This story was updated on Jan. 4 to include information from BC Ferries.
A passenger on a ferry from Quadra Island to Campbell River captured a stormy crossing during Wednesday鈥檚 windstorm.
Courtenay resident Bubba Muldoe was recording the surging sea with his phone when a giant wave hit the ship.
The footage, shot from the upstairs cabin, shows a massive breaker suddenly covering the vehicle deck.
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That kind of wave action isn鈥檛 out of the ordinary during stormy weather, according to BC Ferries spokesperson Deborah Marshall, who reviewed the footage with the company鈥檚 executive director of fleet operations.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not unusual to see weather like that when we experience windstorms,鈥� said Marshall in an email to Black Press. 鈥淪pray from the tops of waves cresting can spray onto the car deck.鈥�
She added that safety is the top priority for the ferry service.
鈥淥ur captains will suspend service when they deem it necessary to do so,鈥� she said.
BC Ferries cancelled a round trip between Campbell River and Quadra Island at 10 a.m. on Wednesday due to a propulsion issue combined with high winds, Marshall said.
Engineers repaired the ferry, but the windstorm led to three cancelled round trips between 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., she said.
There were also three cancelled round trips on the Quadra Island-Cortes Island route due to high winds between 1:05 and 6:45 p.m., she added.
Environment Canada across much of Vancouver Island on Wednesday, along with southeast winds reaching up to 70 km/h in exposed coastal sections from Nanoose Bay to Campbell River.
The choppy sailing comes just two weeks after violent windstorms that led to 130 cancelled BC Ferries sailings on 14 routes on Dec. 20.
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