, image = Saanich Inlet from Gowlland Tod Provincial Park, Vancouver Island, Canada 13.jpg , image_size = 260px , caption = Saanich Inlet from

Gowlland Tod Provincial Park Gowlland Tod Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada. The park protects 1,219 hectares (3,012 acres) of mixed forest of Douglas-fir, Arbutus, western redcedar, western hemlock, shore pine, grand fir, red alder, and Garr ...

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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, ...

, pushpin_map = Canada British Columbia , coords = , type =

Fjord In physical geography, a fjord or fiord () is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. Fjords exist on the coasts of Alaska, Antarctica, British Columbia, Chile, Denmark, Germany, Greenland, the Faroe Islands, Ice ...

, inflow = , rivers =

Goldstream River The Goldstream River is a tributary of the Columbia River, joining that stream via the Lake Revelstoke reservoir after running largely west from the heart of the northern Selkirk Mountains. The river's name derives from the Big Bend Gold Rush ...

, outflow = , catchment = , basin_countries = , length = , width = , area = , depth = , max-depth = , volume = , residence_time = , shore = , elevation = , frozen = , islands = , cities = Saanich Inlet (also Saanich Arm) is a body of

salt water Saline water (more commonly known as salt water) is water that contains a high concentration of dissolved salts (mainly sodium chloride). On the United States Geological Survey (USGS) salinity scale, saline water is saltier than brackish water, ...

that lies between the

Saanich Peninsula Saanich Peninsula ( str, W̱SÁNEĆ) is located north of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. It is bounded by Saanich Inlet on the west, Satellite Channel on the north, the small Colburne Passage on the northeast, and Haro Strait on the east. The ...

and the Malahat highlands of

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are o ...

, Canada. Located just northwest of

, the inlet is long, has a surface area of , and its maximum depth is . It extends from

Satellite Channel A satellite or artificial satellite is an object intentionally placed into orbit in outer space. Except for passive satellites, most satellites have an electricity generation system for equipment on board, such as solar panels or radioisotop ...

in the north (separating

Salt Spring Island Salt Spring Island or Saltspring Island is one of the Gulf Islands in the Strait of Georgia between mainland British Columbia, Canada, and Vancouver Island. The island was initially inhabited by various Salishan peoples before being settled b ...

from the

) to Squally Reach and Finlayson Arm in the south. The only major tributary feeding the inlet is the

. The inlet has been of importance as a

fishery Fishery can mean either the enterprise of raising or harvesting fish and other aquatic life; or more commonly, the site where such enterprise takes place ( a.k.a. fishing ground). Commercial fisheries include wild fisheries and fish farms, both ...

to the Malahat and Saanich

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 ...

for centuries, and many

Indian reserve In Canada, an Indian reserve (french: réserve indienne) is specified by the '' Indian Act'' as a "tract of land, the legal title to which is vested in Her Majesty, that has been set apart by Her Majesty for the use and benefit of a band." Ind ...

s are situated on the shoreline. Since the arrival of Europeans, the inlet has also provided a recreational and commercial fishery. It has also been popular with SCUBA divers. For several years, a port existed on the western shore at Bamberton, servicing a

cement A cement is a binder, a chemical substance used for construction that sets, hardens, and adheres to other materials to bind them together. Cement is seldom used on its own, but rather to bind sand and gravel ( aggregate) together. Cement mix ...

works. For most of the year the deep waters are

anoxic The term anoxia means a total depletion in the level of oxygen, an extreme form of hypoxia or "low oxygen". The terms anoxia and hypoxia are used in various contexts: * Anoxic waters, sea water, fresh water or groundwater that are depleted of diss ...

, and Hydrogen sulfide, hydrogen sulphide (H₂S) is often detected near the bottom. In the late summer and early fall, oxygenated waters from the Haro Strait and the Satellite Channel spill over into the deep basin of Saanich Inlet.

Bays and inlets

Notable bays and inlets adjacent to Saanich Inlet include: *Brentwood Bay, British Columbia, Brentwood Bay, a calm, sheltered bay on the east side of the Inlet, with a BC Ferries, small ferry service to Mill Bay, British Columbia, Mill Bay. **Tod Inlet, a smaller inlet off the southwest corner of Brentwood Bay with water access to the northeast corner of

and the rural community of Willis Point, British Columbia, Willis Point, as well as a private dock at the adjacent world-famous Butchart Gardens. ** Confusingly, Brentwood College School is not located in Brentwood Bay, but rather across the inlet in Mill Bay. *Coles Bay, British Columbia, Coles Bay *Deep Cove *Finlayson Arm, a long narrow arm on the south of the Inlet draining

at Goldstream Provincial Park. It is named for Roderick Finlayson (1818-1892). The scenic and steep Malahat, British Columbia, Malahat Drive is on the west side of Finlayson Arm, while Gowlland Tod Provincial Park is on its east. *Mill Bay, British Columbia, Mill Bay, a calm bay and community centre on the west side of the Inlet. The ferry to Brentwood Bay allows a way of travelling to Greater Victoria while avoiding the steep Malahat Drive. *Patricia Bay, a very deep bay and home to the Institute of Ocean Sciences research facility. *Squally Reach, an east–west channel connecting the main Saanich Inlet to the north and Finlayson Arm to the south. **McKenzie Bight, an easy to sail bight on the east side of Saanich Inlet where its meets Squally Reach. Other notable features around the inlet are: *Mount Finlayson * Bamberton

References

Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans, including a map of the Inlet

External links

Scientific information about the VENUS project located partly in Saanich Inlet from the University of Victoria
{{British Columbia hydrography Fjords of British Columbia Southern Vancouver Island Bodies of water of Vancouver Island Anoxic waters Inlets of British Columbia

Bays and inlets

See also

References

External links