Get you up to speed: Mysterious Canadian island ‘vanishes’ and then reappears 20 miles away | News World
An island, estimated to be about the size of 1.5 American football fields, was first spotted in the Williston Reservoir, northern British Columbia, in early August before it vanished and was later found approximately 20 miles away. BC Hydro has described the island as likely formed from driftwood that accumulated and supported plant life.
BC Hydro confirmed that satellite images taken before and after the island’s sighting corroborate its presence, with satellite footage updating its location to approximately 30 kilometres from the original spot. The utility company speculates that the island formed over time from driftwood accumulation and has warned against approaching the unstable surface.
BC Hydro spokesperson Bob Gammer confirmed that the floating island likely formed from driftwood accumulating in the reservoir, warning against attempts to walk on its unstable surface. Next, further monitoring of the area will occur to observe the island’s movements and stability.
What remains unclear — The exact mechanism of the floating island’s dislodgement and its subsequent movement within Williston Reservoir has not been confirmed.
Floating island in British Columbia reservoir appears and disappears 20 miles away
The island, in a Canadian reservoir, disappeared mysteriously (Picture: Facebook)
The world has no shortage of islands. There are over 900,000 of them, according to research, from officially inhabited islands through to tiny ones which exist purely as a dot of untouched land.
However, few are as mysterious as the one which has left folk in British Columbia baffled, after it appeared in the middle of a major lake, promptly vanished, and then showed up again 20 miles away.
The floating island in Williston Lake — the largest body of freshwater in British Columbia — was first spotted in early August by boaters.
But then, just days later, the island was nowhere to be seen, leaving locals wondering where it had got to and even speculating that the original image of the tree-filled stretch of land could have been AI-generated.
![A huge forested island mysteriously appeared in a Canadian lake, then suddenly vanished after initially skeptical officials confirmed its existence. The island, estimated to be about the size of two NFL football fields, was spotted floating in?the Williston Reservoir in early August. The enormous man-made body of water is the seventh-largest reservoir in the world and is located in a remote part of northern British Columbia. A local took an eerie photo from a distance that shows the mysterious landmass surrounded by open water before boating nearby to take a video of it. The stunning close-up footage shows trees at the edge of the island uncannily bobbing up and down in the water. The boater sent the photo and video to another local named Rocky Avery, who on August 12 posted them on social media where they soon went viral. Avery told Canadian outlet CBC : 'It was a pretty amazing sight to see, never seen anything like that in my 40 years in this country.' He said that he created the post to alert BC Hydro 'in case [the island] was floating down their way.'?The Canadian utility company produces hydroelectric power for British Columbia through the WAC Bennett Dam that created the Williston Reservoir.](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/SEI_310203363-080b.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646 "Floating island in British Columbia reservoir appears and disappears 20 miles away WTX News")
Now you see it…now you don’t (Picture: Facebook)
Bob Gammer, a spokesperson for government-owned utility firm BC Hydro, which is responsible for maintaining the reservoir, said in an interview: ‘We first heard about it from a member of the media in northern British Columbia who had seen a Facebook post.
‘Someone had been out on the reservoir in their boat and came across this island.
A satellite image which had been taken before this, at the end of July, confirmed its existence, showing the island floating in the middle of the lake.
However, by the time another image was taken on August 5, the island had disappeared, sparking speculation as to where it had got to.
It was only when further satellite footage, followed by eyewitness accounts from people flying overhead, emerged that the island was located — around 30km (18.65) miles from where it was first spotted, and far closer to shore.
The island was spotted drifting around Williston Lake (Picture: Shutterstock / wayne valiquette)
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BC Hydro has since said that the island likely measures around one hectare — making it roughly the same size as 1.5 American football fields.
As to where it might have come from, the company has some theories about that too, suggesting it was formed from accumulating driftwood, which allowed trees and plant life to blossom.
‘Our best understanding from simple observations is that this is probably an island that grew up on top of a bunch of woody debris that had been compressed together, crowded into a sheltered bay, along the shoreline of the reservoir for many, many years,’ Gammer explained.
‘And then, eventually, those logs started to decompose. And the trees grew up, and they’ve kind of knitted to hold all of these floating logs and woody debris together.
‘And at some point, when the reservoir rose, with the spring snowmelt filling up the reservoir, it may have dislodged this island of logs and vegetation up and away from the shoreline, and then the wind pushed it out into open water.’
He also warned people against actually trying to set foot on the island itself, as the surface appears to be unstable — although that hasn’t stopped people wanting to try.
Rocky Avery, one of the boaters who originally posted footage of the island to social media, said he would ‘totally jump’ on that island if he were able to, adding: ‘It’s probably a bit shaky on the outer sections, but with those huge trees in the centre, I imagine someone could walk on it.’
Forty Acre Bog on Lake Chippewa in Wisconsin has also attracted its share of attention (Picture: Google maps)
It’s not the first time that a floating, moving island has been spotted in a significant body of water.
Another, Forty Acre Bog on Lake Chippewa in Wisconsin is thought to have been formed by peat bogs breaking away from the bottom of the lake and rising to the surface.
That island is home to several small species of wildlife, including frogs and salamanders, and has previously been moved by local boaters to prevent it from colliding with a nearby bridge.
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