Underwater Archaeological Society of British Columbia

Underwater Archaeological Society of British Columbia The UASBC is a group of avocational underwater archaeologists. We are among BC's largest diving groups, as well as being a very active heritage organization.

The UASBC is a group of volunteer, avocational underwater archaeologists. We are mostly from British Columbia but also welcome members from elsewhere The Society is amongst the largest diving groups in British Columbia, as well as being a heritage focused organization. Not all our members are divers, some of our non-diving members have an interest in maritime history. We have four chapters in BC:

the Lower Mainland, Southern Interior and Vancouver Island. The UASBC assists archaeologists, government and others by undertaking underwater projects not currently addressed by professionals. Exploration and inventories of shipwrecks and other submerged cultural sites are an especially important activity. Information about the location, history, and status of these resources is vital to their conservation and management. The British Columbia Archaeology Branch, in particular, needs such data in order to establish a site management policy before a user conflict or preservation crisis arises.

08/26/2026

We’re back this Fall! The Graveyard of the Pacific is calling. 🌊⚓

UASBC is heading back to Barkley Sound for a three-day wreck documentation expedition — and we want you along for the dive.

We're exploring some of the Sound's most compelling sites: the Soquel (lost 1909) and the Tuscan Prince (lost 1923). Plus, we’ll take another run at the Mascotte (lost 1893) — found in the final minutes of our last dive in April.

We'll be based at the big house on Grappler Inlet and diving with Emerald Ocean Charters.

🗓 September 25–27, 2026

📍 Bamfield, BC

🔗 Learn more and join in at: https://uasbc.com/event/barkley-sound-wreck-trek-multi-day

50 years ago this fall, UASBC was searching the waters off Mayne Island for a ship that had been lost for over a century...
06/22/2026

50 years ago this fall, UASBC was searching the waters off Mayne Island for a ship that had been lost for over a century. 🔍

In October 1976, the Society chartered a 65-foot converted tug and brought in side-scan sonar pioneer Harold Edgerton of MIT to help locate the bark Zephyr — an American clipper that wrecked off Mayne Island on February 13, 1872, during a violent snowstorm while carrying a cargo of Newcastle Island building stone and 2 columns for the San Francisco Mint.

The 1976 search came up empty. But just weeks later, Mayne Island diver Gary LeTour found her — undisturbed in 12 metres of water, exactly where she had rested for 104 years.

By January 1977, UASBC divers were on site. Survey work, excavation, and eventually the recovery of two 30-foot columns followed — one now stands at the Vancouver Maritime Museum the other resides on New Castle Island.

The Zephyr was one of UASBC's earliest major projects, and a reminder of why this work matters.

Mark your calendars — SHIPWRECKS 2027 is heading to Vancouver. ⚓🧊 Next year's conference takes us to one of the most rem...
06/05/2026

Mark your calendars — SHIPWRECKS 2027 is heading to Vancouver. ⚓🧊

Next year's conference takes us to one of the most remote and captivating frontiers in maritime history: Antarctica and the South Polar Sea.

The weekend kicks off with a Friday evening reception, followed by a full day of expert talks on Saturday — and an evening banquet featuring John Albertson, Maritime Archaeology Sector Lead at Search Inc., speaking on the discovery of Shackleton's Endurance.

🍽 Reception: Friday, April 9, 2027 | 6:00–9:00 pm
🎤 Conference: Saturday, April 10, 2027 | 8:30 am–5:00 pm 🥂 Evening Banquet: Saturday, April 10, 2027 | 6:00–10:00 pm
📍 Billy Bishop Legion, 1407 Laburnum St, Vancouver

Interested in presenting? We'd love to hear from you. Contact Tom Beasley by June 30, 2026: 📞 778-855-7750 📩 [email protected]

More details to come — stay tuned.

The "Graveyard of the Pacific" lived up to its name — and we loved every minute of it. 🤿 In April, ten UASBC members spe...
05/14/2026

The "Graveyard of the Pacific" lived up to its name — and we loved every minute of it. 🤿

In April, ten UASBC members spent the weekend diving the historic wrecks of Barkley Sound, exploring sites that tell the story of one of BC's most treacherous stretches of coastline. Violent storms, heavy fog, and rocky shorelines have claimed many vessels, and each year UASBC returns to survey and document what remains.

The standout of the weekend was the MV Vanlene — a 470-foot freighter that ran aground on Austin Island in March 1972 after setting sail from Japan with faulty navigational equipment. Her stern rests in 130 feet of water against a sheer rock wall, her bow in the shallows, and her hull is alive with rockfish and Puget Sound King Crabs. Even in low visibility, the scale of the wreck is unforgettable.

📸 Shipwreck & underwater photos by Chris Mills
📸 Group photos by Leila Bautista, Jacques Marc, and George
🤿 Dive charter operator Emerald Ocean Charters

Join us in exploring an ancient practice older than most of BC's shipwrecks. On May 17th, UASBC divers are returning to ...
05/06/2026

Join us in exploring an ancient practice older than most of BC's shipwrecks.

