English Bay Swim Club...

...has been around almost as long as organized Masters’ swimming in British Columbia, and we are one of the first LGBT2Q* swim teams in the world. We’ve had a long and sometimes troubled relationship with the Masters Swimming Association of BC (MSABC), but remain one of the largest and certainly most active teams in the province. ​

​At a crucial turning point in our history, we became the first Canadian team to host both International Gay and Lesbian Aquatics (IGLA, 1989) and Gay Games (1990) events, which in turn inspired others to form clubs in Canada.

Since then, we’ve continued to be a welcoming place for LGBT2Q* swimmers of all abilities, we’ve hosted numerous sporting and social events, including BC Masters Provincial Championships in 1995 and 2010, and our members have consistently performed well in local and international competitions.

Members of the 2016-17 Executive Board enjoying some post AGM drinks

On December 10, 1998, seven “veteran” members of the English Bay Swim Club met with Tom Kemple and Nick Phillips for dinner at Yun Ping Restaurant on Davie Street. Daniel Collins, Keith Fryer, Patrick Gray, John Hallett, Bob Isnor, Dirk Ricker, and Kevin Simpson generously shared with them their memories and recollections of the team’s first ten years, some joyful and some difficult. Tom and Nick assembled the first history of the club in their “A Brief History of the English Bay Swim Club: 1982-2002“ based on the conversation they had with the “veterans” that night, and added some stories they had gathered from other members about highlights from our second decade.​​