Spanish Banks are a series of beaches in the city of

Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. The ...

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, located along the shores of English Bay in the

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 ...

neighbourhood. Spanish Banks is located between Locarno Beach to the east and the grounds of the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks among the top thre ...

to the west.

History

Although the first European explorers in the Strait of Georgia were the Spaniards Juan Carrasco and

José María Narváez José María Narváez (1768 – August 4, 1840) was a Spanish naval officer, explorer, and navigator notable for his work in the Gulf Islands and Lower Mainland of present-day British Columbia. In 1791, as commander of the schooner '' Santa ...

, who sighted Point Grey in 1791, the Spanish Banks were named in commemoration of the meeting of the English under George Vancouver and the Spanish under Galiano and Valdés in June 1792. While Vancouver's maps do not show the bank, Galiano's charts of 1792 and 1795 do. The

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake business di ...

came to call the area Spanish Banks for these reasons. The name was bestowed upon them by Captain Richards of during his survey of Burrard Inlet in 1859.

About Spanish Banks Beaches

Although technically just one bank, the Spanish Banks beaches are divided into three sections: Spanish Bank East, Spanish Bank Extension, and Spanish Bank West. These beaches are backed by grassy fields, which make them popular for walks, family gatherings, picnics, soccer and

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Sum ...

games. There is a separated bike path next to a walking path that runs parallel to the water. Metered parking was considered as other nearby beaches in Vancouver, such as Kitsilano Beach, are metered, but the decisions was postponed by the Vancouver Park Board in March 2018. Spanish Banks is best known for its low tide flats, which are most prominent at Spanish Bank West. While swimming is possible at Spanish Bank East,

skimboarding Skimboarding or skimming is a boardsport in which a skimboard (much like a surfboard but smaller and without fins) is used to glide across the water's surface to meet an incoming breaking wave, and ride it back to shore. Wave-riding skimboarders p ...

and

kitesurfing Kiteboarding or kitesurfing is a sport that involves using wind power with a large power kite to pull a rider across a water, land, or snow surface. It combines aspects of paragliding, surfing, windsurfing, skateboarding, snowboarding, and wak ...

are more popular activities at Spanish Bank West.

The beaches

Spanish Bank East

Spanish Bank East is situated west of Tolmie Street on Northwest Marine Drive. The beach is equipped with thirty sand

courts that operate on a first-come, first-served basis. There are lifeguards on site (from Victoria Day to Labour Day), and a

concession stand A concession stand (American English, Canadian English), snack kiosk or snack bar (British English, Irish English) is a place where patrons can purchase snacks or food at a cinema, amusement park, zoo, aquarium, circus, fair, stadium, b ...

. A popular activity on Spanish Banks East is skimboarding in the many shallow pools and waves.

Spanish Bank West

Spanish Bank West is located west of Spanish Bank East on Northwest Marine Drive. Like Spanish Bank East, this beach has eight volleyball courts, life guards on site in summer and a concession stand. However, this beach is designated as a quiet beach so no amplified music is permitted.

Spanish Bank Extension

Spanish Bank Extension is to the west of Spanish Bank West and is the westernmost part of Spanish Banks before the shoreline becomes much narrower and rocky as it heads towards Acadia Beach. There are lifeguards on site in summer, but there are no concession stands or volleyball courts as there is little sand. Most of Spanish Banks Extension is a designated dogs off-leash area.

References

External links

Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation's page on Spanish Banks
{{VancouverNeighbourhoods Beaches of Vancouver