Great Canadian Beach Thread

[MolsonExport]

Osoyoos Lake is very warm come June. But I prefer slightly cooler Skahah Lake, 30 minutes north. The water feels cleaner.

Long Beach (and nearby Chesterman Beach, Schooner Cove) are exceptional beaches. Jaw-droppingly beautiful, powerful waves, extremely expansive, and mostly devoid of people (which I happen to like). Great for surfing with a wetsuit, but way too cold for swimming without gear.

Best freshwater beach for swimming in the East? Could be Singing Sands beach at Dorcas Bay (Bruce). Followed by Sauble Beach (Huron).

[WhipperSnapper]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Not sure if you are saying they don't but plenty of people do go to PEI with sitting on a beach being one of the main things they have in mind.

It's been 20 years since so, I may be outdated. The success of the beaches are a product of Anne, no?

[WhipperSnapper]

Originally Posted by logan5

The category in The Guardian list was "Best City Beach". I'll go out on a limb and say that English Bay/Sunset Beach is easily the best city beach in the country. Kits is probly 2nd. Spanish Banks and Jericho are in a less urbanized area, but the view of the DT core give it an urban vibe, so 3rd place.

Makes more sense. City can include a lot.

[TorontoDrew]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

Osoyoos Lake is very warm come June. But I prefer slightly cooler Skahah Lake, 30 minutes north. The water feels cleaner.

That's how I feel about Lake Simcoe, I'd rather go further north by one hour to get into the cleaner cooler waters of Georgian bay then swim in what I consider to be Ontario's dirties lake due to all the agriculture around it.

[Metro-One]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

Osoyoos Lake is very warm come June. But I prefer slightly cooler Skahah Lake, 30 minutes north. The water feels cleaner.

Long Beach (and nearby Chesterman Beach, Schooner Cove) are exceptional beaches. Jaw-droppingly beautiful, powerful waves, extremely expansive, and mostly devoid of people (which I happen to like). Great for surfing with a wetsuit, but way too cold for swimming without gear.

Best freshwater beach for swimming in the East? Could be Singing Sands beach at Dorcas Bay (Bruce). Followed by Sauble Beach (Huron).

Bingo

Osoyoos is good for early season swimming from early or mid May (depending on the year) to mid June, after that, Skahah is amazing.

[hipster duck]

Originally Posted by TorontoDrew

That's how I feel about Lake Simcoe, I'd rather go further north by one hour to get into the cleaner cooler waters of Georgian bay then swim in what I consider to be Ontario's dirties lake due to all the agriculture around it.

LOL.

The names of the towns that ring Lake Simcoe like "Snake Island" and "Shanty Bay" don't disappoint!

[Stingray2004]

Yeah... when I first saw that "best beaches" list I kinda rolled my eyes IMHO the world's best beaches are in Cali, Mexico, the Caribbean, and the South Pacific. By that I mean quality of sand, quality of water, and warm/hot weather.

That said, have never been a fan of English Bay beach - too crowded, lack of parking, etc. In my teens we used to frequent Kits Beach further to the west. These days we hit Spanish Banks West/east further to the west a few weekday afternoons every summer to catch some rays and chill. Water too cold to swim in though.

Have always enjoyed Chesterman Beach in Tofino... Even go there in winter months for storm-watching and stay at the neighbouring Wick Inn. Quite popular on the west coast. Am out there once every summer for surfing as well.. albeit one needs a dry suit as water is too cold. Summer temps rarely go above low 20's as ell due to natural air-conditioning effect of Pacific Ocean.

For real summer fun the Osoyoos beaches are my cup of tea!

[Metro-One]

Originally Posted by Stingray2004

Yeah... when I first saw that "best beaches" list I kinda rolled my eyes IMHO the world's best beaches are in Cali, Mexico, the Caribbean, and the South Pacific. By that I mean quality of sand, quality of water, and warm/hot weather.

That said, have never been a fan of English Bay beach - too crowded, lack of parking, etc. In my teens we used to frequent Kits Beach further to the west. These days we hit Spanish Banks West/east further to the west a few weekday afternoons every summer to catch some rays and chill. Water too cold to swim in though.