On May 17th, UASBC divers are returning to the Smyth Head Reef Net site to continue the search for reef net anchor stones, evidence of a sustainable salmon-fishing technology developed by Coast Salish peoples. We'll also be working to refine GPS locations of known anchor stones to improve site documentation.

Spots are limited — don't miss your chance to be part of this ongoing piece of BC's cultural heritage research.

🗓 Saturday, May 17, 2026

🚤 Departing from Pedder Bay

💲 $100 per person | Limit: 8 divers

📩 Contact Jacques to register: [email protected]

Nearly 40 years of SHIPWRECKS. Every year, the story gets richer ⚓ In March, divers, historians, researchers, and mariti...
04/29/2026

Nearly 40 years of SHIPWRECKS. Every year, the story gets richer ⚓

In March, divers, historians, researchers, and maritime enthusiasts gathered at Cedar Hill Golf Club in Saanich for our annual SHIPWRECKS Conference. This year's theme, Military Shipwrecks of BC & Around the World, did not disappoint.

From lost RCAF Hampdens to the sunken fleet of Chuuk Lagoon, from deepwater exploration of HMCS Canada to the wrecks of Louisbourg Harbour — six remarkable speakers brought BC's military maritime past vividly to life.

The day wrapped with the Woodward Lecture & Dinner, where Russ Mathews of the Air/Sea Heritage Foundation took us inside the investigations of the USS Yorktown and the Devastator wreck.

Thank you to our incredible speakers — Jacques Marc, Paul Spencer, Charles Moore, Ewan Anderson, Guy Shockey, and Brian Nadwidny — and to everyone who joined us.

See you next year 🤿

⚓ Be part of the shipwreck community! Join us a member at uasbc.com

On February 13, 1959, the tug Henry Foss struck the Channel Islands off Salt Spring Island and sank, taking six of her s...
04/16/2026

On February 13, 1959, the tug Henry Foss struck the Channel Islands off Salt Spring Island and sank, taking six of her seven crew with her.

Sixty-seven years later, in March, a six-person UASBC tech diving team returned to document the wreck at 35 metres and assess its condition. All divers were on closed-circuit rebreathers or technical open-circuit rigs breathing trimix, which was used to minimize the effects of nitrogen narcosis.

The team departed Sidney on board the MV Inde and were at the dive site 30 minutes later. Divers navigated challenging visibility and a bottom time that rewarded persistence. Two of the three dive pairs made it onto the wreck, capturing new imagery of the midships section. It wasn't a perfect day — the shot line landed short, low visibility made navigation demanding, and a tangle of commercial crab traps crossed the site — but every diver surfaced safely and on schedule.

The Henry Foss has been visited by UASBC on several occasions. This dive confirmed that the team, vessel, and skipper are well-positioned to support future expeditions to sites beyond recreational diving depths.

Documentation photography by Ewan Anderson. Dive support provided by Keith Karlsson aboard the MV Inde.

Curious to explore BC’s shipwrecks? Learn more about our exploration & become a UASBC member: uasbc.com

Photo & Video credit: (1&4) Leila Bautista | IG: (2) Rory and Kail | IG: & (3) Ewan Anderson | IG:

Happening tonight! Join us at 7 pm at the Maritime Museum of BC (744 Douglas St, Victoria) as Rory MacKenzie, Hydrograph...
04/15/2026

Happening tonight!

Join us at 7 pm at the Maritime Museum of BC (744 Douglas St, Victoria) as Rory MacKenzie, Hydrographic Surveyor and underwater mapping specialist, breaks down the science of tides: how they work, how we measure them, and how we predict them.

Whether you're a diver, a maritime history buff, or just tide-curious, this one's worth showing up for.

🏛 Maritime Museum of BC, 744 Douglas St 🕖 7:00 pm — Tonight (April 15, 2026)

The event is FREE and anyone can attend. See you there!

Where storms, salvage, and stories converge beneath the surface. Adventure with us this April to Bamfield for a three-da...
03/30/2026

Where storms, salvage, and stories converge beneath the surface.

Adventure with us this April to Bamfield for a three-day wreck trek in Barkley Sound, one of our current project areas. Weather permitting, the plan is to visit several historic wrecks, including the salvage vessel Mascotte, lost to fire in 1895 in Pachena Bay, the freighter Tuscan Prince, lost in a storm in 1923, and loaded with Dodge C**t cars, the Vanlene, is a group favourite.

If time allows, we’ll also explore the remains of the Effingham Mystery Wreck. Divers will stay at a house in Grappler Inlet and dive with Ocean Emerald Charters.

🗓 Friday, April 10 to Sunday, April 12, 2026,
🚗 Travel to Bamfield: Friday afternoon, April 10
💲 Estimated charter & accommodation: $500 (air and meals extra)
👥 Maximum 10 divers | Surge conditions possible

Interested in joining?
🔗 More details: https://www.uasbc.com/exploration-dive-trips/bamfield-wreck-trek

📸 Vanlene - Becky Butt

Address

1905 Ogden Avenue
Vancouver, BC
V6J1A3

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