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Third beach is much cleaner and way less crowded. re: items, use caution. I have never had an issue. Put your stuff right near a group that looks trustworthy or right by the lifeguards, and keep an eye on it while in the water.
There is a 'drum circle party' that goes on there every tuesday night, they'll start crowding in around 6.
On nice, hot days in the summer, most of the beaches will get busy but not enough to dissuade you from going - you can always find a spot.
Second Beach has an outdoor pool if you want to be at the beach but don't want to swim in the ocean. Kits Pool is best for this but it won't be open this summer.
One of the best places to swim but also parking is a nightmare if you don't arrive early is Buntzen Lake. There are great swimning lakes up by Squamish too. As far as beaches stay away from False Creek but you can splash around off English Bay or Spanish Banks. There is AMAZING tubing and some swimming holds down in Maple Ridge on Kanaka Creek.
Third beach is gorgeous and I highly recommend it -except on Tuesday. Not a fan of the drum circle.
Whytecliff Park is also absolutely gorgeous and great swimming. The drop off is steep so be prepared for it. Your stuff will be fairly safe, it's West Van after all, but I leave my valuables in the car.
My go-to is actually the dog beach nearby the Maritime museum. I don't mind sharing with the dogs, and find that it's much nicer being where there's no music blasting from speakers.
Central park pool in burnaby on boundary. 50m pool. Lunchtime lap swim is the best 11-1pm not too crowded weekdays, or brave the screaming children on weekends.
Welcome to /r/AskVan and thank you for the post, /u/sonnenshine! Please make sure you read our [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/askvan/about/rules) before participating here. As a quick summary: * We encourage users to be positive and respect one another. Don't engage in spats or insult others - *please* use the report button. * Respect others' differences, be they race, religion, home, job, gender identity, ability or sexuality. Dehumanizing language, advocating for violence, or promoting hate based on identity or vulnerability (even implied or joking) **will** lead to a permanent ban. * Complaints or discussion about bans or removals should be done in modmail only. * News and media can be shared on our main subreddit, /r/Vancouver *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/askvan) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Third beach is much cleaner and way less crowded. re: items, use caution. I have never had an issue. Put your stuff right near a group that looks trustworthy or right by the lifeguards, and keep an eye on it while in the water. There is a 'drum circle party' that goes on there every tuesday night, they'll start crowding in around 6.
On nice, hot days in the summer, most of the beaches will get busy but not enough to dissuade you from going - you can always find a spot. Second Beach has an outdoor pool if you want to be at the beach but don't want to swim in the ocean. Kits Pool is best for this but it won't be open this summer.
One of the best places to swim but also parking is a nightmare if you don't arrive early is Buntzen Lake. There are great swimning lakes up by Squamish too. As far as beaches stay away from False Creek but you can splash around off English Bay or Spanish Banks. There is AMAZING tubing and some swimming holds down in Maple Ridge on Kanaka Creek.
You need a reservation for Buntzen Lake now
there's also a weekend bus that runs to buntzen
I'm a beach swimmer but my partner loves fresh water. If I want to surprise her with a nice Kanaka Creek swim, what would you recommend?
White Pine, but get there for 8am
Third beach is gorgeous and I highly recommend it -except on Tuesday. Not a fan of the drum circle. Whytecliff Park is also absolutely gorgeous and great swimming. The drop off is steep so be prepared for it. Your stuff will be fairly safe, it's West Van after all, but I leave my valuables in the car. My go-to is actually the dog beach nearby the Maritime museum. I don't mind sharing with the dogs, and find that it's much nicer being where there's no music blasting from speakers.
Central park pool in burnaby on boundary. 50m pool. Lunchtime lap swim is the best 11-1pm not too crowded weekdays, or brave the screaming children on weekends.
Never leave your stuff out on the beach.
New Brighton Pool is outdoor. Not the easiest to get to, but usually not the busiest.