For many years the Gorge was the primary place people in the Greater Victoria area did their swimming. There were several bath houses. At Curtis Point there was a 110 foot tall diving tower which was taken down in the early 20s after one of the divers fatally injured himself.
Swimming came to an end when the Gorge became filled with the sewage from all the houses around the inlet. Many homes simply funneled their sewage straight into the Gorge.
Starting in 2000 the Veins of Life society worked hard to clean up the Gorge. At the same time local governments made sure no more sewage was dumped into the waterway.
