Bentinck Island is the home of a land-based demolition range for the Royal Canadian Navy and this week, there will be some explosions taking place on the island.
The Navy says that they will be conducting these explosions from around 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. between Friday, October 27th to Thursday, November 2nd.
There will be no activity on the island on weekends within that time frame.
Bentinck Island is a small land mass located near Rocky Point off the southernmost tip of Vancouver Island in the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
The island is a mere few kilometres from the famous Race Rocks lighthouse.
“The site is used as an above-water terrestrial demolition range by the Canadian Armed Forces,” said a Navy spokesperson in a media release.
“Training events are critical to ensure military members gain core skills and maintain operational readiness.”
They say that any nearby local residents will likely be unaware of the activities, except for on days when the atmospheric conditions are just right to have less of an impact on how far the sound may travel.
During these types of exercises, the Navy brings in a third-party to keep an eye on the surrounding seas to mitigate the effect the training will have on nearby marine mammals such as whales.
“Events are delayed if whales are observed in or transiting towards the range, and activities do not re-commence until the Marine Mammal Observer provides the all-clear,” said the Navy spokesperson.
In the area around the island, conditions are perfect for humpback whale feeding, and orcas have been known to traverse those waters often as well.
The Navy also seeks to remind the public that Bentinck Island is private property of the Canadian Armed Forces and no unauthorized person may enter the area.
