1. Beaches

Category Archives: Beaches

Oil spill washes ashore on West Vancouver beaches

Posted on by

The District of West Vancouver is warning the public to stay away from oil-polluted water off several local beaches as oil from the spill in English Bay reached West Vancouver beaches Thursday evening.

Municipal staff began posting signs at beaches Thursday evening including Ambleside and Dundarave as a plume from the oil spill was carried across Burrard Inlet.

"There is oil on some beaches," said Jeff McDonald, spokesman for the District of West Vancouver Thursday night. Beaches where oil has been spotted include Sandy Cove, Stearman and Ambleside.

The fuel, believed to be bunker oil that spilled from an anchored freighter Wednesday evening is considered possibly harmful and could cause irritation to skin and eyes.

West Vancouver staff warned the public not to swim at local beaches, and to avoid contact with the oil, water and wet sand.

Clean up of West Vancouver beaches is expected to begin first thing Friday morning, said McDonald.

Authorities were first alerted to an oil spill from a freighter anchored off English Bay around 5 p.m. Wednesday, when a boater reported seeing an oily sheen on the water, said Julia Ren, a spokeswoman with Port Metro Vancouver.

At the time, We were told (the oil) was light and unrecoverable, said Ren.

Only later in the evening did the authorities realize the oil was thicker and the spill more serious than first thought.

Crews set up a containment boom around the grain ship Mathahassa sometime after 9 p.m. and began emergency cleanup operations.

See the rest here:

Oil spill washes ashore on West Vancouver beaches

Beat the crowds: 5 Virgin Beaches to Visit in the Philippines this Summer

Posted on by

5 Crowd-less Philippine Beaches to Visit this Summer

This summer, going to the beach sounds like the best idea to beat the heat. But everyone seems to be thinking the same thing, and you end up elbow-to-elbow with the crowd in some of the more popular beaches in the country not conducive to relaxing and beach bumming!

Kalanggaman Islandphoto by Kalanggaman Island FB

Good thing the Department of Tourism suggested some crowd-less beaches to visit in the Philippines this summer. These beaches are as beautiful and serene as the more popular ones like in Boracay and Puerto Galera, but theres a better chance youll find your personal space in these sandy shores. Just make sure you get there first!

How to get there: Take a flight to Butuan City. From the airport, take a four- to five-hour road trip to San Agustin via public bus transport or private vehicle. Drop off point will be the Salvacion Tourism Office, from which you may take a habal-habal motorcycle or a tricycle to Britania.

Britania Islandsphoto by Raissa QD via Flickr

The Tourism Department describes the beach in Britania Islands as one of the countrys best-kept island secrets. Its made up of a cluster of more than 20 islands on Lianga Bay, facing Pacific Ocean. The islands have powdery white sands which DOT says is comparable to Boracays.

How to get there: Board a bus en route to Iba, Zambales. Get off at the San Antonio Municiap Hall, and then take a tricycle to Pundaquit beach. From there, rent a boat going to Nagsasa Cove.

Sunset in Nagsasa Covephoto by Kris Opiana via Flickr

Nagsasa Cove is close enough to Metro Manila to become a road trip destination. The Department of Tourism says its a great destination with powdery white sand and crystal waters. Perfect for a quick weekend getaway!

See the article here:

Beat the crowds: 5 Virgin Beaches to Visit in the Philippines this Summer

Beaches within a two-hour drive of Greater Manchester

Posted on by

Here is our guide to the top ten family-friendly beaches within a two-hour drive from Greater Manchester.

We have chosen a mixture of family-friendly beaches, some sandy and some with stone and rock features.

Beach certified EDBW (Euro designated bathing water ) have been clearly marked. This means they are suitable for bathing.

Please make sure you check with individual beaches whether the beaches are manned by lifeguards on the day you are set to visit.

Come rain or shine, Blackpool is always buzzing with families visiting its array of attractions including the Pleasure Beach, Blackpool Tower and Sealife Centre.

But the vast sandy beach, complete with piers and donkey rides are the reason Blackpool is a holiday mecca. The bonus is its only 45 minutes away.

Just a stones throw from Blackpool but this beach is often a little quieter.

There is an ornate Victorian pier in front of extensive tidal sands and a boating lake.

The town itself has plenty of restaurants and B&Bs, its own art gallery and Lytham Hall, a stunning Georgian country house, is open to visitors - prefect for a balmy spring day.

View original post here:

Beaches within a two-hour drive of Greater Manchester

Anthony Schapel releases findings on Encounter Bay beaches

Posted on by

April 10, 2015, 6:30 a.m.

VICTOR HARBOR: Deputy state coroner hands down finding of beaches.

Deputy state coroner Anthony Schapel has handed down his findings on an inquest into the drownings of three men in south coast waters. He is pictured at Petrel Cove March 10.

