Don't Touch That Metal Tube
If you're walking along a Nova Scotia beach and spot a strange metal cylinder half-buried in the sand, the Canadian Forces have a clear message: step away and call for help.
A beach cleanup crew recently made an unexpected and potentially dangerous discovery in Advocate Harbour, N.S., when they came across marine location markers that had washed ashore. The items looked weathered and old — easy to dismiss as harmless debris from the sea. But 14 Wing Greenwood, the Canadian Forces base in Nova Scotia, quickly issued a warning: appearances can be deceiving, and these objects can still pose a serious explosive hazard.
What Are Marine Location Markers?
Marine location markers are devices historically used to mark positions at sea — often dropped from aircraft during training exercises or search-and-rescue operations. Over time, some of these items end up drifting with ocean currents and washing up on shorelines, sometimes decades after they were originally deployed.
The problem is that age doesn't necessarily make them safe. Explosive components inside these devices can remain active long after the casing has corroded and the object looks completely inert. The Canadian Forces stress that even items that appear completely inactive or deteriorated may still detonate under the right conditions — including being picked up, moved, or disturbed.
What to Do If You Find One
The military's guidance is straightforward:
- Do not touch it. Even moving the object slightly could trigger an explosion.
- Do not try to identify it by rolling, shaking, or inspecting it up close.
- Keep others away from the area.
- Call 911 immediately and report the location as precisely as possible.
- Wait for authorities — trained explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) teams will assess and safely remove the item.
This applies not just to marine location markers but to any unidentified metal object found on a beach, especially one with cylindrical or tube-like shapes, unusual markings, or components that suggest it was manufactured rather than naturally formed.
A Timely Reminder as Beach Season Approaches
With warmer months approaching and more Canadians heading to coastal areas for cleanups, camping, and recreation, the Greenwood base's warning is especially timely. Nova Scotia's Bay of Fundy coastline — where Advocate Harbour sits — sees strong tidal action that regularly shifts debris along the shore, including material that has been submerged for years.
Volunteer beach cleanup groups, which have grown significantly across Atlantic Canada in recent years, are particularly at risk of encountering this kind of ordnance. Organizers of cleanup events are encouraged to brief volunteers before they head out and remind them that not everything found on the beach is safe to handle.
A Broader Pattern Across Canada
Nova Scotia isn't alone. Unexploded ordnance (UXO) washing ashore or being unearthed is a documented issue across Canada, particularly in provinces with a long military history or active coastal training areas. British Columbia, Newfoundland, and Quebec have all seen similar incidents in recent years.
Canadian Forces EOD teams are trained specifically to handle these situations, and the public is always better served by calling in suspicious finds rather than investigating on their own.
The bottom line: if it looks like military equipment and you found it on a beach, treat it as dangerous until proven otherwise.
Source: CBC News
