THE AQUA SPORTS COMPANY LIMITED

What THE AQUA SPORTS COMPANY LIMITED does

THE AQUA SPORTS COMPANY LIMITED operates a single inland watersports centre at Mercers Lake within Mercers Country Park, Redhill, Surrey, under the consumer-facing brand Aqua Sports (also styled AquaSports). Founded in 1993 by John and Martin and run by Sam and Charlie following a 2001 ownership transition, the company delivers instruction, recreation, and qualification pathways across sailing, stand-up paddleboarding (SUP), kayaking, canoeing, windsurfing, open water swimming, scuba diving, raft building, and bushcraft, on a 70+ acre controlled inland water facility. The offering is delivered by qualified RYA, British Canoeing, and BSUPA instructors, with credentials ranging from beginner to advanced and including instructor-training programmes.

The product portfolio spans structured junior and adult courses, professional instructor courses, holiday camps and a youth summer programme, school activity days and after-school clubs, corporate team-building and event hire, birthday parties, open tasters, equipment hire and launch, and a separate hospitality sub-brand, The Deck: Cafe and Bar. Distribution is direct-to-consumer: customers self-serve book through a Checkfront-powered online reservation system, walk in at the Mercers Lake site, or sign up for the annual membership (March–February cycle) which provides free own-equipment launch, member hire rates, member-only events, and discounts on courses and camps. Ancillary storage is sold on a subscription basis subject to availability.

Revenue mechanics combine one-time activity payments (courses, parties, corporate events, café/bar) with recurring annual membership and equipment storage fees, layered on a regional Surrey/South London catchment. Go-to-market mixes direct online booking with community-led membership renewal cycles and event-driven bookings from schools and corporate clients; marketing is concentrated on the company's own website, email, Instagram, and Facebook. Multiple UK regulatory affiliations (RYA Training Centre, British Canoeing, BSUPA, Paddle UK, AALA, Ofsted) underpin qualification delivery and child-safety compliance. No revenue, funding, M&A, or AI capabilities are disclosed.

Name

THE AQUA SPORTS COMPANY LIMITED

Legal name

THE AQUA SPORTS COMPANY LIMITED

Website

https://aquasports.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Aqua Sports Company Limited operates Aqua Sports, a single-site inland watersports and training centre at Mercers Lake in Redhill, Surrey, delivering RYA, British Canoeing, and BSUPA-aligned courses, camps, memberships, parties, corporate events, and café services to families, youth, adults, schools, and corporate groups in the Surrey/South London catchment since 1993.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Watersports Instruction and Outdoor Recreation Services

NAICS

Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (713940)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

Whitewater & Paddle Sports Centers (Rafting, Kayak, SUP, Canoe) (THAAAKAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Marine Recreation Rentals & Tours Retail Counter (On-site Sales) (CRAMAIAM), Water & Marine Guiding Services (Kayak, Canoe, Raft, SUP, Sailing) (THAAALAB)

Keywords

• Watersports instruction
• Sailing courses
• Paddle sports training
• Outdoor recreation centre
• Adventure activity services

Headquarters

HQ city

Redhill

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Watersports Courses and Instruction: Structured courses for junior and adult students in sailing, SUP, kayaking, windsurfing, and canoeing. Courses range from beginner to advanced levels, taught by qualified RYA and British Canoeing instructors.
2. Membership Subscriptions: Annual membership running March to February, offering free own-equipment launch, exclusive equipment hire rates, member-only events, member rates for public events, and discounts on courses and camps.
3. Equipment Hire: Rental of watersports equipment including boats, SUP boards, kayaks, and windsurfing gear for customers without their own equipment.
4. Birthday Parties and Events: Two-hour taster sessions for children's birthday parties (6-24 kids), including food and drink packages, with adult viewing options at The Deck café.
5. Corporate Events and Team Building: Custom corporate packages for team building, corporate days, and event hire featuring watersports activities.
6. The Deck Café and Bar: On-site lakeside café and bar serving food and beverages to visitors, with private event capabilities.
7. Equipment Storage: Storage facilities for member equipment available at additional cost, subject to availability.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Aqua Sports Company Limited operates a watersports activity and training centre at Mercers Lake in Redhill, Surrey, delivering RYA-certified instruction, taster sessions, holiday camps and equipment hire across sailing, stand-up paddleboarding, kayaking, windsurfing, open water swimming, scuba diving and raft building for families, children, youth, adults, schools and corporate groups. The centre also runs an on-site café and bar (The Deck) and venue hire at Mercers Country Park, supported by annual memberships and a 70+ acre managed inland-water facility.

