Old Sow Whirlpool

Closest to Deer Island Point, Deer Island, NB but can be seen from the north end of Clark Street, Easport, ME. Old Sow is the largest tidal whirlpool in the Western Hemisphere, located off the southwestern shore of Deer Island, New Brunswick, Canada, between that island and Moose Island, the principal island of Eastport, Maine. According to popular etymology the name “Old Sow” is derived from “pig-like” noises the whirlpool makes when churning; however, a more likely origin is the word “sough” (pronounced “suff”), defined as a “drain,” or a “sucking sound.”