Shag Harbour UFO Incident

The Shag Harbour incident is unique among UFO cases: it was officially investigated by the Canadian government as a UFO crash, and the documents survive to prove it. No wreckage was ever found. No explanation was ever offered. But the paper trail confirms that something went into those dark Nova Scotia waters in October 1967.

The Night of October 4, 1967

It was a clear autumn evening in the small fishing village of Shag Harbour, on Nova Scotia’s southern tip. At approximately 11:20 PM, multiple witnesses observed a large object in the sky.

The witnesses included local residents, fishermen, and teenagers. They described:

• Four orange lights in a horizontal row
• An object approximately 60 feet across
• A low humming or buzzing sound
• The object tilting and descending toward the water
• A bright flash on impact
• A light remaining visible on the water’s surface after the splash

Several witnesses believed they were watching an aircraft crash into the harbour.

The Response

Laurie Wickens, a local resident, reported the incident to the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police). What followed was an official multi-agency response:

RCMP: Constables Ron Chicken and Ron O’Brien arrived at the scene. They observed a light on the water, approximately 300 yards from shore, surrounded by yellowish foam.

Coast Guard: The cutter CCGS Raritan responded, searching the area where the light had been observed.

Canadian Military: HMCS Granby, a naval vessel, was dispatched. Divers were sent down to search the sea floor.

Air Traffic Control: Officials confirmed no aircraft were missing in the region.

The search continued for several days. Divers found nothing. No wreckage, no fuel, no debris. Whatever had gone into the water had either departed or was never there in the form searchers expected.

The Official Documents

What makes Shag Harbour extraordinary is the paper trail. Government documents, later obtained through freedom of information requests, confirm:

• The incident was classified as a “UFO Report” by the Canadian Department of National Defence
• Multiple government agencies investigated
• No explanation was found
• The case remains officially unsolved

A memo from the Rescue Coordination Centre in Halifax stated they were investigating an “UFO report.” This wasn’t speculation or witness interpretation - this was the official terminology used by the Canadian government.

Extended Investigation Claims

Decades later, additional witnesses and documents suggested the story didn’t end with the initial search:

The Movement Underwater: Some accounts suggest the object moved underwater after impact, traveling along the sea floor before coming to rest near a submarine detection installation.

The Second Object: Reports emerged of a second object joining the first underwater.

Extended Military Presence: Claims that military divers conducted a covert extended search, eventually observing the objects but unable to recover them.

Sudden Departure: According to these accounts, after several days underwater, the object(s) surfaced and departed rapidly.

These extended claims are harder to verify than the initial well-documented incident.

The Witnesses

Shag Harbour’s population in 1967 was only around 400 people, but multiple credible witnesses observed the event:

Laurie Wickens: Made the initial report to RCMP.

Five Teenagers: Driving on Highway 3 when they spotted the lights descending.

Local Fishermen: Experienced observers of sea and sky who knew the difference between aircraft, boats, and something unknown.

RCMP Officers: Constables Chicken and O’Brien personally observed the residual light and foam on the water.

The consistency of accounts across independent witnesses strengthened the case considerably.

Official Explanations (None)

Various possibilities were considered and rejected:

Aircraft Crash: No aircraft were missing. The search found no wreckage.

Meteor: Meteors don’t hover, don’t produce orange lights in a row, and don’t leave foam on the water.

Flares: Flares don’t descend slowly, impact water, and remain visible as a single light.

Hoax: Too many independent witnesses, including RCMP officers and military personnel.

The Canadian government never offered an explanation. The file was closed but the case was never solved.

Legacy

Shag Harbour has embraced its unusual history:

• The Shag Harbour Incident Society was formed to preserve the history
• An annual UFO festival draws visitors to the small community
• A museum documents the case
• Witnesses have spoken publicly for decades

Unlike cases where witnesses are ridiculed or dismissed, Shag Harbour’s observers have been respected. The government documents validated that something unusual occurred.

The Question Remains

Shag Harbour poses a straightforward question: what crashed into the water, triggered a multi-agency search, left physical traces (foam, light), and then vanished without leaving any recoverable debris?

The Canadian government devoted significant resources to finding out. Military divers searched. Ships patrolled. Documents were filed. And in the end, the official conclusion was that an unidentified flying object had entered Canadian waters and could not be explained.

Whatever lies in those dark waters off Nova Scotia - or whatever departed from them - remains unknown.

Sources

• Shag Harbour UFO incident - Wikipedia
• Canadian Department of National Defence documents
• Shag Harbour Incident Society archives