Product overview

Aqua Sports is a watersports activity and training centre based at Mercers Lake, Surrey, operating since 1993. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of watersports activities including sailing, stand-up paddleboarding (SUP), kayaking, windsurfing, open water swimming, scuba diving, and raft building. The core offering consists of structured courses for juniors and adults, professional instructor training, and holiday camp programmes. Additional offerings include school programmes, corporate team building events, birthday parties, open taster sessions, equipment hire, and membership options. The company also operates The Deck cafe and bar as an ancillary hospitality service. The product portfolio functions as a unified activity centre with courses and memberships forming the primary recurring revenue offerings, supplemented by casual visitor experiences and facility hire.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Deck: Cafe and Bar: Waterside café and bar offering drinks, bites, and lakeside dining with views of Mercers Lake.

Products and services

• Adult Sailing Courses Multi-week structured sailing courses for adult beginners through to advanced participants, delivered on inland water at Mercers Lake by RYA-qualified instructors. Targeted at adult individuals pursuing personal watersport development.
• Junior Sailing Courses Beginner-to-progressing junior sailing courses delivered by qualified instructors, mapped to RYA stages 1–4 and aimed at children learning to sail on safe inland water at Mercers Lake.
• Youth Sailing Courses Multi-week sailing courses for teenagers, progressing from RYA stages into more advanced skills on inland water at Mercers Lake under qualified instruction.
• Adult Windsurfing Course Multi-week adult windsurfing course progression from beginner to advanced, delivered by RYA-qualified windsurfing instructors at Mercers Lake.
• Adult Paddlesports Course Structured multi-week adult paddlesports (kayak and/or paddleboard) course taught by qualified instructors on Mercers Lake.
• RYA Dinghy Instructor Course RYA-accredited dinghy instructor training course preparing candidates to teach dinghy sailing, delivered by an RYA Training Centre at Mercers Lake.
• RYA Windsurfing Instructor Course RYA-accredited windsurfing instructor training course preparing candidates to teach windsurfing, delivered at Mercers Lake.
• RYA Paddleboard Instructor Course RYA-accredited stand-up paddleboard (SUP) instructor training course preparing candidates to teach SUP, delivered at Mercers Lake.
• RYA Powerboat Level 2 Course RYA-accredited Powerboat Level 2 course (also referenced as a staff qualification) teaching safe powerboat handling on inland water at Mercers Lake.
• Youth Summer Programme Multi-week structured summer programme for youth covering sailing, paddlesports and windsurfing at Mercers Lake, with Ofsted-registered childcare provision.
• Holiday Camps (Half-term and Easter) Multi-activity half-term and Easter holiday camps for children at Mercers Lake, combining sailing, paddlesports and other on-water activities under qualified instruction.
• Schools Programme School-curriculum and enrichment activity days delivered to UK primary, secondary and special schools (and scout/guide/cadet groups) using RYA-aligned syllabuses, with all equipment (wetsuits, buoyancy aids, helmets, waterproofs) provided.
• Open Water Swimming Sessions Guided open water swimming sessions delivered at the inland-water venue, with safety cover and equipment provided for adult and experienced participants.
• Scuba Diving Try-dive and scuba diving sessions at Mercers Lake, run by qualified dive staff in a controlled inland-water environment.
• Group Activities / Corporate Team-Building Multi-activity corporate away-day and team-building packages spanning sailing, raft building, raft races, paddlesports and challenges for groups of all sizes.
• Birthday Parties Hosted watersports-themed birthday parties for children at Mercers Lake, combining on-water activities with party space.
• Raft Building Instructor-led raft building sessions for groups, families and corporate team-building at Mercers Lake.
• Open Tasters (Across All Disciplines) Short, low-commitment taster sessions across sailing, paddleboarding, windsurfing, kayaking and other disciplines, designed to onboard new participants at the centre.
• Hire and Launch Service Self-launch and equipment hire service for individuals with their own or rented craft at the centre, including craft launch access.
• Aqua Sports Membership Annual subscription membership scheme providing members with launch, hire and ongoing participation rights across sailing, windsurfing and kayaking.
• Kit Storage (Members) Subscription-based secure storage of members' own watersports kit at the Mercers Lake facility.
• Gift Vouchers Fixed-price gift voucher redeemable against any of the centre's courses, sessions, hire or membership.
• The Deck: Cafe and Bar On-site café and bar at the Mercers Lake venue serving food, drinks and snacks to participants and venue visitors.
• Aqua Sports Venue Hire Venue hire at the 70+ acre Mercers Country Park site for events beyond the watersports centre's own course schedule.

