Officials thought a floating island was AI-generated. Satellite images showed it had moved 19 miles
Bob Gammer warned boaters from attempting to land on the floating island
On July 21, 2026 satellite images from BC Hydro showed a strange floating mass in Williston Lake in northern British Columbia. By August 5, the "floating island" disappeared and could not be traced on satellite images. However, it reappeared two weeks later (September 1), 30 km away from its original position. CBC News spoke to Bob Gammer, a BC Hydro spokesperson. When asked what his first thoughts were, Gammer said, "Well, when I first saw it, I thought it was a hoax because in this AI world, you know, there are so many things that are not real." CJDC-TV News also covered the story on September 2, 2026, and the video had 408,849 views, 2,300 likes, and 1,378 comments.
Moved 30 km away
Gammer reported hearing about the "floating island" for the first time in mid-August. A CBC reporter reached out to BC Hydro from Fort St. John after a Facebook post went viral. Initially, officials thought it was fake too, but after studying satellite images, they confirmed it was real. What surprised them most was that the island disappeared and resurfaced again. Gammer explained that the images first showed it in the center of the reservoir, but when it reappeared, it had moved to a more remote place on the lake, 30 km away. Gammer also added that the island was huge: 140 meters long and 70 meters wide, and was impossible to miss.
Unstable island
Gammer also told CBC News that they suspected the island originated from the woody debris and sheltered areas in Williston Lake. They believed the broken-off pieces collected over the years decomposed and gave birth to new trees and vegetation. However, they warned boaters to stay away from the island, as experts had yet to investigate it. They believed it was unstable and was being held together by roots intertwined underwater. Gammer also added that in case strong winds broke it apart, it might cause navigational hazards for boaters.
The Racetrack Playa
Mother Nature is full of mysteries, and scientists are working every day to solve them. A similar enigma to the "floating island" can be found at Racetrack Playa in Death Valley, California. For years, scientists were baffled by rocks that seemed to move on their own, leaving trails behind them. No one had witnessed the rocks move, but they did, and some of them weighed as much as 700 pounds.
Researchers believed strong winds were responsible for moving them. But in 2014, a group of scientists discovered that the rocks moved only when the conditions were just right. The playa, a flat, dry lake, was covered by a shallow pond about three inches deep. The rocks moved when the water froze into thin sheets of ice on cold nights. As the ice began to break apart in the morning, light winds pushed the floating ice sheets across the playa, slowly nudging the rocks along and leaving trails behind.
Giant turtle island
Viewers are coming up with various "magical" theories and funny remarks in the comment section. @thahli commented, "If it can hold a tree, it can hold me. We ride at dawn." @jbrujones added, "So, I've played a lot of games and watched tons of TV. I know for a fact there's something magical on that island."
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