Have always enjoyed Chesterman Beach in Tofi

If we are talking about ocean beaches in metro-Vancouver for swimming, I actually enjoy White Rock beach the most. The sand is soft and it stretches far out, and it nukes the water nice and warm on a sunny summer day when the tide comes in.

For the south coast regarding ocean swimming, Miracle Beach near Comox is pretty amazing.

But, for awe inspiring vistas, wild waves, and a true unique west coast temperate rainforest feel, Tofino is the only way to go.

For the "classic" beach experience of warm water, sand, and swimming, then for me the Okanagan is the place to go during summer.

As for tropical beaches, I love Hawaiian Beaches. The sand, the open waters, and the beautiful Hawaiian scenery is amazing. This is why I actually dont really like Miami style beaches. The local topography is far too boring (flat) for me to get a beach adventure feel. not that I wouldnt enjoy it, but not my preference thats for sure.

[theman23]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

Osoyoos Lake is very warm come June. But I prefer slightly cooler Skahah Lake, 30 minutes north. The water feels cleaner.

Long Beach (and nearby Chesterman Beach, Schooner Cove) are exceptional beaches. Jaw-droppingly beautiful, powerful waves, extremely expansive, and mostly devoid of people (which I happen to like). Great for surfing with a wetsuit, but way too cold for swimming without gear.

Best freshwater beach for swimming in the East? Could be Singing Sands beach at Dorcas Bay (Bruce). Followed by Sauble Beach (Huron).

Sauble beach is great. I also really like Southampton beach which is just a few minutes down the road and usually a bit quieter.

Long beach is beautiful, but I think if you're not surfing there isn't much to do. I'd rather head down to Uclulet and get on the pacific trail to get far superior views, but I guess that's not a beach.

Speaking of frigid waters and awe-inspiring views, the black beach at Vik (Iceland) is hard to beat. I wouldn't ever dare get in the waters though.

[GlassCity]

Originally Posted by Stingray2004

Yeah... when I first saw that "best beaches" list I kinda rolled my eyes IMHO the world's best beaches are in Cali, Mexico, the Caribbean, and the South Pacific. By that I mean quality of sand, quality of water, and warm/hot weather.

That said, have never been a fan of English Bay beach - too crowded, lack of parking, etc. In my teens we used to frequent Kits Beach further to the west. These days we hit Spanish Banks West/east further to the west a few weekday afternoons every summer to catch some rays and chill. Water too cold to swim in though.

Have always enjoyed Chesterman Beach in Tofino... Even go there in winter months for storm-watching and stay at the neighbouring Wick Inn. Quite popular on the west coast. Am out there once every summer for surfing as well.. albeit one needs a dry suit as water is too cold. Summer temps rarely go above low 20's as ell due to natural air-conditioning effect of Pacific Ocean.

For real summer fun the Osoyoos beaches are my cup of tea!

Yeah English Bay is way too crowded to actually do anything in. It's a nice plays to chill if you're already in the area, but I don't ever really go there as a destination.

I usually frequent either Spanish Banks or Centennial Beach in Tsawwassen in the summer. They have nice low tides for skimboarding and are empty enough that you can swim around and not run into too many people.

[Stingray2004]

Originally Posted by Metro-One

If we are talking about ocean beaches in metro-Vancouver for swimming, I actually enjoy White Rock beach the most.

Yep. White Rock beach here is great. Funny thing though. Even though I reside a relative skip, hop, and jump away... haven't "parked " it on the beach here in "years". Outdoor bar/bistro patios over-looking same all the time from spring to fall. Go canoeing on Semiahmoo Bay... even have a 6 am jog along part of White Rock beach as well as White Rock pier a couple of times per week.But never "go to the beach" here.

Actually prefer Crescent Beach on the other side of the peninsula as well as Centennial Beach in Tsawwassen - both on Boundary Bay - even though I don't swim in 'em (albeit as a toddler enjoyed "puddling" in the shallow "waters" therein)

[someone123]

Originally Posted by Metro-One

But, for awe inspiring vistas, wild waves, and a true unique west coast temperate rainforest feel, Tofino is the only way to go.

I agree. I would not suggest it as a destination for somebody who wants to sunbathe or swim in hot weather but it has its own different kind of charm. I think I like campfires and cool weather on a beach more than hot weather and water, and interesting scenery more than perfect sand and clear water.

