Burnaby Narrows

Burnaby Narrows, originally uploaded by macatay.

Burnaby Narrows is a smooth water shortcut on the north-south route along Moresby Island. It is a narrow passage between Burnaby Island and Moresby Island, and very shallow. At the very lowest tides, most of it is dry; at high tide, a good sized boat can carefully pick its way through. Because it is so narrow and shallow, its waters are always moving fast, and that fast water supports a wealth of marine life. We spent the last three days anchored at the south end of the narrows, and made low tide and high tide transits in the kayaks. At high tide it is majestic, and you are aware of the grassy meadows along the banks, deer grazing. We caught a glimpse of the sandhill cranes that nest here. But the best show is at low tide, when you can glide along in six inches of water over a galaxy of star fish and anemones, clams and limpets, sea urchins and sea cucumbers. This photo is one of many taken from the kayak, with the camera face down in shallow water. I could not have imagined a display like this in a place that is so far north - we are learning so much about the richness of this extreme environment.