Spanish Banks

Spanish Banks are a series of beaches in the city of Vancouver, Canada, located along the shores of English Bay in the West Point Grey neighbourhood. Spanish Banks is located between Locarno Beach to the east and the grounds of the University of British Columbia to the west.

Although the first European explorers in the Strait of Georgia were the Spaniards Juan Carrasco and José María Narváez, who sighted Point Grey in 1791, the Spanish Banks were named in commemoration of the meeting of the English under George Vancouver and the Spanish under Galiano and Valdés in June 1792. While Vancouver's maps do not show the bank, Galiano's charts of 1792 and 1795 do. The Hudson's Bay Company came to call the area Spanish Banks for these reasons. The name was bestowed upon them by Captain Richards of the HMS Plumper during his survey of Burrard Inlet in 1859.

Although technically just one bank, the Spanish Banks beaches are divided into three sections: Spanish Bank East, Spanish Bank Extension, and Spanish Bank West. These beaches are backed by grassy fields, which make them popular for walks, family gatherings, picnics, soccer and volleyball games.

Spanish Banks is best known for its low tide flats, which are most prominent at Spanish Bank West. While swimming is possible at Spanish Bank East, skimboarding and kitesurfing are more popular activities at Spanish Bank West.

Spanish Bank East is situated west of Tolmie Street on Northwest Marine Drive. The beach is equipped with eight sand volleyball courts that operate on a first-come, first-served basis. There are lifeguards on site (from Victoria Day to Labour Day), and a concession stand. A popular activity on Spanish Banks East is skimboarding in the many shallow pools and waves.

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