:29:09Z")
Smithsonian magazine had a very good writeup of known whirlpools in the August 2001 edition. **Colibri’s** second link is to the Smithsonian travel tips, here’s a link to the full whirlpool article: [http://www.smithsonianmag.si.edu/journeys/01/aug01/feature\_full\_page\_1.html](http://www.smithsonianmag.si.edu/journeys/01/aug01/feature_full_page_1.html) Great magazine, BTW. ---
**Author:** ![Threadkiller](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/aca169/32.png) [@Threadkiller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Threadkiller)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2001, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-worlds-largest-whirlpool/80280/9 "2001-09-07T20:38:34Z")
[sub]Good one Threadkiller[/sub] I just posted my reply when I realized that **Colibri** already listed this thread. Profoundest apologies. On preview \*\* Doctor Jackson\*\* also mentioned this. ---
**Author:** ![Cabbage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@Cabbage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cabbage)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2001, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-worlds-largest-whirlpool/80280/10 "2001-09-07T21:08:23Z")
Oddly enough, a few months ago I made a trip up to the New England states, so at the time I was hunting up places I wanted to check out while I was there. Looking at a Rand McNally map, I spotted “Largest Whirlpool in the Western Hemisphere”, right off the coast where Maine meets New Brunswick. I was intrigued, so I read up more about the Old Sow whirlpool. There’s a ferry that runs from Eastport, ME, to Deer Island, NB, I believe, and it runs right past the whirlpool, giving a great vantage point, I would presume. Unfortunately, I was there in May, and the ferry wouldn’t start running until July. I was kind of bummed about that, and just headed back to Bangor. The whirlpool isn’t active 24 hours a day, it’s active for about an hour each tidal cycle, starting about three hours before high tide. From what I learned, you can see it from Eastport (but not very well, so I didn’t bother waiting around to see it), and I think you can see it pretty well from Deer Island and, of course, the ferry. I’d imagine that, all other factors being equal, the best time to see it would be a full or new moon (spring tide). I would also tend to think that the Bay of Fundy (highest tides in the world) plays a part in creating the whirlpool. Anyway, enough of my rambling; maybe a Doper that lives in the area and has actually seen it will be along shortly. ---
**Author:** ![Cabbage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@Cabbage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cabbage)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2001, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-worlds-largest-whirlpool/80280/11 "2001-09-08T03:24:02Z")
Oh, and I forgot to mention earlier the _huge_ whirlpool spotted off the coast of San Diego. Not exactly like those being talked about here, since it’s not a permanent whirlpool, but definitely interesting. This page has about it, and includes a short video of it taken from a plane that happened to be in the area: [http://www.kfmb.com/special\_assignment/archive/2001/04/weird.php](http://www.kfmb.com/special_assignment/archive/2001/04/weird.php) ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2001, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-worlds-largest-whirlpool/80280/12 "2001-09-08T12:49:11Z")
Okay, so how did it get the name Old Sow? In that part of the world, I would assume it would’ve been named something like “Gluskap’s Shaving Bowl” by the Micmacs. ---
**Author:** ![Osakadave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f07891/32.png) [@Osakadave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Osakadave)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2001, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-worlds-largest-whirlpool/80280/13 "2001-09-08T13:08:11Z")
The Naruto straits between Shikoku and Awaji islands (where the pacific and Seto sea come together seem to have comparablly sized whirlpools - in the 10 m range. [http://jin.jcic.or.jp/atlas/nature/nat12.html](http://jin.jcic.or.jp/atlas/nature/nat12.html) ---
**Author:** ![Swirdle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4bbf92/32.png) [@Swirdle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swirdle)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2001, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-worlds-largest-whirlpool/80280/14 "2001-09-09T09:53:24Z")
Not the largest, but v beautiful and lots of fun to sit on!!! The Corryvreckan, near Crinan on mainland Scotland, between islands Jura and Scarba, is where I spent some time on my summer hols. Take a look at some pics. [http://www.gemini-crinan.co.uk/pictures.html](http://www.gemini-crinan.co.uk/pictures.html)