Snug Cove Beach

Check out our 2020 Water Monitoring Report. Click here.

Snug Cove is the name of both the community and the bay of the ferry terminal on the East side of Bowen Island. Although there are areas where one can swim on the Southern and Western sections of the cove, it is primarily used for ferry and marina traffic.

FIRST NATIONS PLACENAME:
The name for Bowen Island in the Squamish language is Nexwlélexwm meaning “fast drumming ground". It was named this because deer were so abundant on Bowen Island, and the name reflected the sound their hooves would make when running. On Nexwlélexwm, the Squamish established a tiny village called Qole’laqom and here they hunted, fished or stopped over during long voyages up and down the coast.

Watch this video to learn how to say Nexwlélexwm - https://youtu.be/jWOpr6wtaUI

FIRST NATIONS HISTORY:
Bowen Island, Nexwlélexwm, is part of the ancestral and unceded territory of the Squamish Nation.

The island was not used as a permanent settlement ground. It was mainly used instead as a stopping ground on long journeys up and down the coast. The island also provided food and sustenance such as deer, salmon, and smelts herring, and therefore it also easily became a seasonal hunting ground.

First Nations Information From:
https://howesound.wordpress.com/2020/07/14/bowen-island-nexwlelexwm/
https://bowenislandmuseum.ca/first-nations-on-bowen/
https://www.bowenheritage.org/a-short-history-of-bowen-island.html

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COVID-19

Keep your distance from other people.

Practicing social distancing is still essential. Only go to the beach if you are able to keep 6 feet or 2 meters away from others. Follow the instructions provided by your local health authorities. If your community has asked that you remain indoors and away from others, do so. Spending a day in any crowded place is the worst thing we can do for our most vulnerable right now and will counter our efforts to curb the virus’s spread.

Water Quality

Meets water quality standards
Current Status
This status is based on the latest sample, taken on June 23th, 2022. Fraser Riverkeeper updates the status of this beach as soon as test results become available. These results were posted to Swim Guide on June 24th, 2022 at 12:17 PM.

For water quality icon legend, click:

Current Weather

21°C

Mostly clear

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Monitoring Frequency

Source Information

Vancouver Coastal Health Authority monitors the water quality at 6 Bowen Island beaches. Sampling is conducted during the height of swim season (May – September).

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 Beach Samples Results website. Fraser Riverkeeper updates Swim Guide according to these results, as soon as they become available.

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