Pender Island

Pender Island is a place that will always be close to my heart. It is one of the gulf islands in the Salish sea, and is made up of two islands, north Pender and south Pender. The islands are traditional territory of the W̱SÁNEĆ peoples. My grandparents have lived on the island for majority of their lives, meaning that I have had the privilege of being able to come visit and explore many times.

The island has a beautiful mix of rocky shorelines and lush coastal rainforest, with tall arbutus peeling revealing the orange bark, and douglas fir trees covering the island. One of the most southern points in Canada, Gowlland Point, has clear water, bull kelp forests and beautiful sunsets on clear days.

Gowlland Point was where me and my friends chose to free dive, as it has been a spot ive seen a humback whale passing through and plenty of harbour seals out of water, so naturally it was the place we were most excited to explore underwater.

To the left is a picture of the Ochre Sea Star, or Pisaster Ochraceus, a keystone species along the salish coast. Many sea stars live to a minimal age of four years, while the purple sea star can live as long as twenty years. They are keystone predators of the mussel, who grow fast and spread quickly destroying the sea floor if left unatended. Because of the Pisaster Ochraceus, there is space for other organisms to survive, meaning we have to thank the purple sea stars for keeping our diverse shoreline alive.

Overall, visiting pender reminds me of my love and appreciation for nature. Seeing complex underwater ecosystems at work up close reminds me of how important it is for us as the dominant species with the most awareness and impact, to protect these places.