The Oak Bay Marina is located in

South South is one of the cardinal directions or Points of the compass, compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Pro ...

Oak Bay Oak Bay is a municipality incorporated in 1906 that is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is one of thirteen member municipalities of the Capital Regional District, and is bordere ...

, adjacent to the city of

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. Built on Turkey Head Point, the Oak Bay Marina is operated by The Oak Bay Marine Group. It is home to a fuel dock, gift shop, coffee shop and restaurant as well as some private and community organisations: C-Tow Victoria (Greater Victoria Marine Assistance Ltd), Gartside Marine boat repairs (equipped with one railway boat lift located near the front Oak Bay Marina), Vela Yacht Sales, Oak Bay Sailing School, 12th Garry Oak

Sea The sea, connected as the world ocean or simply the ocean, is the body of salty water that covers approximately 71% of the Earth's surface. The word sea is also used to denote second-order sections of the sea, such as the Mediterranean Sea, ...

Scouts Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement employing the Scout method, a program of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hiking, backpacking ...

, Oak Bay Sea Rescue RCM-SAR Station #33, and the Oak Bay Recreation sailing program. Oak Bay Marina is a border and Customs check in point (phone box only) located at the fuel dock.

History

The Oak Bay

breakwater Breakwater may refer to: * Breakwater (structure), a structure for protecting a beach or harbour Places * Breakwater, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia * Breakwater Island Breakwater Island () is a small island in the Palme ...

was built in 1959 and funded by the

Federal Government of Canada The government of Canada (french: gouvernement du Canada) is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown is the corporation sole, assuming distinct roles: the executive, as the ''Crown-in-C ...

. One side is on Turkey Head Point and the other on Mary Tod Island. The Oak Bay Marina was built by Bob Wright in 1962. It officially opened in April 1964. The new marina replaced the Oak Bay Boat House built in 1893. The Oak Bay Marina was home to the Pacific Undersea Gardens opened in 1964 and later relocated to Victoria's inner harbour in 1969, where it operated until its closure on October 17, 2013. The Oak Bay Marina was also home to

Sealand of the Pacific Sealand of the Pacific was a public aquarium in South Oak Bay at The Oak Bay Marina, near the city of Victoria, in British Columbia, Canada. It housed a number of orcas: Haida, Nootka, and Tilikum. In 1991, all three were involved in an incident ...

which opened in 1969. The aquarium was populated by several Orcas that were hunted down and captured locally. Conditions for both whales and staff at the marina were widely criticized, and there were repeated calls to have the aquarium closed. The protests culminated in 1991, when one of the captured whales drowned a 20 year old trainer,

Keltie Byrne Tilikum (Document shown in documentary ''Blackfish (film), Blackfish'' states "born 12/1981". – January 6, 2017), nicknamed Tilly, was a captive killer whales, captive male orca who spent most of his life at SeaWorld Orlando in Florida. He w ...

, who had fallen into the pool. Renewed public pressure eventually forced the closure of Sealand of the Pacific in November 1992. The large whale sculpture at the front of the Oak Bay Marina is dedicated to Dr. Clifford Carl, Director of the British Columbia Provincial Museum. The Oak Bay Marina was visited in 1986 by then-US Vice President

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; pr ...

for a fishing trip off Oak Bay. During October 1996, a large storm occurred. During this storm, a large portion of the Oak Bay Marina became detached, and blew through the bay towards Glenlyon - Norfolk School. A large number of boats were damaged, and there was still one man on the docks at the time. When quoted, he said "I looked around and people were waving at me from the docks, and they were getting farther and farther away". He was later rescued by the Coast Guard and brought ashore.

References

http://www.webturf.com/oakbay/history/ http://oakbay.ca/our-community/about/history http://oakbay.ca/sites/default/files/History/murdoch.pdf http://www.oakbaymarina.com/ https://web.archive.org/web/20120624031247/http://www.obmg.com/timeline/ Oak Bay, British Columbia: in Photographs 1906-2006 (book) Only in Oak Bay Oak Bay Municipality: 1906-1981 (book) BLOWN AWAY - Wind took wharf, boat and owner - Times Colonist 18 Oct 1996 (newspaper)

External links

http://www.oakbaymarina.com/ http://www.c-towvictoria.ca/ http://www.gartsidemarine.com/ http://www.12thgarryoakseascouts.ca/scouts.html http://www.obsr.ca/ http://oakbay.ca/parks-recreation/programs/sailing http://www.oakbaysailingschool.com/en/index.htm {{Coord, 48.4249, -123.3018, type:landmark_scale:2500, display=title Marinas in Canada Transport buildings and structures in British Columbia