Lifeguards ended their patrol on Stanley Park's Third Beach early again following the long weekend due to safety concerns.
The Vancouver Park Board says the lifeguards will continue to end their patrol early for the foreseeable future. Locals hoping to enjoy evening swims on Tuesdays should visit Second Beach, which would be staffed with lifeguards until 8:30 p.m. as usual.
"We will follow a similar approach for the foreseeable future; however, next week lifeguards will remain on duty at Third Beach until 8 p.m. for those wanting to swim."
While lifeguards will end patrols early indefinitely, the crowd at the drum circle on Tuesday (Aug. 2) "was much smaller than it has been in several weeks, with around 700 people in attendance," the park board told Vancouver Is Awesome.
Lifeguards ended their patrol at 7 p.m. on Tuesday and park rangers did not report any incidents.
Drinking is not allowed on Vancouver beaches
Vancouver police officers and park rangers are at the beach to reinforce the message that alcohol is prohibited at city beaches, the seawall, playgrounds, sports fields, community centres, and various other designated areas, said the park board.
Drinking is permitted at 22 locations listed in the Alcohol in Parks pilot, however.
VPD Const. Tania Vistintin told V.I.A. VPD officers will be in the area of the drum circle to ensure public safety.
A reminder from the Park Board that drinking alcohol and smoking on beaches and the seawall is prohibited. https://t.co/u7R4nIx4s7
— Vancouver Police (@VancouverPD) August 2, 2022
Last week, the park board stated that there were three separate incidents at the "unsanctioned drum circle" in July and lifeguards would be ending their patrols at 7 p.m.
On July 12, an individual was pulled unconscious from the water and lifeguards performed first aid until paramedics arrived on the scene. At the time of the incident, the number of people at Third Beach reportedly exceeded 4,000, the park board told V.I.A. in a statement.
While it was temporarily postponed due to the pandemic, the weekly drum circle has seen thousands of people gather again since the restrictions have been lifted.
