====== Vancouver, BC, Surfski ====== **Looking Northwest at False Creek, English Bay and Burrard Inlet** {{:locales:vancouver4.jpg?direct&700x331|vancouver4.jpg}} Photo: tripsavvy.com - Click to enlarge ---- [[:canada|Main Canada Surfski Page]] [[:british_columbia|British Columbia Page]] ---- **//Vancouver//** is a large coastal city in Western Canada located at the Southwest corner of British Columbia. It is one of the most strikingly beautiful urban areas in the world, surrounded by mountains and brimming with public marine shoreline, rivers and waterways. The city and its nearby communities hosts a thriving bunch of paddlers who participate in a variety of paddling disciplines. As the long time parent of the Canadian Downwind Champs (on hiatus) originally held in nearby Howe Sound, the Vancouver area hosts the largest concentration of downwind paddling enthusiasts in Canada. ===== Downwind ===== * **Bowen Island ** [[https://vimeo.com/75808653|video]] * **English Bay/Jericho ** [[https://youtu.be/H6yTfS8gCes|video]], [[https://youtu.be/lOFYjK8KIbw|video2]] * **Spanish Banks Beach to Burrard Civic Marina** (**Vanier Park**) approx. 6 km - if you can paddle upwind from Spanish Banks you can add to your downwind distance [[https://youtu.be/gmOfFT2-1vI|video]] * **Ambleside** * [[:tidalrace:ambleside|]] * **Burrard Inlet Run - Ambleside/Hollyburn Sailing Club - Caulfeild Cove Burrard Inlet **7.6 km [[https://www.downwind.fun/courses/burrard-inlet-run|Downwindfun]] * **Lighthouse Park to Ambleside** - 8 km * **Eagle Harbour to Ambleside** - 12 km [[https://youtu.be/rX8am12_fa0|video]] * **Passage Island to Ambleside ** (approx 14.5 km) W wind, launch Eagle Harbour, paddle out south in protection of Passage Island then turn east and downwind [[https://youtu.be/cuGvFmu5zS4|video]], [[https://youtu.be/aD8EwjWiseg|video2]] * **Gibsons, Howe Sound **- See [[:sunshine_coast|Sunshine Coast]] {{youtube>QXOmM4bpCZw}} ---- ===== Tidal Races ===== * [[:tidalrace:ambleside|]] A great place to surf laps in the city. After surfing up the current, turn around and go even faster back into the waves and surf down again! ---- ===== Other Paddling ===== * [[https://www.rockypointkayak.com/maps|Admiralty Point Distances & Map]] ---- ===== Video ===== * [[:vancouver_bc_downwind_videos|Vancouver Downwind Videos]] ---- ===== Conditions ===== * **Be prepared for COLD WATER **- usually sub 50 deg. F / 10 deg C year round * [[:cold_water_paddling|Cold Water Paddling Safety]] * [[https://surfski.wiki/victoria_bc_clothing|Victoria Area (nearby Vancouver Island) Paddler's Recommended On Water Clothing]] * [[https://deepcovekayak.com/immersion-gear/|Deep Cove's Immersion Protection Rule]] * … ==== Weather ==== * [[https://www.hahnsoftware.com/|AyeTides]]. For iPhone, iTouch and Ipad. * [[https://www.windy.com/-Webcams/Canada/British-Columbia/West-Vancouver/Hollyburn-Sailing-Club/webcams/1217348947?49.318,-123.287,11|Windy - Ambleside]] Wind Forecast w/ webcam * [[https://windisgood.com/|BigWaveDave]] Mostly Vancouver Island spots, but includes Vancouver locales also * [[https://windisgood.com/englishbay.html?site=8|BigWaveDave English Bay]] (websites move links around so if this is wrong look for English Bay under forecasts) * [[https://weather.gc.ca/marine/forecast_e.html?mapID=02&siteID=14305&h=WAQH-K-l3AQH2mQZXIDT7CQNUXmcTP3Et4SJo__KQs4ZDYg&enc=AZPeq8sshvSHLJssELRqmNayeZyV-WRZgHuiHZ8CoesY30b3R-_5EQUGxPjoMlPXBmaVUCd7SkwhVyu_JNaYBWUQmS634welSlIZQCzTqK4UKjHYwY_2jeGTynwWAxdSauxAzDFogTGm9LmV-9VA_IGogf9eE24YiNoUf0UjaFC_NA&s=1|English Bay Bouy]] * [[https://www.tideschart.com/Canada/British-Columbia/Metro-Vancouver-Regional-District/First-Narrows/|First Narrows Tides]] ==== Webcams ==== * [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuOibmLY414|English Bay]], Kits Beach, Vanier Park, Sunset Beach, Westend, Grouse Mountain, Ferry - updates each minute * [[http://www.kiteboardbc.com/webcam/jericho/|Jericho Beach Webcam]] * [[http://www.katkam.ca/|False Creek/English Bay Kat Cam]] * [[https://deepcovekayak.com/webcams/|Deep Cove Webcam & Forecast]] * [[https://www.hollyburnsailingclub.ca/webcam|Ambleside Hollyburn Sailing Club]] this webcam is just west of Ambleside Park * … ---- ===== Races ===== * [[:races:races_canada|Race Websites]] * [[:races:race_results#pacific_northwest_canada_us|Race Results]] ---- ===== Clubs and Groups ===== * [[https://www.burnabylake.com/|Burnaby Canoe and Kayak]] Sprint Canoe & Kayak * [[https://dragonzone.ca/|Dragon Zone Paddling Club]] Dragon Boats * [[https://fcrcc.com/|False Creek Racing Canoe Club]] Sprint Canoe & Kayak, OC, Surfski, Dragon Boat * **Jericho** * [[https://www.clublocarno.com/|Club Locarno]] SUP, Row, Kayak, Surfski, Sail, Windsurf * [[http://www.jerichooutrigger.com/|Jericho Paddling Club]] OC, Surfski, SUP * [[https://www.pmpc.ca/|Pitt Meadows Paddling Club]] OC, Dragon Boat, Voyageur Canoe… * [[https://www.squamishpaddlingclub.com/|Squamish Paddling Club]] * Canadian Canoe/Kayak [[https://canoekayak.ca/find-a-club/|Club Finder]] enter your city or town in the address search box ---- ===== Rentals ===== Vancouver is actually one of the better locations for surfski rental. [[:rental|General advice about surfski rental]]. * [[https://jerichobeachkayak.com/rentals/|Jericho Beach Kayak Centre]] * [[https://www.deepcovekayak.com/|Deep Cove Kayak Centre]] ([[https://youtu.be/T0oUufecXeE|Webcam]]) * [[https://westerncanoekayak.com/|Western Canoe/Kayak]] - Sea kayaks, sit on top kayaks, Tandem Canoes (including racing canoes for [[https://skitosea.com/|Ski to Sea Race]]), SUPs (unfortunately no surfskis) ---- ===== Local Coaching ===== ==== OC ==== * Kamini Jain [[http://rightangleperformance.com/about/|Right Angle Performance]] - Coaches dragon boat, outrigger canoe, surfski and kayak racing ==== Sprint Kayak/Canoeing ==== See clubs above that have sprint kayaking and canoeing ==== Surfski/Downwind ==== * [[http://www.deepcovekayak.com/|Deep Cove]] * A little farther afield - [[:bellingham#surfskidownwind|Bellingham Downwind Experts]] [[:coaches|Online Coaches]] ---- ===== Injury and Recovery ===== * **Greg Redman** [[http://wavephysio.ca/|http://wavephysio.ca/]] * … ---- ===== Dealers ===== * [[https://www.coastoutdoors.ca/|Coast Outdoors]] These folks (along with their waterside rental and training facility at [[http://www.deepcovekayak.com/|Deep Cove]]) are long time supporters of the PNW paddling community. They can be a very good source of information about paddle sports and paddling in the Vancouver area. And they run the annual [[https://www.deepcovekayak.com/races/|Tuesday Night Races]] at Deep Cove and used to run the [[:races:races_canada#bc|Canadian Downwind Championships]] in Howe Sound. * [[https://pacificboarder.com/|Pacific Boarder]] wetsuits * [[https://thinkkayak.com/|Think Surfskis]] (Vancouver, BC based manufacturer) * … ---- ===== Repair ===== * [[https://www.coastoutdoors.ca/service/repairs/|Deep Cove/Coast Outdoors]] * Vancouver has many boat repair companies (examples [[https://www.nordmanner.com/|Nordmänner Marine Services]], [[https://boatrepairvancouver.ca/mrv-marine-boat-repair-shop-and-maintenance-services/|MRV Marine Services]]) who can probably perform simple patch jobs very well (if your job isn't too small for them), but you might want to go with a dedicated small boat shop for major structural repairs? Or one of these locals may be completely capable of major structural repairs on carbon with good paint matching etc. Do your own due diligent research and please let us know if you find someone good. * … ---- ===== Resources ===== * [[:bobputnam|Bob Putnam]] * [[https://www.facebook.com/groups/208521982501350/|Paddle Sport BC Facebook]] ---- Photo: tourismvancouver.com {{:locales:vancouver1.jpg?direct&700x319|vancouver1.jpg}}