Quantifiable outcome

• 30 years of continuous watersports operation since 1993
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Adventure Activities Licensing AuthoritycoreOthersRegulatory licensing body for adventure activities in the UK. Aqua Sports operates under AALA licensing for watersports activities, ensuring compliance with safety standards for children's activities.
• RYA TrainingcoreOthersRoyal Yachting Association Training programme. Aqua Sports is an authorised RYA Training Centre providing recognised sailing and windsurfing qualifications from beginner to advanced levels.
• British CanoeingcoreOthersNational governing body for canoeing and kayaking. Aqua Sports affiliated with British Canoeing for kayak and canoe instruction programmes.
• British Stand Up Paddleboard Association (BSUPA)coreOthersUK governing body for SUP. Aqua Sports offers BSUPA qualification pathways including Born to Ride (beginner) and Born to Race (improver) certifications.
• Paddle UKcoreOthersNational paddlesport organisation. Aqua Sports affiliated with Paddle UK for paddle sports governance and instruction standards.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Plas Menai National Outdoor Centre: Welsh national watersports centre offering sailing, kayaking, windsurfing and powerboating with multi-day courses, instructor training and school programmes on an inland/estuarine site — same accreditation-led model.
• Stubbers Adventure Centre: Essex-based multi-activity centre offering watersports (including wakeboarding, SUP, kayaking), motor sports and team building for children, families and corporate groups — overlapping activity mix and customer segments.
• Rockley Adventure: UK multi-activity watersports centre in Poole offering sailing, windsurfing, SUP, kayaking and instructor training with junior/adult courses — virtually the same operating model and customer segments as Aqua Sports.
• Calshot Activities Centre: Hampshire-based AALA-licensed multi-activity centre delivering watersports, climbing and archery to schools, youth groups and families — comparable regulatory footprint and youth/education focus.
• National Water Sports Centre (Holme Pierrepont): Nottingham-based national watersports venue offering sailing, canoeing, kayaking and windsurfing with courses, tasters and competitive programming — directly comparable activity range and customer base.
• Bewl Water Outdoor Activity Centre: Kent-based activity centre on a large reservoir offering sailing, kayaking, SUP and paddleboarding with courses and corporate/group bookings — same lake-based operating model.
• Grafham Water Centre: Cambridgeshire-based watersports centre on Grafham Water reservoir offering sailing, windsurfing, kayaking, SUP and instructor training — parallel inland-lake activity centre model.
• Bowles Outdoor Centre: Kent-based outdoor education centre offering watersports, climbing, archery and team building to schools and corporate groups — comparable UK school-and-corporate youth activity model.
• Hove Lagoon Watersports: Brighton-based watersports centre running sailing, windsurfing, SUP, kayaking and open water swimming with taster sessions, courses and family programming — directly comparable multi-water-sports offering.

Broad incumbents

• PGL Travel: UK-wide operator of children's activity holidays and school trips running multi-centre programmes that include watersports — a much larger incumbent competing for the same schools and family segments.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/aquasportsco
• Instagraminstagram.com/aquasportscompany
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-aqua-sports-company-limited

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about THE AQUA SPORTS COMPANY LIMITED