White Rock Beach - West

White Rock, British Columbia

BEACH INFO:
The beach is divided into East Beach and West Beach for the sake of orientation, separated by a slight rise in the shoreline which locals refer to as The Hump.

Grand Chief Bernard Memorial Plaza at the edge of Lions Lookout Park on East Beach is one of the more picturesque access points. The Ka'Kan totem pole represents the Coast Salish spiritual belief of the Semiahmoo Aboriginal peoples, that raising a house post provides protection and love of the Creator. The adjacent Haida Gya Ana pole is a historical document of family heritage and status. The poles commemorate 125 years of RCMP service to the area.

White Rock's famous pier is on West Beach, where it's not unusual to see children diving from the lower-level docks, dangling a line for sculpin or flounder, or even dropping a trap for crabs that can be seen through the clear waters, scurrying across the sea floor.

Bordering the natural forest on Semiahmoo land, East Beach tends to attract more families by day and a livelier crowd by night. The grassy verge invites picnicking and when the tide goes out, often as far as half a mile, the vast expanse of sands fill with people flying kites, building sandcastles, exploring tidal pools, sun bathing and generally having fun along the water's edge. And when the tide turns, the gentle waves sweep over the hot sands making the water especially warm and safe for swimming. Skim boards, buckets and shovels can be purchased at East Beach corner stores and at Marine Market on West Beach. Dogs are not allowed on the beach, the promenade or anywhere south of the parking lots. However, for a good off-leash run, head to Dogwood Park in South Surrey at 20th Avenue and 136th Street.

Water Quality
  • Passed water quality tests at least 95% of the time

  • Historical Status
  • This status is based on the latest sample, taken on August 11th, 2022. Fraser Basin Council Society updates the status of this beach as soon as test results become available. These results were posted to Swim Guide on August 11th, 2022 at 4:56 PM.
For water quality icon legend, click:  
Current Weather
18°C
Mostly clear
Monitoring Frequency

White Rock Beach - West is sampled weekly from May 15th to September 30th.

Source Information

Fraser Health Authority monitors the water quality at 42 Fraser Valley beaches. Sampling is conducted during the height of swim season (May – September). Sampling days rotate on a constant basis and are taken by a number of different samplers. There isn’t always specific sample dated noted when FHA posts its test results. Fraser Health Authority recommends that Swim Guide use the posting date rather than the sample date.

Fraser Health follows the Guidelines for Canadian Recreational Water Quality. Recreational water is considered safe if the geometric mean result is under 200 E.coli/100mL. If the geometric mean exceeds 200 E.coli/100mL, a series of single sample results exceed a maximum of 400 E.coli/100mL and/or in the event of a known hazard or spill, the Medical Health Officer will make an assessment of the risk to human health.

If there is a risk to human health, a warning sign will be posted at the beach. Results are communicated on the Fraser Health website (http://www.fraserhealth.ca/health-info/health-topics/recreational-water/beach-conditions/). Fraser Riverkeeper updates Swim Guide according to these results, as soon as they become available.

Test results for Fraser Valley beaches are posted weekly. Recreational water quality for a beach is determined by E. coli counts from a laboratory approved by the BC Provincial Health Officer for Provincial Drinking Water and Microbiology Testing.

A beach is marked Green when single sample results are under 200 E.coli / 100 ML water.

A beach is marked Red when the results are equal to or above 200 E.coli / 100 ML water or a series of single sample test results exceed a maximum of 400 E.coli/100mL.

A beach is marked Grey when there are no current results or there is no available information.

Read more
Water Quality Graph

White Rock Beach - West

White Rock, British Columbia

Water Quality
  • Passed water quality tests at least 95% of the time
  • Historical Status
  • This status is based on the latest sample, taken on August 11th, 2022. Fraser Basin Council Society updates the status of this beach as soon as test results become available. These results were posted to Swim Guide on August 11th, 2022 at 4:56 PM.
For water quality icon legend, click:  
Current Weather
18°C
Mostly clear

BEACH INFO:
The beach is divided into East Beach and West Beach for the sake of orientation, separated by a slight rise in the shoreline which locals refer to as The Hump.

Grand Chief Bernard Memorial Plaza at the edge of Lions Lookout Park on East Beach is one of the more picturesque access points. The Ka'Kan totem pole represents the Coast Salish spiritual belief of the Semiahmoo Aboriginal peoples, that raising a house post provides protection and love of the Creator. The adjacent Haida Gya Ana pole is a historical document of family heritage and status. The poles commemorate 125 years of RCMP service to the area.

White Rock's famous pier is on West Beach, where it's not unusual to see children diving from the lower-level docks, dangling a line for sculpin or flounder, or even dropping a trap for crabs that can be seen through the clear waters, scurrying across the sea floor.

Bordering the natural forest on Semiahmoo land, East Beach tends to attract more families by day and a livelier crowd by night. The grassy verge invites picnicking and when the tide goes out, often as far as half a mile, the vast expanse of sands fill with people flying kites, building sandcastles, exploring tidal pools, sun bathing and generally having fun along the water's edge. And when the tide turns, the gentle waves sweep over the hot sands making the water especially warm and safe for swimming. Skim boards, buckets and shovels can be purchased at East Beach corner stores and at Marine Market on West Beach. Dogs are not allowed on the beach, the promenade or anywhere south of the parking lots. However, for a good off-leash run, head to Dogwood Park in South Surrey at 20th Avenue and 136th Street.

Monitoring Frequency

White Rock Beach - West is sampled weekly from May 15th to September 30th.

Source Information

Fraser Health Authority monitors the water quality at 42 Fraser Valley beaches. Sampling is conducted during the height of swim season (May – September). Sampling days rotate on a constant basis and are taken by a number of different samplers. There isn’t always specific sample dated noted when FHA posts its test results. Fraser Health Authority recommends that Swim Guide use the posting date rather than the sample date.

Fraser Health follows the Guidelines for Canadian Recreational Water Quality. Recreational water is considered safe if the geometric mean result is under 200 E.coli/100mL. If the geometric mean exceeds 200 E.coli/100mL, a series of single sample results exceed a maximum of 400 E.coli/100mL and/or in the event of a known hazard or spill, the Medical Health Officer will make an assessment of the risk to human health.

If there is a risk to human health, a warning sign will be posted at the beach. Results are communicated on the Fraser Health website (http://www.fraserhealth.ca/health-info/health-topics/recreational-water/beach-conditions/). Fraser Riverkeeper updates Swim Guide according to these results, as soon as they become available.

Test results for Fraser Valley beaches are posted weekly. Recreational water quality for a beach is determined by E. coli counts from a laboratory approved by the BC Provincial Health Officer for Provincial Drinking Water and Microbiology Testing.

A beach is marked Green when single sample results are under 200 E.coli / 100 ML water.

A beach is marked Red when the results are equal to or above 200 E.coli / 100 ML water or a series of single sample test results exceed a maximum of 400 E.coli/100mL.

A beach is marked Grey when there are no current results or there is no available information.

Read more
Water Quality Graph

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