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Windsurfing in Squamish, B.C., Canada

by Joel Pettit

• Introduction

• Wanted: More Hot Shots of the Site

• Squamish Windsurfing Society History

• Squamish Windsurfing Society Membership

• Contact Information

• Directions

• Check out Windsurfing on Vancouver Island, B.C.

• Visit the New Squamish Windsurfing Society Website - finally!

• Check out the OLD Squamish Windsurfing Society Web Site

• Visit www.coastalbc.com for all your sports information needs

• Current Wind Map of Southern BC

• For more information about this region, visit the Sea to Sky Country and Squamish Area Website

Warm winds and sunshine are a blessing to all those people familiar with cold and blustery storm fronts which power windsurfing sails in most other places across the country. The warm air of springtime in Squamish causes the southerly "thermal inflows" to build, and in the summer the afternoon winds blow like clockwork. The winds accelerate up Howe Sound through the valleys of the Sea-to-Sky Corridor, consistently at strengths between 15 - 25 knots. The more the sun shines, the stronger the winds blow. From time to time frontal systems pass through with strong winds and temporarily break up the regular pattern. Sailing into the sunset is possible in Squamish.

The bay of Squamish is where the ocean meets with fresh water from five rivers. The result is dynamic conditions for windsurfing, particularly at the mouth of the Squamish River. Strong ocean tides and swift river currents provide an exciting challenge to windsurfers and enhance windsurfing performance. Ebb tides bring chop and swell providing entertaining bump and jump conditions, while flood tides bring flat water for epic slalom conditions. The water height change is dramatic with the lowest tides providing shallow water and numerous sandbar beaches for convenient relief from the action of an invigorating session, as well as ideal conditions for developing waterstart and jibing skills. As the river waters begin in the high alpine glaciers that surround Squamish, temperatures are always refreshing. Seals can be spotted regularly providing another exposure to untamed nature. With mountains and wilderness so close, windsurfing in Squamish is a special experience.

Only a few minutes from the downtown area, the Squamish windsurfing site is located on a dike at the end of a road that passes through the natural Squamish Estuary. The narrow dike was built from rock years ago and reaches out about one kilometer into the water. The undeveloped site has no amenities. The Squamish Windsurfing Society provides continued access to the site.

The Squamish area offers additional windsurfing locations. Alice Lake Provincial Park (10 km. N) is fully serviced with a very busy campground, popular mountain bike trails, and a small lake with sandy beaches and adequate conditions to enjoy basic-level windsurfing. Britannia Beach (15 km. S) and Porteau Cove Provincial Park (25 km. S, - another very busy campground as well as a popular diving area) are situated on Howe Sound and enjoy regular inflow winds of 12 - 15 knots without swift currents. These locations provide ample free parking.

Windsurfing in the mouth of the Squamish River began in the mid 1980s. Popularity of the windsurfing site grew quickly and The Squamish Windsurfing Society (SWS) was formed in April of 1988 to ensure continued access to the water and wind, via the site at the end of the dike road which passes through the Squamish Estuary. A land rental agreement with the District of Squamish gives the SWS use of the land.

Leasing the windsurfing site involves having insurance and a rescue service. User fees in the form of season memberships or day passes are collected from all people windsurfing from the site in order to recover costs.

The access road to the windsurfing site is property of BC Rail. In 1991, a land swap was proposed between BC Rail and the Crown (via the District of Squamish), to exchange estuary area including the dike access road for a piece of waterfront property. BC Rail has a vision to develop the waterfront into an ocean port. The SWS has a vision of developing the windsurfing site into a family oriented day-use "park" (with a grassy rigging area, constructed beach, pick-up and drop-off parking zone, picnic shelter and safe family-play area). The land swap remains caught up in entanglements which prevents any park development from proceeding.

In the Spring of 1996, following environmental impact studies, light landscaping work was done at the windsurfing site to improve the rigging and launching areas. The SWS continues to improve the windsurfing site within the current guidelines set by land use authorities.

The Squamish windsurfing site has hosted major events including Canadian Championships and Pro-Am competitions.

An increasing number of people have chosen Squamish as a windsurfing destination location.

1. Organize and promote the sport of windsurfing in the Squamish area;
2. Represent the interests and concerns of the Societys members in the operation and development of available and future windsurfing sites;
3. Maintain a low impact on the environment;
4. Maintain public access to the existing Squamish windsurfing site;
5. Raise money for carrying out the said objectives, and without limiting the generality of the foregoing, to raise funds through subscriptions, business ventures, membership fees and charitable donations, including receiving gifts and testaments.

The Squamish Windsurfing Society strongly represents all windsurfers, although membership accounts for only a portion of the total number of people who windsurf in the Lower Mainland area. Many people from the Lower Mainland make regular trips to the Columbia River Gorge which borders Washington and Oregon State, Nitinat Lake on Vancouver Island, and Harrison Lake in the Fraser Valley.

Membership has grown to almost four hundred members making the SWS the largest organization of its type in Canada. The 1996 season total was 330 members. A total of 214 day passes were purchased by non-members. Note: These numbers are significantly lower than the totals for 1995 (i.e., 380 members, plus non-member day passes), due to unfavourable weather in 1996 (i.e., wet Spring, cold and wet Fall, with winds often to light to windsurf).

Note: Conditions for windsurfing were reported well below average throughout the Pacific Northwest region, with the Columbia River Gorge receiving heavy amounts of rain and consequently fewer suitable days in 1996.

Memberships increased 10 - 20% per year for seven of the nine years of the SWS history (with decreases in 1991 and 1996). A boom year in 1995 coincided with a long season of fabulous windsurfing conditions.

Minimal marketing of Squamish has been done in windsurfing circles. Modest exposure has been gained from media coverage of race events and word-of-mouth. Visitors come from Washington, Oregon, Quebec, Ontario, Alberta, and Saskatchewan. Regular members come from:

• North Shore - includes North Vancouver, West Vancouver and Lions Bay
• Whistler - includes Pemberton
• Greater Van South - includes Richmond, Surrey, Delta and White Rock
• Greater Van East - includes Burnaby, New Westminster, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows

On average, regular members visit the Squamish windsurfing site 14 times per season. With the cost of a membership being $75, and a day pass costing $10, the break even point is 8 visits.

Number of Visits

• THE HARD WORKER(BELOW AVERAGE)0 - 10 Visits
• THE ENTHUSIAST(AVERAGE)11 - 20 Visits
• THE OBSESSED(ABOVE AVERAGE)21 - 40 Visits
• THE POSSESSED(FAR BEYOND)Over 40 Visits
• per the 1994 Squamish Windsurfing Society Survey Data

Contact Information

• For further information on membership visit the windsurfing site [at the Dike] and speak to the Site Manager, or contact:

The Squamish Windsurfing Society

Box 33

Squamish, BC

V0N 3G0

• Turn off the Sea-To-Sky Highway (#99) at the lights into the Industrial Park onto Industrial Way (at Tim & Wendys);
• Continue along Industrial Way to a T-junction at Queens Way, and turn right;
• Follow Queens Way to Government Road, and go straight through to cross the railway tracks;
• Continue along Government Road and turn right at the Squamish Estuary entrance road (just after the small blue sign);
• Turn left at the river and drive slowly on the dike road for about 4 km., passing through the Squamish Estuary, to arrive at the windsurfing site.

Written by Shredder Joel Pettit for SWS

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