A decision about the future of twoEncounter Bay beaches that have claimed three livesin as many years has been placed in the Victor Harborcouncil's hands.

It follows the findings of a coronial inquest intothe drownings of men at Depledge Beach and PetrelCove.

The inquest, that took place over six days in March- led by state deputy coroner Anthony Schapel -investigated the drowning deaths of David RussellGadd, Kamran Bimal Gujari and Nasir Ali Anwari.

Mr Gadd, 28, of Encounter Bay drowned atDepledge Beach on February 9, 2012.Mr Gujari, 19, from Seaton disappeared fromPetrel Cove Beach on April 25, 2014. His body wasnever found.

Mr Anwari, 18, from Paralowie drowned at PetrelCove on December 24, 2014.

Mr Schapel handed down his findings andrecommendations on April 2.

On the matter of closing the beach Mr Schapel saidit "had troubled the court considerably" and it "isclearly a matter that the council has to consider anddecide for itself".

Read more from the original source:

Anthony Schapel releases findings on Encounter Bay beaches

Toxic fuel from English Bay spill washes up on Vancouver beaches

Posted on by

The source, composition and quantity of the toxic fuel that spilled out into the waters of English Bay in Vancouver Wednesday afternoon is still unconfirmed.

In a news conference Thursday afternoon, Roger Girouard, head of the Canadian Coast Guard western region, said that the spill was being treated as either bunker fuel or raw crude in a "worst-case scenario" until test results came back.

Residents were being warned to avoid the beaches on both sides of the bay on one of the sunniest days of the year, and to keep their dogs leashed and away from wet sand as a cleanup operation continues.

Girouard said that two large patches of the spill had been spotted moving towardthe North Shore of the city, and had been collected immediately.No large slicks had touched the shoreline, he said, but there was "sheen material and some black tar balls" on the beach.

Fourteen hundred litres of the spill had so far been collected, he said, with a rough assessment of a total 2,800 litres present in the water.

The spill occurred in Vancouver's picturesque English Bay. (CBC)

That amount was "above the norm" but not "catastrophic."

The source of the spill remains unconfirmed, as crew ofthe grain ship Marathassa, which sat in the middle of the spill, denies they released any material, Girouard said, noting that lawyers are involved.

"We can't definitively say it came from that vessel," he said. "The master says they are not the source of the oil."

Girouardsaid that from an operations perspective, the response had gone "according to doctrine,"but he acknowledged that communications to the City of Vancouverandits residents "could have been better."

Read the original:

Toxic fuel from English Bay spill washes up on Vancouver beaches

A federally funded study examines Island beaches

Posted on by

The surveys are part of a 22-beach investigation.

A team of researchers from the Massachusetts Geological Survey and NOAA recently examined beaches in Oak Bluffs and Edgartown as part of an ongoing study geared toward preventing beach erosion. The study is funded by Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and is being conducted in partnership with the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management.

This is the first, necessary step toward coming up with a plan for dealing with some hard issues related to coastal erosion, sedimentologist and lead investigator of the study Dr. Jon Woodruff said in a press release. The public beaches included in this study were identified by the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management as beaches in critical need of assessment. Many have sensitive and important infrastructure behind them, such as roads, bridges, wastewater treatment plants, and harbors.

In an email to The Times, geology professor Dr. Nicolas Venti, a member of the research team on-Island last week, outlined the threats to the Vineyard beaches they investigated.

In the case of Oak Bluffs Town Beach (Pay and Inkwell), the beach abuts a seawall that protects Seaview Avenue and the downtown area to the west, he said. Hard structures such as seawalls can be undermined by scour when ocean waves and currents are forced to flow against them. Sylvia State Reservation is a thin, low-lying barrier beach that protects Beach Road, Sengekontacket Pond and its surrounding marsh, connects Oak Bluffs to Edgartown, and is a treasure in itself. Dissection of the dunes due to breech by storm surge might lead to disintegration of the barrier beach.

By analyzing the beaches natural shapes and what theyre composed of, Dr. Venti thinks a beach blueprint can be made to aid restoration needs that may arise in the future.

These measurements will allow coastal communities and the state to pursue appropriate management strategies in response to beach erosion, he said. Specifically, information about this type of seasonal beach variability will be particularly useful for potential beach nourishment. It provides a guide to determine what type of material is suitable for a particular location, and how much material might be required to restore a full beach profile.

According to Dr. Venti, Horseneck and East Beaches in Westport, Barges Beach on Cuttyhunk Island, Surf Beach in Falmouth, and Low and Miacomet Beach on Nantucket were also surveyed this year. In total, we plan to survey 22 beaches along Massachusetts coast, he said.

More:

A federally funded study examines Island beaches


  1. Beaches