[ad_1]
Watching domino effects play out is one of life’s simple pleasures, so the Canadian Coast Guard clearly tapped into something universal when it posted video of a very long chain unspooling.
Five million have watched the minute-long video since it was shared Sept. 27 Facebook.
Technically, the video is about a buoy being stationed off British Columbia, but it’s the sight of 902 feet of chain whipping and snapping like a giant snake that has viewers enthralled.
Over 50,000 comments and reactions had been posted on the video as of Oct. 6, with many calling it “mesmerizing”
“This is strangely satisfying to watch,” Angie Williams wrote on the department’s Facebook page.
“That was very therapeutic for some reason,” Melissa Patterson posted.
“Watching this never gets old,” Martin Marsden said.
“How do I get this job?” Mathew Lipman asked.
The buoy was launched from the CCGS Sir Wilfred Grenfell – stationed in Victoria, British Columbia – as the crew was replacing three old safety buoys, the Canadian Coast Guard says.
Crewmember James Walters was recording from the cab of his 20-ton lift crane as one of the buoys was released 5 nautical miles north of Port Angeles, Washington, and 3 nautical miles south of Race Rocks, British Columbia, officials said. The crewman who sent the chain into motion with a single hammer blow was not identified.
The mooring chain weighs 9,259 pounds. Not seen in the video is an 8,818-pound “steel serrated anchor” attached to the end of it.
The buoy itself weighs 12,566 pounds, and only 9.5 feet of it can be seen above the surface.
“The Canadian Coast Guard is responsible for the network of 17,000 aids to navigation across Canada, which includes lighthouses, beacons, range lights, and several types of floating buoys,” the CCG said. “These aids help mariners confirm their position, stay inside navigable channels, and avoid marine hazards.”
This story was originally published October 6, 2025 at 7:34 AM.
[ad_2]
Mark Price
Source link