Boeing 737 Sunk Off Vancouver Island Becomes Thriving Artificial Reef

A retired Canadian Airlines Boeing 737 was intentionally sunk off Vancouver Island in Canada on January 14, 2006. The aircraft was transformed into an artificial reef to help restore marine ecosystems in the area.

The plane was placed on 3-meter-high support stands, allowing divers to pass underneath the fuselage. Four years of preparation preceded the sinking, with volunteers spending hundreds of hours removing oil, insulation, and other pollutants from the fuselage.

Since the sinking, the site has become home to more than 100 documented species of marine organisms, including rockfish, cod, cloud sponges, plumose anemones, sea stars, octopuses, and red sea urchins.