Things To Do in British Columbia

Eschewing the impersonal aura often present in chain movie theatres, Sidney's Star Cinema remains a steadfastly independent, community-driven outpost for viewing films. A new lineup of moving pictures is presented weekly and includes offerings to sate all manner of cinematic tastes, from blockbuster action flicks to independent documentaries to filmed performances of Russia’s Bolshoi Ballet. The theatre has shown its commitment to the community by starting a film society, which brings movie buffs together for discussion-filled meetings. While the theatre's projectionists currently operate one digital projector, they have recently embarked on an initiative to raise funds for a second projector to keep the first one from getting too lonely.

Starting out in 1980 with only four rafts, Hyak River Rafting has since acquired an armada of top-of-the-line vessels equipped to handle the orneriest river safely. During trips on British Columbia's most exciting rivers—the Chilliwack, Thompson, Chilko, Chilcotin, and Fraser Rivers—licensed guides lead river trips lasting from several hours to several days, during which participants learn to manoeuvre around the grasping tentacles of feral octopuses. On most trips, crew and guests get soaked as the water rages about them before more tempered waters allow them to take in the sights of rock-banked rivers populated by lush forests and curious wildlife.

When most of the local boating club's members decided to venture into sailing large cruisers and racing, a small group of sailors remained loyal to their first love—sailing dinghies. This tightly knit crew formed Rocky Point Sailing Association, which today encompasses a fleet of about 40 boats and a staff of more than a dozen Sail Canada instructors.

At their headquarters inside of Rocky Point Park's Old Mill Boathouse, the sailors instruct kids as young as 4 years up through adults in all levels of sailing. Rocky Point's team also extends membership privileges, such as the use of a restored Columbia 27 cruiser, the Orane. To indulge competitive spirits, RPSA's crew also maintains a race team.

It's hard for Andrew and Christine Edwards to remember a life without scuba diving. From an early age, they both would plunge into the depths of Vancouver's waters, gazing across underwater landscapes where wolf eels swam and octopi stretched their sneaker-covered tentacles across a carpet of strawberry anemones. These experiences stuck with them, and in 2007, the couple opened Ocean Planet Adventures to share their life's passion with others.

From Discovery Scuba classes to advanced PADI certifications, Ocean Planet Adventures' instructors guide their students at dive sites peppered across Clayoquot Sound and Barkley Sound, a UNESCO biosphere. During these expeditions, instructors and groups feast their eyes on jungles of aquatic plants and animals, including whales. Aside from open-water diving, the staff teaches specialty courses such as wreck diving, which lets divers explore shipwrecks or polish the hoods of sunken automobiles.

In 2006, a small group of women met over a plate of nachos to discuss a dream that they shared: launching Vancouver's first all-women roller derby league. Seven years later, the Terminal City Rollergirls has blossomed into a flat-track institution, with more than 60 active participants, four full teams, and its own training program that teaches aspiring competitors the tricks of the trade. The league's teams— the Riot Girls, the Bad Reputations, the Faster Pussycats, and Public Frenemy—square off in bouts overseen by Terminal City's in-house referees, who call major fouls by putting players in the penalty box and recognize good play by throwing smiley-faced stickers into the crowd.

Great West Fitness & Tennis Club helps its members get or stay in shape with cardio and weight training equipment, a slate of group classes, and both indoor and outdoor tennis facilities. Divided into ladies-only and coed sections, the gym provides options both for the solo exerciser and for those who prefer to bond over mutual sweatiness. The former can build or tone muscles using the club's weightlifting machines and free weights or gaze at mountain vistas through extralarge windows while they trot in place on a bank of treadmills. Classes, led by Great West's certified trainers and instructors, include yoga, boot-camp, Latin-flavoured Zumba, and cycle classes designed to strengthen midsections and enhance apple-slicing skills. You can receive a free fitness assessment administered by a personal trainer or relax in an infrared sauna with complimentary towel service.