Retired Boeing 737 Becomes Artificial Reef Off Vancouver Island

A Boeing 737 passenger jet, retired after flying over 73,000 hours, was deliberately sunk in 2006 to create an artificial reef off Vancouver Island's coast. The aircraft, built in 1975, had previously flown with Pacific Western Airlines and Air Canada before being sold for salvageable parts.

The stripped airframe was donated to the Artificial Reef Society of British Columbia and volunteers spent years cleaning and modifying it to support marine life. On January 14, 2006, a crane lowered the 30-ton fuselage into the water near Chemainus, where it rests upright on 11-foot support stands.

The reef was named Xihuw Reef by local Hul'qumi'num First Nations in honor of the red sea urchin, a species once abundant in these waters. Today, the site is one of the most popular cold-water dive spots in the Pacific Northwest, attracting visitors from across North America.

Research has shown that artificial reefs and shipwrecks can support a wide range of marine life, including large predators. Scientists have been studying sunken ships and planes for years, discovering that they often become functioning ecosystems, supporting everything from microbes to megafauna.