Dude. You moved to the right place.

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http://www.fitspeek.com the Fraser Valley's fitness, wellness, and endurance sports podcast

Our group (Speedfarm) swims in a variety of places near Victoria: Durrance, Thetis, Elk and Matheson as well as occasionally in the Gorge from Vic West.

This time of year Elk and Thetis tend to be a bit warmer as they're shallower but they can be prone to blue-green algae blooms as the summer progresses. Durrance and Matheson are both nice lakes and have not reported the same BG algae problems. It's wise to check online for water quality warnings...we noticed this morning that Glen Lake is listed as having an E. coli problem and the Gorge has high bacterial levels.

Have fun!

We’ve been swimming at Elk Lake for a week. Definitely wetsuits needed.
We will be swimming there Sunday and Tuesdays at 10, just after our 9 am run around the lake. Feel free to join us- Hamsterly Beach parking lot. We are mostly old triathletes.

Welcome to the Island! I’m also relatively new in town, and have had similar questions, so thanks for raising this.

Here’s one thing a local friend suggested:
https://pinnaclefitness.ca/local

Have you tried any of these programs Irezumi? Do you know if they are currently at Thetis Lake for OWS? It seems like there is a very vibrant community here which is going to be so nice! Thanks in advance!

Not yet, I've been waiting to get the jab (coming this week, huzzah). My friend who relayed the link has reached out to the person running the OWS, and they appear to be open to newcomers, as I understand.

I'll hit you DM with a bit more!

I can’t answer your Tri question my only comment is your company hiring?

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the world's still turning? >>>>>>> the world's still turning

There is a large open water swim group that meets on Friday mornings @7:30 at Thetis Lake during the late Spring - Summer. They are starting up on May 28th this year. All abilities show up to swim - right from the likes of elite ITU athletes to beginners. Check out 'Victoria Training Sessions' or send a message to Paul at https://pinnaclefitness.ca/.
In addition to that, Pinnacle runs a series of Splash N Dash races at Elk Lake on Wednesday evenings at 6:30 at Elk Lake.

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Team Every Man Jack

I contacted Pinnacle yesterday and hope to swim in Thetis on those Friday mornings. I swam in Elk Lake yesterday and it was very very cold. That is the bare minimum in terms of temperature for a softy like me. So many opportunities in and around Victoria. Great city for triathlon. Thanks for the info!