Mysterious floating island reappears in British Columbia reservoir

A large tree-covered island that mysteriously appeared — then disappeared — in northwestern Canada has been found once again.

The island was spotted for the first time in British Columbia’s Williston Reservoir, a man-made lake north of Mackenzie, earlier this summer before seemingly vanishing from sight, CBC reported.

The newly discovered landmass was found once again Monday, about 18 miles northwest of its last known location in the middle of the reservoir.

Intrigue about the island has flourished ever since boaters discovered it in early August, and videos of it bobbing in the middle of the reservoir have gone viral in local Facebook groups. The video show a piece of land with full grown trees, leading many to conclude it couldn’t have just shown up from a lower water level.

“For it to disappear and now reappear, that just creates a lot of excitement,” said Bob Gammer, a spokesperson for B.C. Hydro, the utility company that provides hydroelectric power for most of the province.

“It’s great to know that we found it and it’s not causing any trouble right now and hopefully that’s the way it stays,” he added.

The island’s origins have not been confirmed, but B.C. Hydro believes record-high water levels likely caused the landmass to break off from the reservoir’s shoreline. The reservoir has been unusually full this year following heavy winter snow and summer rainstorms.

The island has also likely been moving throughout the reservoir due to strong winds, Gammer said.

“It’s certainly not current. The water does very slowly move to the east to the [dam],” Gammer said. “The wind is really what’s going to drive things.”

Officials believe the island is about 230 feet wide and 460 feet long, taking up nearly the size of two NFL football fields.

While the wayward island only began to draw attention last month, satellite imagery from July 21 confirmed that it was real and floating in the reservoir, about 60 miles west of the WAC Bennett Dam.

However, by August 5, the island had vanished from satellite imagery, according to the report.

“We’ve been taking more updated snapshots and we can’t see the object anymore. So it’s disappeared now,” Gammer previously told CBC. “It doesn’t mean it’s gone to the bottom of the reservoir. It may have returned to a more sheltered area along the shoreline.”

Gammer said the island may move again if there are strong enough winds.