Vancouver

Windsurfing & Kiteboarding

Where there’s water and wind, you’ll find windsurfing. Vancouver is a great place to try the sport for the first time – try Jericho Beach where beginners can rent windsurfers and take lessons too.

For more advanced windsurfers and kiteboarders, Acadia Beach and the westernmost shores of Spanish Banks are popular with on days with strong northwest winds. On the windiest days the wind can stir up the seas with wave heights reaching over 2 metres. Note that windsurfers must stay 300 metres from swimming beaches for safety reasons, and kiteboarding is only allowed at the far end of Spanish Banks.

For those who want the challenge of high-wind sailing, Squamish—an hour drive north of downtown Vancouver, offers some of Canada's best windsurfing conditions. In the summer months, strong thermal winds blow down the valley and create ideal windsurfing and kiteboarding conditions.