This was my first Canada Day in Ottawa. I moved here last August and brought with me all the skepticism of someone who grew up a short car ride away from downtown Toronto.
I also brought to the capital a distaste for swimming in waters near downtown. Not many people in Toronto swim in Lake Ontario. There’s a general understanding that it’s kind of gross.
But I decided to embrace Ottawa’s love for swimming in places I previously wouldn’t have considered by trying out the new NCC dock at the East Wharf, right near Major’s Hill Park, on Canada Day.
I arrived at the dock at about 11 a.m., relieved to see a body of water I could jump in after a blazing hot 30 C bike ride.
And jump in I did. My dives are rusty — I’m not sure I’ve done one since I learned to swim — I stuck to a trusty cannonball. Just as well, because next to me was Tara Gosling, a University of Ottawa student doing handstands into the water.
About five cannonballs later, I realized I hadn’t even taken in the view. Paddling in place, I noticed a water taxi filled with cheering, red-and-white-clad people floating by.
Parliament Hill glowed in the heat, just to the right of the Rideau Canal’s locks.
And then, I realized the locks were open, and foamy canal water was rushing into the river.
Emerancia Nkambu, who was selling lemonade and ice cream at the wharf’s refreshment stand, warned me about this when I greeted her upon my arrival.
“The water just smells,” she laughed, opening the fridge for a waft of cold air.
For five minutes or so, there was indeed a faint stink, and a few people waited it out on land until the locks closed again and order was restored — the cannonballs resumed.
Gosling, who swims regularly at Ottawa’s various docks, has been at East Wharf for the past three mornings. She said this is the first time she’s seen the locks open.
“If you come at the right time, it’s not too busy. The water’s been pretty warm recently,” she told me.
When I first arrived, the dock wasn’t busy at all, with about 20 people alternating between sunbathing and jumping in.
But Nkambu knew it would be a different story by noon. She told me she arrived at work early so she’d have more time to set up.
“I’m just trying to put more drinks in the fridge, refill the ice cream, and get more snacks. I’m just waiting for people, because I know it’s going to be crazy,” she said.
By noon, as outside began to feel like more of a sauna, bike racks were full, lawn chairs littered the surrounding grass, and Canadian flags, visors and T-shirts lined the wooden seating area.
This was short-lived, though, as an early afternoon storm blew through the capital bringing with it plenty of rain and thunder and suspending some of the party.
But the sky was still clear at this point, and there were about 50 people in total on the dock and in the water.
A group of kayakers paddled by with tiny Canadian flags sticking up from their baseball caps, their heads turned toward me and the wharf, which now included a flock of Canada geese floating along just outside the designated swimming area.
On any other day, the geese would have been too close for comfort, but baking in the sun, staring out at Parliament and the river, I was too serene to care.
Though it’s my first Canada Day in the capital, it’s more importantly my first Canada Day by myself. Usually, I’d spend it on a patio with my friends from home or at a park with my niece and grandmother.
So, I couldn’t help myself from watching a dad playfully throw his daughter into the river, who resurfaced a moment later, giggling, or two girls floating on pool noodles talking about their plans for the evening.
I had forgotten about my moment of concern when the locks had been opened. The water was clear again, and the geese had made their way across the river to check out the dock on the Gatineau side.
When the heat became unbearable from my place on the dock, I decided to try out the 25-metre lap lane on the far side of the swimming area.
This, I would soon realize, was a bold feat. The water is deep, and my contentedness with the scene made me comfortable enough to think it would be easy.
But after a few laps, I was out of breath. I padded over to the dock and sprawled out on my back, letting the sun dry me off.
Though I probably won’t be doing handstands into the river, I’m not averse to heading back to the beautiful and very Canadian scene to brush up on my swimming skills this summer, and maybe even try out a dive.
And while the scene was filled with families that brought me comfort, I still FaceTimed my own family to show them the view while sitting on the dock.
The unsupervised swimming area at the East Wharf dock has no change rooms, but washrooms and water fountains are nearby in Major’s Hill Park.
The refreshment stand is open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
