Photo Courtesy James Loewen
~ Wreck Beach Preservation
Society
With or without their
bathing suits, hundreds of
thousands of people visit
Canada's first and largest
clothing-optional beach each
year. This all-natural beach
is 7.8 kilometers long and
follows the coastline below
a forested, 200-foot high,
cliff system on the western
tip of Vancouver. Eagles,
kingfishers, and escaped
domestic birds like parrots,
lovebirds, and magpies hover
about – as do vendors
selling everything a
sunbather’s heart desires,
from sunscreen for your
sensitive bits, to
empanadas, organic fruit
juices, and buffalo burgers
to stave off those west
coast munchies! Ah, Wreck
Beach…so near to the city,
and yet so far!
CBC's Seven Wonders of Canada ~
Love Letters
If you have a love letter about
Wreck Beach that you would like
to add, please
contact us.
Thank-you...
Wreck Beach, Canada's number one
clothing optional beach, is a
fabulous, healing and naturally
beautiful paradise that attracts
hundreds of thousands of
visitors from all over the
world, every year. The pristine
beauty of the long stretch of
beach boasts a family of eagles,
lots of blue herons and shares
many opportunities for people of
all ages, races and
personalities to be alone or in
the midst of the crowd. It is
better than television on any
given day, filled with
incredible characters that color
the beach with their wild and
crazy accessories and outrageous
free-spirited antics.
Just show up with cash if you
like and get virtually
everything you need for a day on
the beach...Watch for the person
who sells extra scrabble
letters, used pocketbooks,
recites personal poetry for a
toonie and gifts safety pins and
elastics if needed. Goddesses,
request a beautifully sketched
nude momento of yourself from
that gentleman over there with
the sketchbook. Look there goes
a very hairy guy with a huge 6
foot blowup palm tree tied to
his body , walking the beach and
chatting with whoever will
listen.
Maybe you would like a cut from
a naked hairdresser, or enjoy
ultimate relaxation in the sun
with a massage or a foot
reflexology treatment, or
perhaps contemplate life with a
tarot reading. Don't forget to
select a colorful Indonesian
beach sheet, wrap yourself in a
sexy sarong or simply deck
yourself out nudist style with
sterling silver jewelery from
head to toe.
Wreck Beach offers the only
fully licensed, naked food
vendors on any beach in Canada,
with lovingly made gourmet
treats that surpass every
typical greasy food stand on any
other beach. Offering things
like free trade organic brownies
or yam fries, wild meat burgers
from Stormin'Normans, homemade
empanadas from Lucy or tasty
Greek souvlaki and salads from
Nudius Foodius to name a few.
Wait, here comes a ravishing
angel selling homemade, liqueur
filled chocolate nipples and
bags of cashews and someone else
with ice cold fruit smoothies
and virgin margaritas!
Make a point to sit near the
incredible variety of talented
musicians that come together in
daily jam sessions all along the
beach, inspiring the crowd to
join them. Watch for the
cruising seals who appreciate
the music too. Get up and shake
it with the many naked gods or
goddesses that dance to the
heartbeat rhythms of various
hand drums mixed with a bass
guitar or Tibetan bells.
Enjoy the artistically created
carved logs or benches that dot
the beach and trail or peruse
the communities beautiful
co-created flower gardens that
brighten the sands in hollowed
logs. Pour your leftover cooler
water into the plastic bins
aligned so the flowers get
watered. Bring a skim board or
body surf in the refreshing
waves to cool off after napping
in the hot sun. Take a walk in
the rainforest paradise behind
the mud flats and find seclusion
in icing sugar white sand
hideaways. Join in the Salute to
the Sun when the whole beach
cheers on as one voice in unison
at sunset, honoring Mother
Natures gift of another blessed
day on this very special beach.
