Swimming

Public Pools:

Esquimalt Pool
Just a 5 minute walk from your B and B, this state-of-the-art facility is one of the best in the city....great family fun, with a large children's pool, a "lazy river", and slides and diving board into the six-lane 25 metre pool. Weight room, sauna, whirlpool, with very reasonable rates and friendly staff.

Commonwealth Pool
In the Saanich area, this pool was created specifically for the Commonwealth Games in 1994 and is a fabulous facility, with competition level diving boards and length pools. Family fun in the Wave Pool too.

Juan de Fuca
Over in the western communities, not so far from Hatley Castle or Royal Roads University.

Oak Bay
This is a special pool as it's the only one with a rope swing into the water!

Crystal Pool
As close to downtown as you're going to get; if some members of the family swim, while others shop or do museums ... this is a good choice.

 

Beaches:

It's an Island, so yes there's lots of beaches, but this is the Pacific Northwest, and the water is cold! Having grown up here, these are my favourite beaches and why:

Cadboro Bay/Gyro Park
Nice white sand and amazing concrete sculptures for the kids to play on. We call it Ogopogo Park, though it is really a Cadborosaurus that you climb over. Ocean water on the southeast side of the Vancouver Island

 

 

 

Witty's Lagoon
The hike from the parking lot to the beach is half the fun, as it's a very interesting forest path one way, or a funky set of wooden steps another way. Down below, lean into the logs with your blanket and picnic basket. Very shallow water goes on forever, so it can get warm if you're lucky. Southwest side of Vancouver Island.

 

Thetis Lake
Thetis has a great trail around the perimeter of the lake for hiking, and a flat white sand area for laying out the beach towels. Though all ages can go to any beach, in the summer, this tends to be the one for the young adults to congregate. Wonderful swim out to the mini-island in the center of the lake.

 

Elk Lake/Beaver Lake
The lake is used cooperatively by swimmers, wind surfers, sailors, water-skiers, fishers and rowers. Some park trails are designated multi-use, for hikers, cyclists and horse riders, while others are for hiking only.

Sooke Potholes
Cold, clear freshwater, and a series of mini swimming holes. It becomes very intimate, as visitors to the park nervously see who will get into the cold water, who won't, and how long one can actually stay in. A good 45 minute drive from the city.

 

 

For more swimming choices, check out Capital Regional District for useful information about the many parks and beaches in the area.