Continued from Part Two.

With a final look back, we say goodbye to the American Falls. It was worth the trip, alone, but now a deeper resonance calls us round the dark headland that partly obscures the larger Canadian basin.

Our boat now passes close to a dark headland from behind which a far great roaring sound is coming – one that speaks of millions of tons of cascading water being pounded into vapour by gravity.

Once clear of the protective rock, we are saturated by a curtain of cold spray – and stay that way for the rest of the trip. Thank goodness we have the red plastic outfits!

As the new falls come into view, there is a surge of passenger movement towards the front left of the craft. These are very stable boats, and there is no undue effect

One benefit of this is that I get a nice line of deep red with which to contrast the cold blue-green of the water. The photos are enhanced by my lack of visibility … but this soon changes as the ‘vertical shock’ of Niagara’s Canadian Falls comes into focus through the spray!

The tour boat has to take a wide curve around the headland. This propels the boat into the middle of the upper basin which gives us a clear view of uptown Niagara City.

But that view is immediately surpassed as hush falls over the ship and the mist clears. Before us is something the like of which few have seen in their lives. 

A giant horseshoes of vertical water roars in front of us. It is curtain-like, but no human hands have ever crafted a curtain like this. Simply put, Lake Eerie is flowing into Lake Ontario.

Our entire horizon is a thick and massive wall of fast-flowing, vertical water. The eye tries to track single points on this torrent, but each changes so fast that it is impossible. 

‘Impossible’ is the key sentiment. A seemingly impossible volume of water is thundering from the top to the bottom of our field of vision. The deep sound that goes with this is equally awesome. 

We can only stand and stare, registering the ‘impossible’… Perhaps the photos can convey what the words cannot. I focus on a single flow of water to try to convey the proximity of this majesty and photograph it. I hope it conveys what was happening. 

All too soon, the boat begins a slow turn to the right, and our eyes are left tracking the majesty that is now fading. 

Few lives are unchanged by Niagara. The quietness of the returning passengers says it all. 

Once more onshore, our sodden red plastic is deposited in recycling bins and we make our way, quietly, through the wide exit system.

All images by the author.

©️Stephen Tanham, 2025