Believe it or not, die-hard
nudists hang out and suntan year
round from January to November
with their protective metallic
sheets aligned to block the wind
and reflect the winters sun in
the cooler months. After all the
beach is beautiful in every
season! Wreck has been my
personal healing oasis for 29
years, consistently filling me
with gratitude and appreciation
for the incredible variety of
humanity that graces this
amazing beach. It hosts a loving
community that not only enjoys
their time here, they personally
hand sift the sand, clean, care
for and protect every aspect of
this sacred land with a
reverence that would do any city
proud. It truly is, without a
doubt, one of Canada's Seven
Wonders.
Posted on CBC.ca site by: Diana
McIntosh | May 28, 2007
06:19 AM
Whether you go to Wreck or not
it means a freedom of choice. It
shows Vancouver freedom of
expression that is rarely found
in the US.
Posted on CBC.ca site by:
William F. Jones & Rowena E.
Jones | May 27, 2007 08:11
PM
The video 'Seven Wonders - Wreck
Beach' looks briefly at the main
beach. However the greater Wreck
Beach area runs almost 8
kilometers. Almost half of that
is inside the North Arm Jetty,
wetlands that flourish with the
denizens of flora and fauna.
This is more than a place of
escape. It is a sacred place. A
healing place. I grew up in the
country and lived my first forty
years away from urban stresses.
Reluctantly though I came to
Vancouver to work on a degree.
What has helped me to stay
balanced, more than any other
thing, has been the time I have
had to spend at Wreck Beach.
Being an avid photographer, more
than half of my work is shot
along this beach. This is where
I run, naked, along trails
rarely used, the setting sun
strobing through the trees, a
baby squirrel running alongside
me. There is not a single day I
spend at Wreck Beach that I am
not humbled in gratitude, awed
by its beauty, amazed that such
a place could exist at all,
never mind that it's inside of
the 3rd largest city in Canada.
Everyday that I'm there I have
my guitar. In the evenings I
write music, play and sing.
Oftentimes seals swim in, geese
come by, even the great blue
herons will drop in, and the
little baby squirrel curls up
beside me and naps. Wreck Beach
will always be my number one
wonder of the world.
Posted on CBC.ca site by:
Doug Oram | May 27, 2007
05:49 PM
Thanks for the lovely clip
about my favorite place in
Canada. Wreck Beach is a
symbol of the Canadian
values of freedom and
nature. Where else in the
world can a short walk down
a trail take you away from a
crowded, overheated city to
a world of nature, people
helping each other, and
peace. Canadians in general
and Vancouverites in
particular, are blessed by
having such a place so close
to an urban center.
Bruce
Posted on CBC.ca site by:
Bruce McPherson | May
27, 2007 01:08 PM
I just finished watching the
bit on Wreck Beach and i
would like to thank you for
the accurate portrayal of
piece. I have been visiting
Wreck off and on for the
last 10 years and i am
humbled by its beauty,
astounded by it's healing
qualities, tickled by it's
'locals', and pampered by
the venders. The self
policing, self preserving,
self politicking is of such
unique power, a smart world
would do well to sit up and
listen.
Posted on CBC.ca site by:
Laura Huhn | May 27,
2007 03:41 AM
Wreck Beach is a magical
place! There is no where
like it in the world, and it
is surely one of Canada's
wonders and national
treasures. It remains that
way thanks to the hard work
of countless volunteers most
notably Judy Williams!
Posted on CBC.ca site by:
Bruce Harris | May 26,
2007 02:57 AM
Heartfelt thanks to Chris Brown and CBC for recognizing Wreck Beach as worthy of a very special focus in the Wonders of Canada feature. This beautiful stretch of almost wilderness at the western tip of Vancouver attracts those who wish to participate with nature in all her glory, and in all their glory too.
A first time visit to Wreck Beach can feel a bit like, Through the Looking Glass where many of the rules of the dominant culture are suddenly gone, and everything is slightly different, and free-er! For many the experience of Wreck Beach provides a view to how human beings can live in joy and harmony with each other and this beautiful earth. Even a temporary glimpse at the freedom celebrated here can work as an antithesis to much that is currently ailing this world.
Wreck Beach is unique, in Canada and on this Earth. Much gratitude to all who recognize, protect and celebrate this exquisite and precious place.
