ENGLISH BAY

Description

Essentials about English Bay in brief

English Bay is the bay immediately adjacent to downtown Vancouver and Stanley Park to the west. To the northeast it opens into Burrard Inlet and to the southeast it is continued by False Creek. Named in commemoration of the 1792 meeting of the English expedition led by George Vancouver (the town’s namesake) with the Spanish expedition led by Dionisio Alcalá Galiano and Cayetano Valdés y Flores, English Bay’s shoreline is always bustling with activity: walkers, joggers, skaters, and dog owners make their rounds on land; kayakers and boaters make their laps on the water; and water sports enthusiasts, picnickers, and sunbathers populate the bay’s beaches.

The attractions at English Bay

Due to its location close to the city center and its many beaches and parks, English Bay is Vancouver’s city beach, so to speak, and, together with neighboring Stanley Park, the city’s most popular recreation area. There is always something going on here. Even before sunrise, the first joggers and inline skaters are out and about, and dog owners take their four-legged friends for their morning walks. On nice days, families with children, sports enthusiasts and of course sun worshippers come in droves to English Bay to picnic, play, do sports or just chill in the sun on the various beaches and the adjacent green strips.

For sports, there are volleyball courts and kayak and paddle board rentals on site. English Bay is also popular for its great views of Vancouver and the surrounding area. You have a great view of the city skyline, the mountains to the north of Vancouver and Vancouver Island in the distance. And this grandiose scenery is completed by the passing container and cruise ships.

The beaches at English Bay

The most popular beach is English Bay Beach, located right next to the West End in the city center. Here you can also find the so-called “Inuksuk”, a kind of male figure, which was also the logo of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver (literally Inuksuk means “equal to a man”). Other beaches at English Bay are Sunset Beach, Second Beach and Third Beach on the east shore and Kitsilano Beach, Jericho Beach, Locarno Beach and Spanish Banks on the south shore of the bay.

Of course, you can also swim in English Bay. If you are drawn to the water, don’t forget that the sea off Vancouver is not bathtub temperature. For self-confessed hot showers, the maximum water temperature of 17 degrees is certainly a very refreshing experience. In addition, the water quality in English Bay is not the best. The reason is that the bay is the parking lot for the many container and cargo ships waiting for a berth in the port of Vancouver.

Events at English Bay

English Bay also hosts numerous cultural events throughout the year. The most famous is the Celebration of Light, a world-famous fireworks competition that takes place every summer for two weeks (usually in the last week of July and the first week of August). Incidentally, it is the largest fireworks event in the world. On January 1, the traditional Polar Bear Swim takes place every year. People with thick skin (or a very low sense of pain) death-defyingly plunge into the icy waters of English Bay on New Year’s Day. The spectacle also attracts many spectators, as most ice bathers enter the water in very funny costumes.