There are three activities I will always recommend for visitors to Vancouver (and locals) if they’re looking to fully enjoy our city: The first is to get up a mountain (hiking or by taking a SkyRide), the second is to explore Stanley Park (SeaWall and forest trails), and the third is to get out on the water. There’s still plenty of time this season to take to the waters off English Bay, Deep Cove, or Port Moody and what better way to explore than in a kayak.
Where to Rent a Kayak in Vancouver
If you’re looking to rent a kayak, canoe, stand up paddleboard (“SUP”) this summer check out the following locations, many of them are right on the beach. Summer hours for most run until September, with limited winter rental options past October. Click through to each listing to find the very best location and provider.
Vancouver
Who: EcoMarine Paddlesports Centre
Where: Granville Island (1668 Duranleau St), English Bay (1700 Beach Ave), Jericho Beach (1300 Discovery St)
What You Can Rent: Kayaks, SUP, dragon boat
Extras: Long-term rentals, seasons passes, rack and gear rental, some winter rentals
Facebook / Twitter
Who: Vancouver Water Adventures
Where: Kitsilano Beach, Granville Island (1812 Boatlift Lane)
What You Can Rent: Kayak, SUP
Extras: SeaDoo rental, Flyboard rental
Facebook / Twitter
Who: Creekside Kayaks
Where: #1 Athletes Way
What You Can Rent: Kayak, SUP
Extras: Introduction to kayak courses
North Shore
Who: Deep Cove Kayak
Where: 2156 Banbury Road, North Vancouver
What You Can Rent: Kayak, SUP , surf ski
Extras: Lessons and tours, seasons passes
Facebook / Twitter
Lower Mainland
Who: Rocky Point Kayak
Where: 2715 Esplanade Street, Port Moody
What You Can Rent: Kayak, canoe, SUP
Extras: Paddle & Pints and Date Night social events, kids camps
Facebook / Twitter
Who: Natural West Coast Adventures
Where: Marine Drive & Bay Street, White Rock
What You Can Rent: Kayaks, equipment
Extras: Multi-day extended rentals, guided paddle tours locally and in the Fraser Valley
Disclosure: I have rented from EcoMarine and Deep Cove Kayak before so those are the only two I can fully endorse as having a great service and fleet options.
The Fair at the PNE returns for the season from August 22nd to September 7th and Vancity Savings Credit Union is proud to sponsor the annual Vancity Member Day on September 3rd. Vancity members and a guest can enjoy a fun-filled day at the Fair for only $5 each.
Vancity Member Day at the PNE
To receive the discounted admission, present your Vancity MEMBER CARD® debit card or Vancity enviro™ Visa, (or another form of membership verification), at any Fair at the PNE ticket booth on Thursday, September 3, 2015. Gates open at 11:00am.
Vancity Eco Alley
On top of saving $11 off adult admission to the Fair, Vancity members – and other fairgoers – can all stop by the Vancity Eco Zone to find out how Vancity is supporting the PNE on their journey of going green. Get fun facts and helpful tips on how you can go green at home through our fun and interactive activities.
Last year, Vancity worked with PNE in making Vancity Member Day a Zero Waste Event where 95% of event waste was diverted from landfill – in a 12 hour period, 58,000 PNE fairgoers only generated 9 bags of garbage! This year they will once again make Vancity Member Day a Zero Waste Event with help from community partner, Green Chair Recycling and dedicated staff volunteers.
Vancity’s Eco Alley will be a fun, informative and interactive area where PNE guests can learn about current PNE green initiatives, share ideas about further reducing the environmental impact of the PNE and find out new ways to be greener in their day-to-day lives. Vancity Brand Ambassadors will be onsite during The Fair to share the PNE’s journey to sustainability at the Vancity Eco Zone near the Livestock Barns on Saturday, August 28 through to Monday, September 7, 2015.
How can you be more green at the PNE? Ride your bike to the fair! There will be a complimentary Vancity-supported bicycle valet service. The bike valet stations are set up inside Gate 1.
PNE Prize Pack Giveaway for Vancity Member Day
In support of Vancity Member Day, I have a prize pack to give away that includes: A gift basket and $100 gift card to Sidesaddle Bike Shop, $50 in Vancity food cart vouchers, $60 in Vancity farmers’ market vouchers, and a pair of PNE Fair and Playland passes. The grand prize value is over $400!
Here’s how you can enter to win:
- Leave a comment naming one way you’ve ‘gone green’ this summer (1 entry)
- Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 5:00pm on Friday, August 28, 2015.
Gates open at 11:00am on PNE Vancity Member Day. Follow the event on Facebook, and on Twitter using the tag #VancityMemberDay for more information. Check out the full PNE Concert Lineup for nightly entertainment at The Fair as well.
Update The winner is Taryn!