Posted on CBC.ca site by: James Loewen | May 31, 2007 10:38 PM
My wife and I visited Wreck Beach and loved it! It is truly a great beach with a wonderful and friendly crowd!
Posted on CBC.ca site by: Roger | May 31, 2007 10:00 PM
You rightly juxtaposed the critical voice of intolerance in the person of a former city councilor with the free spirited mosaic of Wreck Beach. Over the past 40 years Canadians have discarded the fetters of moral rectitude to find a different definition of Self. If anything Wreck Beach reflects a similar journey for many who first came as curious or bewildered and remain as part of a community however amorphous or challenging this may be. And isn't this the genius and uniqueness of Canada and makes for Wonder? Doesn't our own self deprecating humor and lightness of national self definition challenge what it means to be a nation in most countries of the world? Rather than wrapping ourselves in the flag or a severe coating of morality better to be who we are in the rapture of sand, sea, mountains, forest, a setting sun and a rising full moon.
Posted on CBC.ca site by: Barry Pither | May 31, 2007 06:31 PM
I have friends who can't stop talking and frequenting this place. It is important for some people to have choices and be able to choose a place they can call "home away from home". The beauty of this area is attractive and it should be preserved; especially in this modern world of continual development.
Posted on CBC.ca site by: Leanne | May 31, 2007 03:22 PM
Thank you for the wonderful piece on Wreck Beach. I remember well my first visit to the Beach. I can recall clambering among the logs to find my perfect spot in the sand, gazing at the long spit and wondering at the sight of the mountains standing guard across the water. I somewhat shyly began removing my clothes only to reach a point of almost nirvanic proportions once I was completely undressed. While the water of the incoming sea tickled my toes, the breeze enveloped my body and the warmth of the sun soothed my entire being, I, for the first time in my life, experienced freedom in it's totality. I was where I was meant to be all my life, and I was there in a total and perfect symbiosis with Nature. Wreck Beach is, and always will be, truly a Canadian Wonder!
Posted on CBC.ca site by: Ray Jorritsma | May 31, 2007 02:56 PM
I have been going to Wreck Beach for about 15 years now. Every time I go, it once more shows me how to relax and how to deal with a world gone crazy off the beach. I don't live in Vancouver but the Beach is one of the main reasons I return as often as I can. It is a great example of the way Canada should be. Long may Wreck Beach provide his example to us all.
Posted on CBC.ca site by: Ted Thompson | May 31, 2007 10:13 AM
Wreck Beach is everything Canada ought to be - natural beauty all around giving us peace & respite from our busy lives; the people there so completely accepting and non-judgmental; enjoying themselves in a simple timeless way whilst upholding moral standards.
Posted on CBC.ca site by: T. Thompson | May 31, 2007 09:49 AM
This is what Wreck Beach means to me.
The heavy mantle of life is lifted from my shoulders as I descend the stairs to WB through the forest of time shedding my clothing along the way to the tranquility of this beach. At the bottom of the steps one has a choice right or left. Join the merriment of the crowd or seek out a quiet place in the sand to refresh my soul as I observe the microcosm of diversity of this heaven on a beach go by.
From the eagles on high, seals barking in the waters, walking the pristine beach at low tide and watching the children playing in tidal pools. View the maritime shipping far out in the Georgia Straight going about their business. One can be quickly swept up in the sounds, smells and community that is WB. From vendors selling T-shirts to food, summer beach sports, boaters, fools toddling down the stairs in the wrong shoes and clothes to dealing with gawkers.
I often chose to turn left into the action but more then naughty I chose right to find a place when my body and soul can rest before the long walk up the steps to join humanity and all it's noise and stress at the top of the embankment. I had the very proud experience of being on the Wreck Beach Preservation Society for a number of years till life took me away from Vancouver. WB and all that I met there shaped me into the strong naturist woman that I am today. My heart will always be there even in death when my ashes become one with the sea as is my wish.
