Acadia Beach (Wreck Beach Foreshore West)

Read the 2019 Vancouver Water Monitoring Report By Fraser Riverkeeper

Acadia Beach is located between Spanish Banks and Wreck Beach on the northwest tip of the University of British Columbia.

From the parking lot there is an easy trail leading down to the beach. This beach ranges from sandy to rocky with lots of logs. There are a few places where you have to scramble over the logs. This terrain makes Acadia Beach less popular with sunbathers and perfect for walking along. There are quite a few nice spots to explore tidal pools and take photos.

There is no official trail on the beach, however by wandering west you will reach Tower Beach which is marked by two WWII Watch Towers built to look for Japanese submarines. Beyond Tower Beach lies Wreck Beach, Vancouver's only official nude beach.

There are several paths leading up from the beach to the top of the bluffs. Trail #4 actually comes out behind the UBC Museum of Anthropology. Walking back to the parking lot along the bluffs has some great views of Georgia Strait and the opening of Burrard Inlet.

There is no official trail on the beach, however by wandering west you will reach Tower Beach which is marked by two WWII Watch Towers built to look for Japanese submarines. Beyond Tower Beach lies Wreck Beach, Vancouver's only official nude beach.

Directions:
The parking lot is just off of NW Marine Drive on the north side of the road. Parking lot gates are supposedly closed between 5 pm and 8 am.

Get directions to this beach

COVID-19

Keep your distance from other people.

Practicing social distancing is essential right now. Follow the advice of the health experts. If your community has asked that you remain indoors and away from others, do so. Heading to the beach should only be considered an option if social distancing practices can be followed. Spending a day in any crowded place is the worst thing we can do for our most vulnerable right now and will counter the efforts to curb the virus’ spread.

For more information, please visit the World Health Organization public resource on COVID-19.

Water Quality

Meets water quality standards
Current Status
This status is based on the latest sample, taken on September 22nd, 2020. Fraser Riverkeeper updates the status of this beach as soon as test results become available. These results were posted to Swim Guide on September 24th, 2020 at 1:36 PM.

For water quality icon legend, click:

Current Weather

15°C

Mostly clear

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Monitoring Frequency

Source Information

Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) monitors the water quality at 31 Vancouver-area beaches. Sampling is conducted during the height of swim season (May – September) and for the annual Polar Bear Swim (December).

VCH follows the Canadian Recreational Water Guidelines. Recreational water is considered safe if the geometric mean result is under 200 E.coli/100mL based on the previous last five samples or a single sample limit of under 400 E.coli/100mL. Should the results exceed the guidelines 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 stating “This Water is Contaminated and Unsafe for Swimming.” Results are communicated on the Vancouver Coastal Health website. Data is shared on Swim Guide according to these results, as soon as they become available. Data is typically available on Thursdays or Fridays

Recreational water quality for a beach is determined by E. coli counts from the Greater Vancouver Regional District Water Quality Laboratory.

A beach is marked Green when geometric mean results are under 200 E.coli/100 mL and single sample results are below 400 E.coli/100mL.

A beach is marked Red when the geometric mean results are equal to or above 200 E.coli/100 mL water or single sample results are above 400 E.coli/100 mL.

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

Water Quality Graph