This is why I actually dont really like Miami style beaches. The local topography is far too boring (flat) for me to get a beach adventure feel. not that I wouldnt enjoy it, but not my preference thats for sure.

The cool thing about the urban beaches in Vancouver is the ambience that they lend to adjacent areas (plus in Vancouver there are palm trees in those places, which have already been universally established on SSP as the sine qua non of subtropical beach life ). They're also a great spot to hold events. I'd expect the Miami Beach area to be like Beach Avenue in Vancouver on steroids, but I've never been to Florida and US cities can be strange.

[lio45]

Some of you guys have really weird criteria -- "too flat" is a problem for a beach, seriously?

FYI... Beaches ARE flat.....

[1overcosc]

This discussion of water temperature is interesting.

I recently visited the beach in Tel Aviv. (That's a great urban beach btw). The water temperatures on the eastern Mediterranean are very warm. The coldest it ever gets, in February, is about 17C. It peaks in August at 30C.

Locals actually find the winter temperature too cold for swimming. When I was there, there were hundreds of people hanging out on the beach but only a handful of people swimming. One the locals actually tried to stop me from diving in, saying "It's too cold, you'll get sick!". And the water that day.. was +18.4C.

It's all about what you're used to.

[TorontoDrew]

I also prefer the more rugged beaches you can find in B.C, Central & Northern Ontario, and the Maritimes. If it has warm clear water even better.

[Innsertnamehere]

To be fair 18 is on the lower side of what I'm comfortable swimming in. I typically won't start swimming in lakes in cottage country until its 17 or 18, and even then its sort of a quick in and out again.

[MolsonExport]

Originally Posted by lio45

Some of you guys have really weird criteria -- "too flat" is a problem for a beach, seriously?

FYI... Beaches ARE flat.....

well, not so flat in Tadoussac!

Youtube

• Video Link

[drew]

Originally Posted by 1overcosc

This discussion of water temperature is interesting.

I recently visited the beach in Tel Aviv. (That's a great urban beach btw). The water temperatures on the eastern Mediterranean are very warm. The coldest it ever gets, in February, is about 17C. It peaks in August at 30C.

Locals actually find the winter temperature too cold for swimming. When I was there, there were hundreds of people hanging out on the beach but only a handful of people swimming. One the locals actually tried to stop me from diving in, saying "It's too cold, you'll get sick!". And the water that day.. was +18.4C.

It's all about what you're used to.

I had the same experience at Surfer's Paradise in Australia.

Went there a few times in the "winter" season, when the water temperature is in the low 20s.

We went swimming, and it was (at the time) by far and away the warmest ocean water I had ever swam in. I thought it was great. The locals thought we were crazy.

Up until that point, I had only swam in the ocean in Vancouver (summer time), northern California and Oregon (spring time).

[lio45]

Originally Posted by 1overcosc

This discussion of water temperature is interesting.

I recently visited the beach in Tel Aviv. (That's a great urban beach btw). The water temperatures on the eastern Mediterranean are very warm. The coldest it ever gets, in February, is about 17C. It peaks in August at 30C.

Locals actually find the winter temperature too cold for swimming. When I was there, there were hundreds of people hanging out on the beach but only a handful of people swimming. One the locals actually tried to stop me from diving in, saying "It's too cold, you'll get sick!". And the water that day.. was +18.4C.

It's all about what you're used to.

Exact same thing here. You don't see many locals in the water at the beaches in winter, even though water temps are decent for a Canadian -- I'd even say it's likely warmer than Old Orchard, the go-to Atlantic beach for the Eastern Townships, which in summer is the "typical" ocean water temp for us.

It's very normal -- to anyone in Tel Aviv, this time of year is the worst possible time to go into the water, so why would they?

[lio45]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

well, not so flat in Tadoussac!

Sure, though the part where sand meets water ("the beach") is pretty flat.

Due to the granular nature of sand, I think sandy beaches can't be anything but nearly totally flat (i.e. you will never find a steep cliff where land meets water).

But obviously, there can be mountains nearby. (For the record, Metro News One, I definitely don't consider "having mountains nearby" as a core criterion to judge a beach.)