Tides are complicated and dangerous for ships using it to approach mainland harbours. It was named for mariner Juan de FUCA, whose voyages to the area were likely apocryphal. In 1787, the trading captain Charles Barkley entered the strait and named it. Until George VANCOUVER's explorations in the early 1790s proved otherwise, Juan de Fuca Strait was considered a possible entrance to a northeastern passage to the Atlantic (see also STRAIT OF ANIAN).
Author DANIEL FRANCIS
Links to Other Sites
Geodynamics
A well-illustrated online guide to natural geological processes related to plate tectonics, earthquakes, and related events. From Natural Resources Canada.
The Colonial Despatches
View digitized copies of correspondence (dated 1846 - 1859) between the British Colonial Office and the "colonies" of Vancouver Island and British Columbia. Search or browse this site for references to specific individuals, communities, companies, or industries in the province. Also includes digitized images of maps of various locations. From the website for the University of Victoria.
GSC Pacific - Sidney
The website for the Sidney Pacific Geoscience Centre. Offers an overview of local research inititatives. From Natural Resources Canada.
Race Rocks Ecological Reserve
An extensive website devoted to the Race Rocks Ecological Reserve. Offers detailed information about local First Nations history and present day environmental conservation programs.Produced by Pearson College and partner organizations.
Salish Sea
A CBC News story about the adoption of the name Salish Sea for the inland waters that stretch from Olympia north to Canada's Desolation Sound.
Juan de Fuca Provincial Park
The official website for the Juan de Fuca Provincial Park, located on the west coast of southern Vancouver Island. Check out the full range of recreational opportunities and the latest travel notices for this area. A Government of British Columbia website.
Oceanography of the British Columbia coast
The full text, with illustrations, of a book that provides detailed descriptions of the natural forces and properties of the ocean, sea floor, and beaches along the west coast of Canada. From the Fisheries and Oceans Canada website.
Shipwreck Map Guide
A guide to the many shipwrecks located in British Columbia's Juan de Fuca Strait. From portrenfrew.com.
Juan de Fuca
A biography of Greek navigator Juan de Fuca (Ioannis Phokas), who was said to have participated in 16th century Spanish expeditions along the west coast of North America. From the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association.
Northwest Passage: Imaginary Voyages
View ealry European maps depicting fabricated descriptions of the fabled "Northwest Passage." From the online exhibit "Of Maps and Men: In Pursuit of a Northwest Passage," Princeton University.


The Dominion government's advertisement asked for volunteers "able to read and write either the English or French language" with "good antecedents" who were good horsemen...
INSIDE TCE