Posted on CBC.ca site by: Elizabeth Wesley | May 31, 2007 07:26 AM
One of the most fascinating and valuable things about Wreck Beach is the fact that it appears to be wilderness while in reality it is only minutes away from town. But for those few precious moments when you are down there, you feel as if you are a million miles away -- certainly far away from the cares of the city. In a sense, you ARE in the country -- with the tall trees on the bluff, and the seashore and skyline surrounding you. This creates a magical feeling of expansiveness -- so restorative and rejuvenating. You feel completely at one with nature.
The Canada geese provide a graceful fly past overhead. Enjoy the experience of being so close to the eagles, the blue heron, the seal who swims leisurely near the shore. Smell the fresh, salty air. Immerse yourself in the water and the experience. What a remarkable treasure we have right in our backyard, and only a short bus ride away from home if you are local. It's a glorious landmark that Canada can offer the world, along with other spectacular destinations in our beautiful country. But I feel that Wreck Beach is the most beautiful.
Enjoy the moment. Let's make sure to tread lightly, respect the land and each other, pack out what you pack in, and take care of this jewel for the future, this timeless paradise that truly is a treasure and is a real Wonder of the world!
Posted on CBC.ca site by: Marilyn Hogan | May 31, 2007 04:46 AM
Your news pieces carries the spirit of Wreck Beach wonderfully. It is a surreal place, one truly worth saving and preserving.
Posted on CBC.ca site by: Gregory Fung | May 30, 2007 09:26 PM
Every city should have the equivalent of Wreck Beach, where one can be clothed or clothes-free as one wishes. Few will have the scenery, though.
Posted on CBC.ca site by: Ian L. McQueen | May 30, 2007 06:41 PM
Wreck Beach Email Nominations as
sent in to CBC's Seven Wonders
of Canada May 2007
Wreck Beach
is a part of
the stunning
West Coast
with views
of the urban
and the
wild, the
ocean and
the
mountains.
Huge logs,
the refugees
of the
logging
industry,
provide
shelter and
texture to
the open
sand. The
people make
this beach
the ultimate
Canadian
wonder. The
vague aura
of
lawlessness
that comes
with public
nudity
brings out a
camaraderie
not found in
the more
Victorian
beaches
nearby. The
topless
bathers are
a nod to our
European
leanings,
while the
incredible
non-sexuality
of the
situation
celebrates
the
Englishness
of our
heritage.
The vendors
of
refreshments
represent
entrepreneurship,
and the
casual
volunteers
who collect
beer and
Coke cans
symbolize
our most
ecologically
sensitive
tendencies.
And the long
climb up and
down the
cliff
between the
beach and
university
above
reveals the
most
Canadian
element of
Wreck
Beach.
People are
willing to
break the
law and
wander nude
on the sand
drinking
beer and
smoking …
but only on
a hidden and
difficult
beach...
It's the
polite way.
Steve
Kisby
The world
renowned
Wreck Beach
(and Judy
Williams,
the person
most
responsible
for keeping
that beach
and
surrounding
area the
special and
unique place
it is.
James
Loewen
I nominate
Vancouver's
Wreck Beach
as the
number one
wonder of
Canada.
Millions of
visitors
from all
over the
world attest
to the fact
that Wreck
Beach offers
natural
beauty,
freedom,
solace,
inspiration,
and delight
to all who
visit. Wreck
Beach
provides a
stunning
setting to
commune with
nature and
her clothing
optional
status
offers all
human beings
a unique
chance to
understand
how they fit
into the
rich
tapestry of
humanity.
Walking the
length of
Canada's
most
celebrated
beach on a
shimmering
summer day
surrounded
by bodies of
every size,
shape, age,
hue and
gender, and
then diving
into the
ocean, is
certainly
one of
Canada's
most
exhilarating
and
memorable
experiences!
Danny
Rondo
…an amazing
view of the
Georgia
straight and
Vancouver
Island, not
to forget
the amazing
sunsets…
feels far
from
civilization
but is only
30 minutes
from
downtown by
transit!
Diana
McIntosh
As I
sit amongst a
large
group
of friends
and
acquaintances on
Wreck
Beach,
we
join
in
unison
with hundreds
of other
voices
down
the
long
stretch
of
sand,
cheering
in
our
traditional
nightly
ritual with
our "Salute
to
the
Sun,"
at
sunset.
