Active Pass (
Saanich: sqθeq) is a
strait
A strait is an oceanic landform connecting two seas or two other large areas of water. The surface water generally flows at the same elevation on both sides and through the strait in either direction. Most commonly, it is a narrow ocean channe ...
separating
Galiano Island in the north and
Mayne Island in the south in the southern
Gulf Islands,
British Columbia,
Canada. It connects the
Trincomali Channel in the west and the
Strait of Georgia
The Strait of Georgia (french: Détroit de Géorgie) or the Georgia Strait is an arm of the Salish Sea between Vancouver Island and the extreme southwestern mainland coast of British Columbia, Canada and the extreme northwestern mainland coast ...
in the east. The pass stretches 5.5 km from northeast to southwest with two roughly right-angle bends, one at each end.
It was named for the
USCS ''Active'', a
United States Navy survey vessel, the first steamer to navigate the pass in 1855.
["Active Pass". Encyclopedia of British Columbia. Harbour Publishing. 2000.]
From 1967 to 2011, the Active Pass light station was part of the
British Columbia Shore Station Oceanographic Program, collecting coastal water temperature and salinity measurements for the
Department of Fisheries and Oceans everyday for 44 years.
Currently, the pass is a major shipping lane and is primarily used by
BC Ferries' passenger and vehicle ferry runs between
Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal
Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal, as part of the BC Ferries system and of Highway 17, is a major transportation facility in Delta, British Columbia, positioned less than from the 49th parallel along the Canada–United States border. It is located at ...
at
Tsawwassen,
Lower Mainland
The Lower Mainland is a geographic and cultural region of the mainland coast of British Columbia that generally comprises the regional districts of Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley. Home to approximately 3.05million people as of the 2021 Canadia ...
, the southern Gulf Islands and
Swartz Bay Ferry Terminal
The Swartz Bay ferry terminal is a major transportation facility at Swartz Bay in North Saanich, British Columbia. It is located north of Victoria on Vancouver Island. The terminal is part of the BC Ferries system, as well as part of Highway ...
at
Swartz Bay,
Vancouver Island. Because the pass has a
river's narrowness, the ferries pass extremely close to its shores. It is also used by
pleasure craft,
fishing boats,
freighters and freight ferries, making it very 'active' commercially as well. However, strong
eddies and tide rips are always present in the pass, making it a hazardous corridor for smaller vessels to transit.
A variety of wildlife may be seen in the pass, including
harbour seals,
sea lions,
bald eagles
The bald eagle (''Haliaeetus leucocephalus'') is a bird of prey found in North America. A sea eagle, it has two known subspecies and forms a species pair with the white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla''), which occupies the same niche as ...
, and
orcas.
Accidents in Active Pass
*On 2 August 1970, three people aboard the
BC Ferry
British Columbia Ferry Services Inc., operating as BC Ferries (BCF), is a former provincial Crown corporation, now operating as an independently managed, publicly owned Canadian company. BC Ferries provides all major passenger and vehicle ferr ...
''Queen of Victoria'' perished and the ship itself suffered close to $1 million damage when a Russian freighter, the ''Sergey Yesenin'', struck it in Active Pass.
[Bannerman, Gary and Patricia. The Ships of British Columbia. pp.109–110. Hancock House. 1985]
*On 9 August 1979, the BC Ferry ''
Queen of Alberni'' ran aground at Collinson Reef in Active Pass, causing the vessel to tip dramatically to one side. Extensive vehicle and ship damage occurred, as well as the casualty of a racehorse.
*On 6 November 2015, a man jumped from the deck of a BC Ferry in Active Pass and swam to Galiano Island. He was later arrested after breaking into a cabin.
References
External links
Google Maps - Active Pass
Landforms of the Gulf Islands
Straits of British Columbia
Fluid dynamics
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