The Floating Island That Vanished Has Returned—But Boaters Are Being Told to Stay Away

The Floating Island That Vanished Has Returned—But Boaters Are Being Told to Stay Away
A forested island has appeared, disappeared and resurfaced on a British Columbia reservoir, turning an unusual natural phenomenon into both a local spectacle and a boating hazard.

The roughly one-hectare mass was first spotted on Williston Lake, then vanished before reappearing about 30 kilometres away. The competing interpretations are less about whether the island exists than what it represents: to residents, it is an extraordinary floating ecosystem; to BC Hydro, it is an unstable structure that should not be treated as an adventure site.

Satellite imagery confirmed the island after BC Hydro spokesperson Bob Gammer initially suspected reports were a hoax. The utility believes years of trees and vegetation growing on woody shoreline debris were lifted into open water as reservoir levels rose—the highest in 14 years following heavy snow and sustained summer rain. Gammer described the sight as “quite something and rather unbelievable.”

That explanation also accounts for the island’s disappearance. Rather than sinking, it may have drifted back into a sheltered section of the shoreline before breaking free again. The mass—nearly 150 metres long and covered with close to 100 trees—may support birds, small animals and aquatic life, making it appear more like a miniature forest than a conventional raft.

Public reaction has been markedly more adventurous. Rocky Avery, whose social-media post helped alert boaters, said he would “totally jump on that island if I could.” But officials emphasize the danger behind the spectacle: video shows trees shifting over a thin layer of logs and decaying debris. The island may look solid from a distance, yet its floating foundation is unpredictable and potentially unstable.

The episode therefore sits between wonder and warning. Its movement is a striking consequence of changing reservoir conditions, but the same forces that brought it into view make approaching it hazardous.