It
is
our
way
of
giving
thanks
to
Creation
for
another
blessed
day
of
sunshine
on
our
beloved
beach
in
Vancouver's
unique,
clothing
optional
paradise. Around
us,
we are
serenaded
simultaneously
by
many
musicians
playing
us a
song,
always perfectly
suited
to
this very
moment
in
time.
There
is a
community
camaraderie
and
shared
love
of Wreck
Beach that
brings
us
all
together
year
round,
on
our
personal
"Wonder
of
the
World."
A
crazy
and
eclectic
community
of children,
teens,
adults
and
grandparents from
all
walks
of
life,
that
have
found a
very
special
place
in
their
heart
for
Wreck
Beach.
We,
as a
beach
community, have
survived
many
obstacles
every
year,
that
consistently
threaten
our
desire
to
keep
this
pristine
space
as
natural
as
possible
for
ourselves,
our
children and
the
many
eagles,
herons,
seals
and
other
wildlife that
we
share
it
with.
Each year many thousands of
people throng to our beach,
enjoying it's
seclusion, inviting or
dreading its famous steep trail,
anticipating some time out to
let Mother Nature work her magic
with gentleness and finesse. It
is a love that is hard to
explain to those who have never
been here, but Wreck Beach calls
to us as sure as we breathe and
there is a deeply healing energy
here that is felt by many. It
is by far, my most favorite
place in the world to be and is
definitely one of Canada's Seven
Wonders.
Nudist Paradise in Vancouver B.C.
More Wreck Beach Info...
activities, bulletins, calendar concerns, directory, entertainment, events, food, guide, history, love letters, music, massage, maps, parking, people, petitions, photos, products, protests, raffle, stories, support, swims, tides, trails, vendors, weather
Wreck Beach made the top 52 in the nominations for CBC's Seven Wonders of Canada in May 2007
Wreck Beach Video from CBC's Archives of The Seven Wonders of Canada which first aired May 25, 2007
Photo Courtesy James Loewen ~ Wreck Beach Preservation Society
CBC's Seven Wonders of Canada ~ Love Letters
If you have a love letter about Wreck Beach that you would like to add, please contact us. Thank-you...
Wreck Beach, Canada's number one clothing optional beach, is a fabulous, healing and naturally beautiful paradise that attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors from all over the world, every year. The pristine beauty of the long stretch of beach boasts a family of eagles, lots of blue herons and shares many opportunities for people of all ages, races and personalities to be alone or in the midst of the crowd. It is better than television on any given day, filled with incredible characters that color the beach with their wild and crazy accessories and outrageous free-spirited antics.
Just show up with cash if you like and get virtually everything you need for a day on the beach...Watch for the person who sells extra scrabble letters, used pocketbooks, recites personal poetry for a toonie and gifts safety pins and elastics if needed. Goddesses, request a beautifully sketched nude momento of yourself from that gentleman over there with the sketchbook. Look there goes a very hairy guy with a huge 6 foot blowup palm tree tied to his body , walking the beach and chatting with whoever will listen.
Maybe you would like a cut from a naked hairdresser, or enjoy ultimate relaxation in the sun with a massage or a foot reflexology treatment, or perhaps contemplate life with a tarot reading. Don't forget to select a colorful Indonesian beach sheet, wrap yourself in a sexy sarong or simply deck yourself out nudist style with sterling silver jewelery from head to toe.
Wreck Beach offers the only fully licensed, naked food vendors on any beach in Canada, with lovingly made gourmet treats that surpass every typical greasy food stand on any other beach. Offering things like free trade organic brownies or yam fries, wild meat burgers from Stormin'Normans, homemade empanadas from Lucy or tasty Greek souvlaki and salads from Nudius Foodius to name a few. Wait, here comes a ravishing angel selling homemade, liqueur filled chocolate nipples and bags of cashews and someone else with ice cold fruit smoothies and virgin margaritas!
