Send up the flares - the good kind. The Canadian Coast Guard is celebrating 50 years of service and safety this year and the Maritime Museum of B.C. is honouring its West Coast and national contributions with a new exhibit, open until March 23.
The exhibit will look back to the earliest lifesaving efforts on Pacific shores, from light stations to the West Coast trail and the pioneers who made the Canadian Coast Guard what it is today.
Visitors can check out everything from rescue equipment then and now to a virtual search and rescue, to see how they'd handle trouble on the seas, along with photos, stories of courage on the high seas and Arctic activities.
"There's so many really neat things in there," said museum spokeswoman Kristy Fallon.
While the coast guard officially began in 1962, its origins can be traced back to the 1700s on the East Coast.
Admission to the museum at Bastion Square is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors, and free for up to two children with an adult. The museum is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
