SPANISH BANKS

Description

Essentials about the Spanish Banks in brief

The Spanish Banks are a series of beaches on the south side of English Bay. They are located between Locarno Beach and the grounds of the University of British Columbia. The Spanish Banks are one of Vancouver’s most popular standing beaches and much-visited destinations for locals. In addition to water sports, the beaches are great for picnicking, playing soccer and volleyball due to the adjacent grassy fields.

The name “Spanish Banks”

The name Spanish Banks comes from the discovery of the coastline by Spanish sailors. Although the first European explorers were the Spanish captains Juan Carrasco and José María Narváez in 1791, the Spanish Banks were named in memory of the meeting of the English navigator George Vancouver (the town’s namesake) with the Spanish navigators Galiano and Valdés a year later.

The attractions at the Spanish Banks

Today, the Spanish Banks are a very popular city beach and a popular destination for locals. Since grassy fields adjoin the beaches, the Spanish Banks are a popular place for picnicking, playing soccer and volleyball. By the way, the Spanish Banks are very much influenced by the tides. At low tide, the water recedes about a kilometer into English Bay.

The sections of the Spanish Banks

Although Spanish Banks is a continuous beach, it is technically divided into three sections: Spanish Bank East, Spanish Bank West, and Spanish Bank Extension. At Spanish Bank East (the eastern section) there are eight beach volleyball courts and the beach is patrolled by lifeguards. Incidentally, a popular sport here is skimboarding, which is excellent in the shallow water. To the west is Spanish Bank West. This section of beach is also supervised and there are also eight beach volleyball courts. The westernmost section is the so-called Spanish Bank Extension. Here especially dog owners feel comfortable, because this section is a dog free zone.