Make a point to sit near the incredible variety of talented musicians that come together in daily jam sessions all along the beach, inspiring the crowd to join them. Watch for the cruising seals who appreciate the music too. Get up and shake it with the many naked gods or goddesses that dance to the heartbeat rhythms of various hand drums mixed with a bass guitar or Tibetan bells.
Enjoy the artistically created carved logs or benches that dot the beach and trail or peruse the communities beautiful co-created flower gardens that brighten the sands in hollowed logs. Pour your leftover cooler water into the plastic bins aligned so the flowers get watered. Bring a skim board or body surf in the refreshing waves to cool off after napping in the hot sun. Take a walk in the rainforest paradise behind the mud flats and find seclusion in icing sugar white sand hideaways. Join in the Salute to the Sun when the whole beach cheers on as one voice in unison at sunset, honoring Mother Natures gift of another blessed day on this very special beach.
Believe it or not, die-hard nudists hang out and suntan year round from January to November with their protective metallic sheets aligned to block the wind and reflect the winters sun in the cooler months. After all the beach is beautiful in every season! Wreck has been my personal healing oasis for 29 years, consistently filling me with gratitude and appreciation for the incredible variety of humanity that graces this amazing beach. It hosts a loving community that not only enjoys their time here, they personally hand sift the sand, clean, care for and protect every aspect of this sacred land with a reverence that would do any city proud. It truly is, without a doubt, one of Canada's Seven Wonders.
Posted on CBC.ca site by: Diana McIntosh | May 28, 2007 06:19 AM
Whether you go to Wreck or not it means a freedom of choice. It shows Vancouver freedom of expression that is rarely found in the US.
Posted on CBC.ca site by: William F. Jones & Rowena E. Jones | May 27, 2007 08:11 PM
The video 'Seven Wonders - Wreck Beach' looks briefly at the main beach. However the greater Wreck Beach area runs almost 8 kilometers. Almost half of that is inside the North Arm Jetty, wetlands that flourish with the denizens of flora and fauna. This is more than a place of escape. It is a sacred place. A healing place. I grew up in the country and lived my first forty years away from urban stresses. Reluctantly though I came to Vancouver to work on a degree. What has helped me to stay balanced, more than any other thing, has been the time I have had to spend at Wreck Beach. Being an avid photographer, more than half of my work is shot along this beach. This is where I run, naked, along trails rarely used, the setting sun strobing through the trees, a baby squirrel running alongside me. There is not a single day I spend at Wreck Beach that I am not humbled in gratitude, awed by its beauty, amazed that such a place could exist at all, never mind that it's inside of the 3rd largest city in Canada. Everyday that I'm there I have my guitar. In the evenings I write music, play and sing. Oftentimes seals swim in, geese come by, even the great blue herons will drop in, and the little baby squirrel curls up beside me and naps. Wreck Beach will always be my number one wonder of the world.
Posted on CBC.ca site by: Doug Oram | May 27, 2007 05:49 PM
Thanks for the lovely clip about my favorite place in Canada. Wreck Beach is a symbol of the Canadian values of freedom and nature. Where else in the world can a short walk down a trail take you away from a crowded, overheated city to a world of nature, people helping each other, and peace. Canadians in general and Vancouverites in particular, are blessed by having such a place so close to an urban center.
Bruce
Posted on CBC.ca site by: Bruce McPherson | May 27, 2007 01:08 PM
I just finished watching the bit on Wreck Beach and i would like to thank you for the accurate portrayal of piece. I have been visiting Wreck off and on for the last 10 years and i am humbled by its beauty, astounded by it's healing qualities, tickled by it's 'locals', and pampered by the venders. The self policing, self preserving, self politicking is of such unique power, a smart world would do well to sit up and listen.
Posted on CBC.ca site by: Laura Huhn | May 27, 2007 03:41 AM
Wreck Beach is a magical place! There is no where like it in the world, and it is surely one of Canada's wonders and national treasures. It remains that way thanks to the hard work of countless volunteers most notably Judy Williams!
