Why not take a day trip to a local beach? There are some nice beaches within a 30 minute drive of downtown Halifax. Try doing a Google search or Mapquest to help with directions to these local beaches. Most of them have lifeguards on duty:

• Rainbow Haven Beach, Cole Harbour
  
• Lawrencetown Beach, Lawrencetown
  
• Queensland Beach, Hubbards
  
• Crystal Crescent Beach, Sambro

A favorite is Rainbow Haven with its warm, lovely water.   The beach has a little canteen and a boardwalk that stretches out to the ocean.

A warning to some: Crystal Crescent Beach has 3 distinct areas to it. One of the areas away located the furthest from the main beach is known to have nudist sunbathing.

** Note:  The original information for this thread came from the following forum thread: http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-...