, image = Desolation sound 2006.jpg , image_size = 250px , alt = , caption = Desolation Sound , image_bathymetry = Carte baie Desolation fr.png , alt_bathymetry = , caption_bathymetry = Extent of Desolation Sound , location =

Discovery Islands The Discovery Islands are a group of islands located at the northern end of the Salish Sea and the eastern end of Johnstone Strait, between Vancouver Island and the mainland coast of British Columbia, Canada. Most of these islands have very fe ...

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, ...

, group = , coordinates = , type =

Sound In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' b ...

, etymology = , part_of =

Salish Sea , image = PNW-straits.jpg , alt = , caption = The Salish Sea, showing the open Pacific Ocean at lower left, and from there, heading inland: the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the narrow Puget Sound at lower ri ...

, inflow = , rivers = , outflow = , oceans = , catchment = , basin_countries = , agency = , designation = , date-built = , engineer = , date-flooded = , length = , width = , area = , depth = , max-depth = , volume = , residence_time = , salinity = , shore = , elevation = , temperature_high = , temperature_low = , frozen = , islands = Kinghorn Island, Martin Islands, Mink Island, Protection Island, Station Island , islands_category = , sections = , trenches = , benches = , cities = Refuge Cove , pushpin_map = British Columbia , pushpin_label_position = , pushpin_map_alt = , pushpin_map_caption = , website = , reference = Desolation Sound (french: Baie Desolation) is a deep water

sound In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' b ...

at the northern end of the

and of the Sunshine Coast in

, Canada.

History

Desolation Sound has always been inhabited by tribes of the Tla'amin and falls within the traditional territories of the

Klahoose The ƛoʔos Klahoose are one of the three groups comprising the ''ʔayʔaǰuθəm'' Tla'Amin or Mainland Comox. The other two divisions of this once-populous group are the χʷɛmaɬku Homalco and Sliammon (which is a corruption of "Tla A'min" ...

First Nation, Tla'amin Nation, and Homalco

First Nations First Nations or first peoples may refer to: * Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area. Indigenous groups *First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including: **First Natio ...

. In the summer of 1792, two expeditions led by Captains George Vancouver,

Dionisio Alcalá Galiano Dionisio Alcalá Galiano (8 October 1760 – 21 October 1805) was a Spanish naval officer, cartographer, and explorer. He mapped various coastlines in Europe and the Americas with unprecedented accuracy using new technology such as chronomete ...

and

Cayetano Valdés y Flores Cayetano Valdés y Flores Bazán (1767–1835) was a commander of the Spanish Navy, explorer, and captain general who served in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, fighting for both sides at different times due to the changing fortu ...

arrived and cooperated in mapping the sound. Vancouver named it Desolation Sound, cryptically claiming that "there was not a single prospect that was pleasing to the eye".

Geography

The sound is flanked by

Cortes Island Cortes Island is an island in the Discovery Islands archipelago on the coast of British Columbia, Canada. The island is long, wide, and in area. It has a population of 1,035 permanent residents (2016 census). Cortes Island lies within Electora ...

East Redonda Island East Redonda Island is a coastal island in British Columbia, Canada, part of the Discovery Islands archipelago. It lies just to the north of Desolation Sound Marine Provincial Park, Desolation Sound Marine Park, which is located off the north end ...

and

West Redonda Island West Redonda Island is an island in British Columbia, Canada. It is part of the Discovery Islands, an archipelago between Vancouver Island and the mainland, and between the Strait of Georgia and Johnstone Strait. West Redonda Island is located wes ...

. Adjacent waterways include Lewis Channel (to the northwest),

Waddington Channel Waddington Channel is a strait located between East Redonda and West Redonda Island of the Discovery Islands in British Columbia, Canada. Geography Waddington Channel connects Desolation Sound to the south with Pryce Channel to the north. Pend ...

(to the northeast), Homfray Channel (to the east), Okeover Inlet (to the southeast), and the Strait of Georgia (to the south). Major provincial parks located within the sound include Desolation Sound Marine Provincial Park, Malaspina Provincial Park, Okeover Arm Provincial Park, and Roscoe Bay Provincial Park.

Demographics

Refuge Cove is the only community in Desolation Sound. It is located on West Redonda Island and administered within

Strathcona Regional District The Strathcona Regional District is a regional district in British Columbia, Canada. It was created on February 15, 2008, encompassing the northern and western portions of the former Regional District of Comox-Strathcona. The partition left ...

. The community serves as a centrally located supply stop for boaters and local fishers travelling in or near Desolation Sound.

Industries

The major industries of Desolation Sound include shellfish farming,

forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. ...

, and

ecotourism Ecotourism is a form of tourism involving responsible travel (using sustainable transport) to natural areas, conserving the environment, and improving the well-being of the local people. Its purpose may be to educate the traveler, to provide fund ...

Transportation

Visitors travelling by car to Desolation Sound can take

BC Ferries British Columbia Ferry Services Inc., operating as BC Ferries (BCF), is a former provincial Crown corporation, now operating as an independently managed, publicly owned Canadian company. BC Ferries provides all major passenger and vehicle ferr ...

from

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

or Courtenay to Powell River, and drive the short distance northward to Lund. By boat or kayak from Lund, Savary Island Ferry at Dock

the Copeland Islands (

Copeland Islands Marine Provincial Park Copeland Islands Marine Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada, located in Desolation Sound to the northwest of Lund on the northern Sunshine Coast off the west coast of the Malaspina Peninsula The Malaspina Peninsula ...

) and Desolation Sound (which includes Desolation Sound Marine Provincial Park), and Malaspina Provincial Park. Major anchorages include Gorge Harbour (on

), Grace Harbour, Prideaux Haven (a cove on Homfray Channel), Refuge Cove, and Tenedos Bay.

References

External links

{{Authority control South Coast of British Columbia Sounds of British Columbia Salish Sea Sunshine Coast (British Columbia) Coast of British Columbia