Posted on CBC.ca site by: Bruce Harris | May 26, 2007 02:57 AM
A first time visit to Wreck Beach can feel a bit like, Through the Looking Glass where many of the rules of the dominant culture are suddenly gone, and everything is slightly different, and free-er! For many the experience of Wreck Beach provides a view to how human beings can live in joy and harmony with each other and this beautiful earth. Even a temporary glimpse at the freedom celebrated here can work as an antithesis to much that is currently ailing this world.
Wreck Beach is unique, in Canada and on this Earth. Much gratitude to all who recognize, protect and celebrate this exquisite and precious place.
Posted on CBC.ca site by: James Loewen | May 31, 2007 10:38 PM
Posted on CBC.ca site by: Roger | May 31, 2007 10:00 PM
Posted on CBC.ca site by: Barry Pither | May 31, 2007 06:31 PM
Posted on CBC.ca site by: Leanne | May 31, 2007 03:22 PM
Posted on CBC.ca site by: Ray Jorritsma | May 31, 2007 02:56 PM
Posted on CBC.ca site by: Ted Thompson | May 31, 2007 10:13 AM
Posted on CBC.ca site by: T. Thompson | May 31, 2007 09:49 AM
The heavy mantle of life is lifted from my shoulders as I descend the stairs to WB through the forest of time shedding my clothing along the way to the tranquility of this beach. At the bottom of the steps one has a choice right or left. Join the merriment of the crowd or seek out a quiet place in the sand to refresh my soul as I observe the microcosm of diversity of this heaven on a beach go by.
From the eagles on high, seals barking in the waters, walking the pristine beach at low tide and watching the children playing in tidal pools. View the maritime shipping far out in the Georgia Straight going about their business. One can be quickly swept up in the sounds, smells and community that is WB. From vendors selling T-shirts to food, summer beach sports, boaters, fools toddling down the stairs in the wrong shoes and clothes to dealing with gawkers.
I often chose to turn left into the action but more then naughty I chose right to find a place when my body and soul can rest before the long walk up the steps to join humanity and all it's noise and stress at the top of the embankment. I had the very proud experience of being on the Wreck Beach Preservation Society for a number of years till life took me away from Vancouver. WB and all that I met there shaped me into the strong naturist woman that I am today. My heart will always be there even in death when my ashes become one with the sea as is my wish.
Posted on CBC.ca site by: Elizabeth Wesley | May 31, 2007 07:26 AM
The Canada geese provide a graceful fly past overhead. Enjoy the experience of being so close to the eagles, the blue heron, the seal who swims leisurely near the shore. Smell the fresh, salty air. Immerse yourself in the water and the experience. What a remarkable treasure we have right in our backyard, and only a short bus ride away from home if you are local. It's a glorious landmark that Canada can offer the world, along with other spectacular destinations in our beautiful country. But I feel that Wreck Beach is the most beautiful.
Enjoy the moment. Let's make sure to tread lightly, respect the land and each other, pack out what you pack in, and take care of this jewel for the future, this timeless paradise that truly is a treasure and is a real Wonder of the world!
Posted on CBC.ca site by: Marilyn Hogan | May 31, 2007 04:46 AM
Posted on CBC.ca site by: Gregory Fung | May 30, 2007 09:26 PM
Posted on CBC.ca site by: Ian L. McQueen | May 30, 2007 06:41 PM
Wreck Beach Email Nominations as sent in to CBC's Seven Wonders of Canada May 2007
www.cbc.ca/sevenwonders/index.html
Geoff Soulsby
Steve Kisby
James Loewen
Danny Rondo
Diana McIntosh
Each year many thousands of people throng to our beach, enjoying it's seclusion, inviting or dreading its famous steep trail, anticipating some time out to let Mother Nature work her magic with gentleness and finesse. It is a love that is hard to explain to those who have never been here, but Wreck Beach calls to us as sure as we breathe and there is a deeply healing energy here that is felt by many. It is by far, my most favorite place in the world to be and is definitely one of Canada's Seven Wonders.
Diana McIntosh at Wreck Beach with friend Azula