by Megan Jones
Dynamic, beautiful and free to use, Vancouver’s many urban waterways and beaches are excellent places to stage a challenging workout. From paddle boarding to sailing, here’s how Vancouverites sweat it out on the water during the summer months. [Photo credit: iStock.com/GlobalStock]
An easy 20-minute drive from downtown Vancouver, Deep Cove is a picturesque town on an intimate cove of the same name in North Vancouver. A favourite among kayakers, the cove is a natural starting place for those wishing to paddle the Indian Arm, a glacial fjord with staggering views of granite cliffs, small islands, and wildlife including bald eagles, seals and black bears. Bring your own kayak, or rent one for $85 per day at Deep Cove Canoe & Kayak inside the park. You’ll work your cardio, arms, shoulders, back, hips and abs while taking in breathtaking scenery.
During low tide, the vast and flat sandbar at Spanish Banks is an excellent location for skim boarding over tidal pools and shallow sections of the sea itself. A popular board sport among UBC students, skim boarding works your abs, legs, glutes and balance skills. If you don’t already own one, rent or purchase your board from Windsure Adventure Watersports close to the Jericho Sailing Center.
Vancouver’s fastest growing water sport in popularity is stand up paddle boarding (SUP): an accessible exercise that involves standing upright on a wide, thick foam board and using a long paddle to propel through the water. Most people rent boards from one of many outlets on Granville Island and launch at False Creek, paddling under the Granville Street bridge toward Stanley Park for a strength workout that challenges your whole body: arms, legs, feet, abs and all. If you want to take your paddling skills to the next level, SUP Vancouver offers lessons, SUP yoga and fitness classes, and paddling adventures that take groups on strenuous adventures and multi-day retreats throughout the Lower Mainland and beyond.
Sailing may not seem like a workout when watching from the shore, but this age-old sport puts body and mind to the test through the short bursts of movement and strength maneuvers required to navigate a boat by wind. Jericho Sailing Center provides lessons for kids and adults off Jericho Beach in Kitsilano. If you already know the ropes, rent your vessel of choice at Blue Pacific Yacht Charters on Granville Island and set sail for a day of fun and fitness on the water.
Though it’s not technically an ocean sport, swimming lengths at Kits Pool simulates an open-ocean feeling thanks to its intriguing design; the public pool – which sits above the Kits Beach Seawall – looks as though it extends right into the ocean itself. Kits Pool is Vancouver’s only saltwater pool, which means swimming here will strengthen your arms and legs, increase your cardio and stretch out your muscles, without challenging your joints.
An hour’s drive from Vancouver through the Fraser Valley, Cultus Lake is surrounded by wilderness and mountains, and is a safe and secluded spot to try your paddling skills. Main Beach Boat Rental & Concession rents full-size canoes and life jackets by the hour, and will even give you a few pointers before you launch. Explore the many shores and hidden tributaries of this gorgeous lake while working your arms, back and abs.
A terrific stability workout for your arms, shoulders and abs, jet skiing will take you farther faster than most other ocean sports in and around Vancouver. For example, at Vancouver Water Adventures on Granville Island, you can rent a Sea-Doo for one hour to tour English Bay; two hours to travel to Bowen Island and Horseshoe Bay; or a full day to head all the way to Squamish! Be sure to bring plenty of snacks and water for the trip, which can run up to eight hours.
Twenty minutes from downtown Vancouver, Howe Sound is home to a diverse and colourful ecosystem of underwater life. And just like swimming, snorkelling works your whole body – while also putting you up close and personal with sea cucumbers, sparkling coral reefs and bright yellow and orange rockfish. Sea Dragon Charters in Horseshoe Bay offers guided snorkelling tours of Howe Sound for beginners and intermediates alike.
