[ehMax]

For many Canadians who have endured a long cold winter, one of the things we most look forward to in the summer, is finding and enjoying that perfect stretch of sand and water on one of Canada's many beautiful beaches. Well, thanks to Swim Guide [iTunes App Store Link], that has just become a whole lot easier with the new, free iPhone iOS app. Created by a network of nonprofit watershed protection organizations, Swim Guide helps you locate the closest, cleanest beach, get directions, view photos, determine if the water is safe for swimming - and share the whole adventure with your friends and family on your social networks. The app is currently available for beaches on the Great Lakes and around Vancouver with more beaches being added

"Swim Guide changes the way we use our beaches," says Mark Mattson, President & Waterkeeper, Lake Ontario Waterkeeper. "In the past, you had to do a lot of research to find a beach close to you, or to check on the quality of the water, but Swim Guide makes beach-going easy. It really encourages you to enjoy the natural environment in your own backyard."

Watch the video below to learn more:



According to the 2011 Water Attitudes study, almost nine in ten Canadians (87%) are concerned about the quality of water in the lakes in which they swim, and almost two thirds (63%) believe the quality of water in our lakes is getting worse. The new app will help alleviate some of these concerns, says Mattson, by providing real-time information about water quality and cleanliness.

 

[monokitty]

Awesome app. Thanks for posting this. Downloaded and installed.

 

[Lawrence]

That's great Mr. Mayor, I'll use it for North Beach in Prince Edward County on holidays.

 

[The Bridge]

Nice idea but in my opinion they should rethink the red/yellow/green/grey swimmer icons to represent beach status. Colours are arbitrary and ambiguous symbols and, in many cases, red/green are poor choices due to the number of colour-blind users out there (including yours truly). Better to use a more universal symbol for "don't swim", like a swimmer with a bar through it, a la "no smoking" or "no entrance". Or, better, just use the words "posted", "clear", etc.

Hopefully they'll include more beaches across the country in there. Lake Simcoe has some very nice ones and the south shore is closer to Toronto than most city folk might think.

 

[[email protected]]

I was pleased to discover that our local beaches are all less than a km away... I'd always guessed the distance and have told people for the better part of a decade that we're a little over a k away from the beach... Nice to know I was underselling... Either that or the world has moved on, Roland.

 

[Lawrence]

When you get to the beach, You can listen to your local radio station no matter where you are,
Using "Tunein Radio"

I picked up this great little app for my iPhone recently for .99¢ on the iTunes store,
I just love it, Now I can listen to my favourite radio station no matter where I am.