Is that second photo Salt Spring? It looks familiar to me.
I dunno, maybe it's the old lifeguard in me speaking ... maybe it's the fact that I once, as a kid, nearly got lost ashore off Manly beach off Sydney after being caught in a riptide ... I wasn't in distress in the least, but I suddenly found myself 1 kilometre ashore. I sort of looked up and saw how far out I was ... sometimes the currents you get caught in are so gentle that you can't perceive that you're being carried off.
(I got back to shore with the help of a surfer who went out looking for me when my dad realized he couldn't see me anymore.)
I just think it's better to have a swim buddy out there with you (ie., not sitting at the beach), whether you are 7 or 37... Just my $0.02.
Thus if you can go with some buddies or grandparents or other family ... it will just be better. But yeah, I realize that's not always possible. Let's face it, whatever you can do, is obviously going to be better than sitting at home staring at the snow.