A Sea-Doo convert boasts about the Lower Mainland’s luxurious lakes

Which lake in British Columbia’s Lower Mainland is the best?

“I would personally say Cultus Lake for now, but English Bay would be next on my list,” said Paul Bain, Sea-Doo enthusiast and great lake seeker. “Cultus is small but you (have room to) park and set up picnic items with friends on shore. Watercraft can sit along the shore with an anchor and can be taken out when the mood hits.”

A resident of Mission, B.C., Bain has ridden across many other local lakes such as Alouette Lake and Indian Arm via Port Moody with more voyages on the horizon such as False Creek.

Bain is a social rider and enjoys crossing lakes with a posse. “I like to ride with my wife wherever we go,” he said. “We also have many friends who frequent Cultus Lake and most of them don’t have watercraft. They join us on weekends and come for a ride. It’s exciting to enjoy the activity together.”

Exploring and seeing things from a new perspective are the major reasons Bain likes to take his Sea-Doo GTI SE 155 across waters every chance he gets. “It's always fun to see the sights on shore when others are around,” Bain said. “Our trip up Indian Arm was fantastic and we got to see many things that you wouldn’t know existed from land. Also, the larger the waterways means the larger the watercraft. This makes for incredible fun in wake jumping, which I can never get enough of. Passengers on larger boats get a kick out of watching Sea-Dooers jumping the waves, especially when taking a wave in the completely wrong way!”

Bain is safety conscious while making waves and tries to set a good example for others, particularly when children are involved. “The saying ‘safety is no accident’ rings true to every part of life and most certainly with riding these toys,” he said. “We respect others on the lake and when kids are on the Sea-Doo, our speeds are lowered.”

When cruising the waves of a new destination, Bain warned to make sure you know that you’re allowed to be there. “We were approaching Vancouver Harbour from Port Moody and apparently didn’t do our ‘waterways’ homework,” he said. “As we passed the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge at a high rate of speed, we noticed a larger vessel coming toward us with flashing blue lights. The officers were a little unfriendly at first until they realized we really didn't know about the rule that no PWC traffic is allowed in Vancouver Harbour. They were really friendly afterwards and gave us information and directions. Next time, we’ll launch in Stanley Park and tour the other side including False Creek.”

Bain has been a boat rider for many years but only recently made the switch to Sea-Dooing. “We’ve had many boats up to 21 feet long and sometimes miss the ability to take multiple people along,” said Bain. “We’ve found these Sea-Doo units to be much more portable and less maintenance in the way there’s no interiors to clean. The appeal of just hooking up to these machines and spending a day out on the water—there just isn’t any comparison to the sheer enjoyment. Everyone loves coming for rides.”