Retired Boeing 737 Sunk off Vancouver Island Becomes Thriving Artificial Reef

Air Canada’s retired Boeing 737, originally from the Canadian Airlines fleet, was converted into an artificial reef off the coast of Chemainus, British Columbia. After being stripped of usable components and donated by Qwest Airparts, the 30-metre, 15-ton airframe was cleaned by volunteers and received clearance from Environment Canada and six First Nations. On January 14, 2006, a crane lowered the aircraft onto 11-foot-high support stands in the Georgia Strait, positioning it at a maximum depth of about 90 feet.

Named Xihuw after the region’s red sea urchins, the wreck now provides habitat for over a hundred species, including rockfish, lingcod, sponges, anemones and octopuses. Divers can swim through the cabin and beneath the fuselage, and a memorial plaque honoring two WWII pilots and a carved wooden mask are mounted on one of the stands. The initiative, sparked by Fraser MacLean of Air Canada and supported by Peter Luckham of 49th Parallel Diving, has become a popular dive destination and a model for repurposing retired aircraft for ecological benefit.