Explore the Bras d'Or The Unique Bras d'Or Lakes The Bras d'Or Lakes are a unique combination of ocean and lake features, which dominate the centre of Cape Breton Island. Visitors to the Bras d'Or are often surprised that the Lakes are salty. Although surrounded by land, two natural channels and a canal connect the Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean.
	However, the Bras d'Or Lakes are more ocean than lake, with many surprises below the surface. The Lakes are salty, but not as salty as the open ocean. The Lakes have tides, but often the range is so low, it is hardly noticeable. The waters are sheltered, and yet there are good winds for sailing.
From above, the Bras d'Or Lakes look like a large expanse of smooth water, occasionally broken by small islands and sandbars. However, below the smooth surface, the Lakes' floor has hills and valleys much like the surrounding countryside. Throughout the Lakes there are pockets of deep water, surrounded by much shallower areas. These pockets are generally the result of glaciers, whose movements gouged out holes and trenches in the soft rocks and sediments on the Lakes' bottom.