Vancouver nude beach patrons seek noise regulation

A group representing Vancouver's best-known nude beach is asking Metro Vancouver to ban noisy water craft and from coming within 300 metres of the shore.

The Wreck Beach Preservation Society is presenting the municipal authority with a petition signed by more than 2,500 people, saying that party boats and jet-skis are polluting the area and ruining the ambiance of the secluded beach, located on the north arm of the Fraser River near the University of B.C..

"The party boats come in... and there are these big jet boats... they come in, they raft together and they put amplified music on and you can't hear the seagulls, the eagles cry," said society spokeswoman Judy Williams.

"I was sitting against a log where a man down the log was trying to play his guitar. I could see his hand moving... I couldn't hear his guitar."

Williams also said jet skiers pose a danger to swimmers at the beach.

"Other beaches in the Lower Mainland have a 300-metre buffer between their swimmers and jet skis and motorized vessels. We have no protection at Wreck Beach," she said.  

But it's not clear who is responsible for the waters around the beach, said Heather Deal, the chair of the Metro Vancouver environment and parks committee.

"Rather than just saying, 'They shouldn’t be here, we are going to ban them,’ we need to find out actually who has jurisdiction and can we define an area within that water lot that is excluded for motorized vehicles," Deal said.

Metro Vancouver staff members have been asked to investigate the jurisdictional question and prepare a report before the next council meeting.