Decommissioned Boeing 737 Transformed into Artificial Reef off Chemainus, BC

A Boeing 737 aircraft, once part of Canadian Airlines and later decommissioned by Air Canada due to age and structural problems, now lies nearly 90 feet underwater off Chemainus, BC, serving as an artificial reef. Donated by Air Canada through Qwest Airparts of Memphis, Tennessee, the plane was sunk by the Artificial Reef Society of British Columbia (ARSBC) on January 14, 2006. Named Xihuw, the Hul'qumi'num word for red sea urchins that once thrived in the area before their numbers dwindled due to pollution and over-fishing, the site was chosen for its lack of significant marine life at the time, impacted by decades of forest-industry debris.

The project, initiated by Fraser MacLean of Air Canada in November 2002 after seeing the sinking of the HMCS Cape Breton, involved extensive planning, including securing approval from Environment Canada and six local First Nations. Volunteers from 49th Parallel Diving, led by Peter Luckham, spent hundreds of hours cleaning the aircraft to ensure no toxic materials would harm the marine environment. The plane, mounted on 11-foot-high stands to allow divers to explore underneath, was lowered into the Georgia Strait off Chemainus.

Documented by the Discovery Channel series Mega Builders, the sinking marked the beginning of a thriving artificial reef. Today, Xihuw hosts over 100 documented species, including cloud sponges, plumose anemones, octopuses, and the namesake red sea urchins. The site, at a maximum depth of about 90 feet, is accessible for recreational diving and has become a popular destination, featuring on lists of the best wreck dives on Vancouver Island. A memorial plaque honoring two WWII pilots and a carved wooden mask are mounted on one of the support stands.

Nearly twenty years after its sinking, the Boeing 737 stands as a testament to the potential of repurposing decommissioned aircraft into vibrant ecosystems, supporting marine life beneath the waves.