Kraft Project Play is helping to build a better future by building better places to play, awarding one community in Canada $250,000 for a recreational facility upgrade for their soccer, tennis, basketball, or general play. The four finalists in the competition have been named and there’s only one in Western Canada: Salt Spring Island’s Portlock Park.
Portlock Park, the recreation “heart of the island”, has the only block of public tennis courts on the island. They are used February to November, weather permitting. Along with fun play, there are monthly social and competitive tournaments, 3 public drop-in mornings, public junior tennis camps (32 youth this summer session), and a summer public junior tournament: the Rogers Rookie.
Tennis in Canada is booming, but 3 of the 1975-era courts need repair (the 4th, built later, is OK). Constructed with no proper foundation and drainage, they have had cracks and ‘bad’ spots almost since the beginning. Tennis work parties have weeded and filled the cracks for years, and money was spent to cut them out and pour ‘channels’ of asphalt to even the surface. But the channels themselves have sunk.
Voting starts August 17th and the grand prize winner will be revealed on August 21st. The three remaining finalists will receive $25,000 for their community play projects. To vote, all you have to do is go to Portlock Park’s listing on the Kraft Project Play site and click VOTE NOW. The three other finalists are Munro Park in North Sydney, NS; White Oaks Park in London, ON; Swilers Rugby Club in St John’s, NL.
The West Coast is the best coast for sunset views as we get the last glimpse of sunshine on the continent before it tucks away below the horizon to return another day. In Vancouver, we get treated to fiery orange clouds, pillowy pink hues, and bright burning glows before the sun ducks behind Vancouver Island.
5 Best Metro Vancouver Beaches for Sunsets
If you’re looking to end your summer night with some gorgeous views, here are just a few public beaches were you can setup for the evening, hold your sweetie close, and enjoy the last bit of light for the day by the Salish Sea.
Jericho Beach, Vancouver
Garry Point, Richmond
Iona Beach, Richmond
Crescent Beach, Surrey
Third Beach, Vancouver
In all honesty, any beach is great for sunsets in Metro Vancouver! Honorable mentions go to Whytecliff, Ambleside, White Rock, Kitsilano, Locarno, and of course Sunset Beach.
Related Posts: Taking Transit to the Beach, Vancouver Rock Balancing, Where to Rent a Kayak in Vancouver, The English Bay Slide, The English Bay Pier.
This post has been contributed by Liron Gertsman, Volunteer with the Stanley Park Ecology Society (“SPES”). I have been following SPES since I moved into the West End a decade ago and I have been a member for three years. I wanted to offer the team an opportunity to share their news, events, and work so I have created “SPES Saturday” where they contribute and share stories with my audience once a month.
These Photos are for the Birds
Have you ever wanted to soar with birds? When I was younger, I had a lot of dreams about flying like a bird. Now I’m 14, and since then I have learned to soar with birds in my own way. I’m an avid bird watcher and photographer, and since those dreams of mine, I have amassed a life list of 694 bird species from North and South America and the Middle East.
Surf scoters in Stanley Park. Photo: Liron Gertsman
How did I go from dreaming about birds to becoming the birder, environmentalist and photographer that I am today? I owe a lot of my initial birding knowledge to the knowledgeable people at the Stanley Park Ecology Society. They accepted me, a 10 year old volunteer, on their monthly bird counts. At the time, I was what I would call a bird enthusiast. I loved bird watching, and thought I really knew my birds. However, what I learned about birds and nature from the people at SPES didn’t even compare to what I knew before. I was transformed from an enthusiastic little boy to a knowledgeable naturalist.
Pelagic cormorant in Stanley Park. Photo: Liron Gertsman
For instance, did you know that the waters of English Bay and Burrard Inlet surrounding Stanley Park are a critical wintering site for thousands of seabirds, particularly surf scoters? Every winter, peaking in late November, these birds can be seen numbering in the thousands along the Stanley Park Seawall. With their striking sturdy beaks, these sea ducks yank blue mussels from the Park’s rocky shores.
My photo of these birds – taken as I prepared to lead a SPES bird walk – won me a place in the Audubon 2015 Photo Awards Top 100 this past spring. By volunteering on the SPES monthly bird counts over the years (and now leading walks for SPES), I have not only seen thousands of birds, but I’ve also learned to identify every bird in the park by their sound.
Green-breasted mango, Costa Rica. Photo: Liron Gertsman
This August, I’m having an exhibit in downtown Vancouver’s Pendulum Gallery, located at 885 West Georgia Street. Because of what SPES has done for me, I think this gallery is an awesome way to give back. The exhibit, Soaring with Birds, is a fundraiser for SPES.
Drop in anytime from August 10-22, and feel free to inquire about purchasing my work to benefit SPES, or click here to donate directly to their Stanley Park conservation programs. Admission is free, and this exhibit will showcase 40 images of my best bird photography.
For a preview, check out my website at lironsnaturephotography.com, or give my Facebook page a like. I hope to meet many of you at the gallery, from August 10-22!
