© Parks Canada/P. Illsley
A wild and windswept island of sand sits far out in the North Atlantic, its iconic crescent shape emerging from the expanse of the sea. Isolated and remote, Sable Island is one of Canada’s furthest offshore islands. Shifting sand dunes, among Eastern Canada’s largest, dominate the landscape. The famous Sable Island wild horses roam freely, and the world’s biggest breeding colony of grey seals uses its extensive beaches. Freshwater ponds hint at the life-sustaining freshwater lens floating below the island. Plants, birds, and insects have adapted to life on Sable, some of which are found nowhere else on earth.
Sable Island has a long and fascinating human history which spans more than four centuries. More than 350 vessels have been wrecked due to rough seas, fog, and submerged sandbars surrounding the island, earning it the title “Graveyard of the Atlantic”. Canada’s first life-saving station, established in 1801, was built here. Sable Island is a testament to survival in an unlikely environment.