English Bay is an open bay northwest of the

Burrard Peninsula The Burrard Peninsula ( squ, Ulksen) is a peninsula in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada, bounded by the Burrard Inlet to the north, the Georgia Strait to the west, the North Arm of Fraser River to the south, and the Pitt Riv ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, Canada, extending from the headland between Siwash Rock and Prospect Point on

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

's Downtown peninsula in the northeast, to the northwestern tip of

Point Grey Point Grey ( Squamish: Elḵsn) is a headland marking the southern entrance to English Bay and Burrard Inlet. The headland is the site of Wreck Beach, Tower Beach, Point Grey Beach and most notably, since 1925, on its top is the Point Grey Camp ...

in the southwest. The bay encompasses the coasts of

Stanley Park Stanley Park is a public park in British Columbia, Canada that makes up the northwestern half of Vancouver's Downtown Peninsula, surrounded by waters of Burrard Inlet and English Bay. The park borders the neighbourhoods of West End and ...

, the West End, Kitsilano,

West Point Grey West Point Grey is a neighbourhood in the northwest of the city of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It is located on Point Grey and is bordered by 16th Avenue to the south, Alma Street to the east, English Bay to the north, and Blanca Stree ...

and the

University Endowment Lands The University Endowment Lands (UEL) is an unincorporated area that lies to the west of the city of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and adjacent to the University of British Columbia and the lands associated with that campus. Pacific Sp ...

, and makes up the southeastern portion of the outer

Burrard Inlet french: Baie Burrard , image = Burrard Inlet 201807.jpg , image_size = 250px , alt = , caption = Aerial view of Burrard Inlet , image_bathymetry = Burrard-Inlet-map-en.svg , alt_bathymetry ...

. There is a narrow inlet named

False Creek False Creek (french: Faux ruisseau) is a short narrow inlet in the heart of Vancouver, separating the Downtown and West End neighbourhoods from the rest of the city. It is one of the four main bodies of water bordering Vancouver, along with Eng ...

at its eastern end.

Attractions

English Bay Beach, near the city's West End residential neighbourhood, is a popular sunbathing, swimming, and sunset-watching beach in the downtown Vancouver area. Other downtown beaches facing English Bay include Sunset Beach, Second Beach, and

Third Beach Third Beach is located at Ferguson Point in Stanley Park in Vancouver, British Columbia. References External links

* Beaches of Vancouver Stanley Park {{Vancouver-stub ...

. Along the south shore of the bay lie

Kitsilano Beach Kitsilano Beach is one of the most popular beaches in Vancouver, especially in the warm summer months. Located at the north edge of the Kitsilano neighbourhood, the beach faces out onto English Bay. Description The beach is home to the longes ...

Jericho Beach Jericho Beach, known originally as ''iy'a'l'mexw'' in Squamish, a Vancouver beach, is located west of the seaside neighbourhood of Kitsilano. It is surrounded by Jericho Beach Park, a grassy area with a pond, which is a picnic destination. Je ...

, Locarno Beach, and the Spanish Banks beaches, while on the North Shore are Ambleside Beach and various smaller cove-beaches in the city of

West Vancouver West Vancouver is a district municipality in the province of British Columbia, Canada. A member municipality of the Metro Vancouver Regional District, West Vancouver is to the northwest of the city of Vancouver on the northern side of English Ba ...

. The beaches facing English Bay are a major tourist attraction all year long, with the peak season being late summer. The Vancouver Seawall runs all the way around English Bay from

in the northeast around False Creek at

facing the Strait of Georgia in the southwest. This is a favourite destination for walkers, runners, bicyclists, and roller-bladers. (Note: the Seawall is one-way for cyclists and roller-bladers, running counter-clockwise from just east of the

Lions Gate Bridge The Lions Gate Bridge, opened in 1938 and officially known as the First Narrows Bridge, is a suspension bridge that crosses the first narrows of Burrard Inlet and connects the City of Vancouver, British Columbia, to the North Shore municipal ...

to Third Beach.) English Bay Beach is host to a number of public events. The

Celebration of Light The Honda Celebration of Light (formerly known as '' Benson & Hedges Symphony of Fire'' and The HSBC Celebration of Light) is an annual musical fireworks competition in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The first "Symphony of Fire" was held ...

is a fireworks competition that is held for two weeks every summer (usually the last week in July and first week in August). While this competition often struggles to secure funding, it has successfully run since 1990 and is the largest off-shore fireworks display in the world. Each winter it is the host of Vancouvers' annual

Polar Bear Swim A polar bear plunge is an event held during the winter where participants enter a body of water despite the low temperature. In the United States, polar bear plunges are usually held to raise money for a charitable organization. In Canada, po ...

and each summer the Vancouver Pride Parade and Festival is held on English Bay Beach.

History

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, English Bay Beach was home to Vancouver's first official lifeguard, the legendary

Joe Fortes Joseph Seraphim Fortes (9 February 1863 – 4 February 1922) was a British-Canadian lifeguard. He was a prominent figure in the early history of Vancouver, and the city's first official lifeguard. Early life Joe Fortes was born in 1863 in ...

, who taught hundreds of the city's early residents how to swim, and patrolled the beach from his cabin on its shore. Today, the waters of the bay are often dotted with hundreds of small pleasure boats, as well as huge freighters waiting at anchor to load cargoes at Vancouver's port. The beach was the site of an oil spill on April 8, 2015. The official cause of the spill has not been confirmed, but at least of "

bunker fuel Fuel oil is any of various fractions obtained from the distillation of petroleum (crude oil). Such oils include distillates (the lighter fractions) and residues (the heavier fractions). Fuel oils include heavy fuel oil, marine fuel oil (MFO), ...

" are known to have escaped from a cargo ship into the bay. The highly toxic oil later washed up on nearby beaches, creating a slick thick. At least twenty seabirds were injured or affected by the spill, but the full extent of any environmental and economic damage is unknown at this early stage. The federal government was criticized for its response to the spill, including the delay in notifying the public of the health hazard, by the mayor and premier, environmental scientists, and an international shipping expert. Coast Guard officials defended the response, with regional director Assistant Commissioner Roger Girouard saying, "it was exceptional". The beaches were tested and most were reopened following a ten-day closure. While the water and soil at most of the beaches tested was found not to have harmful levels of oil present, the government cautioned that "small amounts" of oil may remain, and urged people to be aware of the possible hazard and avoid contact with any oil. The reopened beaches will continue to be tested and the need for further cleanup assessed as needed.

Gallery

File:English_Bay_First_Beach.jpg, Looking along English Bay Beach in the West End File:English Bay Beach Vancouver (42912670420).jpg, English Bay Beach, Vancouver File:English_Bay_01.jpg, English Bay at sunset File:StanleyPark4.jpg, English Bay Pier from Stanley Park File:Sunset on the inuksuk at English Bay.jpg, Sunset on the

inuksuk An inuksuk (plural inuksuit) or inukshuk (from the iu, ᐃᓄᒃᓱᒃ, plural ; alternatively in Inuinnaqtun, in Iñupiaq, in Greenlandic) is a type of stone landmark or cairn built by, and for the use of, Inuit, Iñupiat, Kalaallit, Yupi ...

at English Bay File:English Bay Vancouver (43813270275).jpg, English Bay Vancouver

References

External links

English Bay Beach
{{British Columbia hydrography Bays of British Columbia Coast of British Columbia Landforms of Vancouver Beaches of Vancouver