Red Lights Seen From Parksville

On July 1, 1968, at approximately 2:00 AM, two men, Bill Hawks and Albert Ward, were returning from a fishing trip on the Georgia Strait in British Columbia. While navigating toward the boat basin at French Creek, north of Parksville, they observed a formation of seven red lights over the mainland, in the direction of Pender Harbor. The witnesses described the lights as forming a rough triangle, wider at the bottom than the top, with each individual light appearing triangular and bright red with a sharply defined outline, resembling a neon sign. The witnesses estimated the size of the formation to be equivalent to a large building when viewed at arm's length. Despite a light wind, the lights remained completely motionless for approximately two minutes. The witnesses noted that the sky was visible between the lights and that they were not associated with a helicopter or fire. The lights eventually blinked out one by one over a period of three seconds, leaving no afterglow. The incident was so distracting that the men ran their boat aground on a submerged reef, where they remained until the tide rose. The report is sourced from APRO files.