Royal Canadian Air Force 19 Wing Comox's bomb disposal unit was responsible for a small detonation on Rebecca Rocks in the waters northwest of Texada Island on September 3, a military spokesperson has confirmed.
The explosion that happened just before 12 pm caught some boaters and Salish Orca ferry passengers by surprise.
An air force maintenance squadron was called out to destroy a marine locator marker that did not ignite during training exercises. A disposal team safely disposed of the locator marker at the rocks, said the spokesperson.
Local fishing charter operator Neil Woloschuk said his boat was nearly one nautical mile, about 1.8 kilometres, away when he heard the unit on marine radio informing the Canadian Coast Guard that a charge was to be set off.
Woloschuk said he saw the air force unit’s inflatable boat near Harwood Island before it headed to Rebecca Rocks.
Woloschuk said he felt the concussion inside his boat and was immediately concerned for the seal and seabird populations that live on Rebecca Rocks.
"These guys are going around doing this and now the birds and seals are all deaf,” said Woloschuk. “It’s not right. They shouldn't be doing this.”
BC Ferries public affairs executive director Deborah Marshall confirmed that the captain of the Salish Orca had contacted the coast guard after the detonation to ask what happened.
“We were not notified in advance of the event,” said Marshall. “We contacted both coast guard and the military vessel that was conducting the exercise after the event and asked to be notified in advance of any exercises such as this one in the future.”
According to information from BC Ministry of Environment, Rebecca Rocks is not designated as one of the province’s ecological reserves or as a protected marine area.
