A popular swimming dock on the Gorge now has triple the space for people to enjoy the water.
The City of Victoria announced the opening of a new swim platform at Gorge Marine Park adjacent to Banfield Park on Friday morning, ahead of a warm and sunny weekend.
Derrick Newman, the city’s acting director of parks, recreation and facilities, said the expanded dock will give people more room to enjoy one of Victoria’s year-round swim and paddle hotspots. The popularity of the local swimming spot has increased sharply during recent summers, leading the city to commit to a larger swim platform for $300,000 last May.
Upgrades include a children’s life-jacket loaner station, anchored buoys to mark a recreational swimming area, and swim steps for easier water access.
Abandoned by swimmers after the 1940s due to pollution and garbage dumping, the Gorge was restored beginning in 1994. The waterway was given a clean bill of health in 2000, and swimming in the Gorge was re-popularized through a series of swimming competitions and events.
A floating recreational swim platform was first installed in the area in 2021. Following increased public usage, the public dock was expanded significantly in 2022 and again this month by the City of Victoria.
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