, image = Discovery Passage.jpg , image_size = 250px , caption = Looking south from between

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are of land. The island is the largest by ...

and Sonora Island , image_bathymetry = Locmap-DiscoveryPassage.png , caption_bathymetry = , location =

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...

, coordinates = , type = Strait , part_of =

Inside Passage The Inside Passage (french: Passage Intérieur) is a coastal route for ships and boats along a network of passages which weave through the islands on the Pacific Northwest coast of the North American Fjordland. The route extends from southeaste ...

, Discovery Islands , oceans =

Salish Sea , image = PNW-straits.jpg , alt = , caption = The Salish Sea, showing the open Pacific Ocean at lower left, and from there, heading inland: the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the narrow Puget Sound at lower r ...

, length = , width = , area = , depth = , max-depth = , volume = , residence_time = , salinity = , shore = , elevation = , temperature_high = , temperature_low = , frozen = , islands = , islands_category = , sections = Seymour Narrows , trenches = , benches = , cities = , pushpin_map = British Columbia , pushpin_label_position = , pushpin_map_alt = , pushpin_map_caption = , website = , reference = Discovery Passage (french: Passage Discovery) is a strait that forms part of the

between

and the Discovery Islands of

. The strait is considered the most important natural passage for vessels' entering or leaving the

from the north.

Etymology

The strait was named by Captain Vancouver in 1792 after his ship, . Other sources say that the passage was named by Captain Kellett because Vancouver's Discovery had sailed through the passage earlier.

Geography

The strait has a length of and an average width of , narrowing to only at Seymour Narrows. Most of the eastern shoreline of the passage is Quadra Island, with Sonora Island forming the shoreline at the northern end where Discovery Passage meets Johnstone Strait. The southern end of Discovery Passage enters 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 ...

, the northern arm of the

. The strait is frequently transited by

cruise ships Cruise ships are large passenger ships used mainly for vacationing. Unlike ocean liners, which are used for transport, cruise ships typically embark on round-trip voyages to various ports-of-call, where passengers may go on Tourism, tours know ...

, cargo ships, fishing boats, and ships of the Alaska Marine Highway and

BC Ferries 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 fer ...

systems.

References

External links

Straits of British Columbia South Coast of British Columbia Landforms of the Discovery Islands Salish Sea {{BritishColumbiaCoast-geo-stub

Etymology

Geography

See also

References

External links