From wakeboarding to diving, our fantastic marinas offer more than just sailing experiences, helping people connect to the sea in many different ways. Find out where you can learn a new sport near you.
Words – Steve Newman
Marinas have undergone something of a renaissance in the past few years, becoming social hubs for their local community with luxury apartments, quality restaurants, and many other aspects of recreational living. Additionally, many marinas now offer water sport activities ranging from stand-up paddleboarding (SUP) to jet ski, dinghy sailing and sub aqua training, usually with affiliated organisations operating within or just outside the marina itself. There are also educational courses available, so you can gain qualifications in a whole range of skills and obtain Royal Yachting Association (RYA) qualifications. It’s all about staying safe on the water while having fun and enriching your life with friends and family.
1. Falmouth
Based at Falmouth Marina on Cornwall’s south coast, Wake & Ski offers wakeboarding, kneeboarding, and waterskiing sessions. Lessons take place on the calm waters of the Carrick Roads, with all the equipment supplied. For an introduction to your sport of choice, try a 30-minute Beginner Session, including a land lesson, while 20-minute Progression Sessions help to build confidence and skills, and 15-minute Normal Sessions let you practise at your own pace. To ensure you get plenty of water time, class sizes are deliberately kept small – two to five people for wakeboarding and kneeboarding, and two or three for waterskiing. For each of the sports, a Beginner Session costs £60 per person (wakeandskifalmouth.com).
2. Edinburgh
Operating from the Port Edgar Marina, Edinburgh Watersports has paddleboarding, RYA Sailing, kayaking, and windsurfing courses for both adults and children. It’s also home to the Wetwheels experience, which is designed to give disabled people the opportunity to enjoy the excitement of powerboating. The catamaran Wetwheels Edinburgh is fully accessible so participants aren’t only passengers – they get a chance to take the helm with the skipper, too. Prices start at £40 per person (aged eight to 16) for a Junior Paddlesports Club session. Prices for Wetwheels Edinburgh vary – get in touch for details (edinburghwatersports.com).
3. Swansea
Swansea Yacht & Sub-Aqua Club is located on the River Tawe, close to the entrance to Swansea Marina. It a has a thriving sub aqua Diving Section where, if you wish to learn more about diving beneath the waves, you can sign up for British Sub-Aqua Club (BSAC) standard courses, taught by experienced instructors. Qualified divers of all levels are also welcome to join the club. If you’d like to ‘try before you buy’ a full course, the club runs regular Try Dive taster sessions, with equipment hire and instruction included – these cost £25 per person (sysac.org).
4. Liverpool
Operating out of Liverpool Marina, the Harbourside Sea School offers a variety of training courses for people looking to gain RYA qualifications. For those interested in small powerboat activities, such as piloting a RIB (rigid inflatable boat – a rubber dinghy with an outboard engine), they have dedicated introductory courses. Ideal for complete beginners aged 12 or over, the two-day RYA Powerboat Level 2 is the school’s most popular course and provides excellent training with a highly experienced instructor. It focuses on developing your safety, boat-handling, and navigation skills, and costs £275 per person (harboursideseaschool.co.uk).
5. Southampton
Located in Saxon Wharf Marina, Ocean Sports Tuition provides a range of RYA courses, including powerboat and motorboat training. Whether you have your own boat or are thinking of buying one, courses are available. It’s also the base for Ocean Sports Jetski, which offers the one-day RYA PWC (personal watercraft) Proficiency course for beginners (minimum age 12), and training for more experienced jet ski riders. It runs Southampton Jetski Club, too, which gives members regular use of its jet skis. The RYA PWC Proficiency course is £269 per person (southamptonjetskis.co.uk).
6. Bristol
In Portishead Marina, Bristol, you’ll find Portishead SUP Co. This stand-up paddleboarding company operates inside the marina, which allows you to enjoy safe access to all its facilities. Group numbers for each 90-minute lesson are limited to six people (or up to eight on request), to help ensure that everyone learns the basic skills, including safety, launching, kneeling, standing, paddling techniques and more. A board, paddle, leash and buoyancy aid are provided, and classes are suitable for complete beginners and more advanced paddlers. Group sessions cost £25 for adults and £20 for children aged eight or over – under-18s must be accompanied by a parent or guardian, and for safety reasons, paddleboard access to the full marina is only permitted during a lesson (portisheadsup.co.uk).
7. Brighton
Based in Brighton Marina, Brighton Boating offers RYA Sailing and Powerboat courses, along with an excellent series of Youth Training Sailing Courses for young people aged 10-16. The company also has a comprehensive jet ski operation where you can obtain your RYA PWC licence. If you want to experience the sport before hiring or buying a jet ski, a 75-minute Jet Ski Safari with an instructor is an great option, costing £140 per ski for one person, or £160 per ski with two sharing (brightonboating.co.uk).
8. Torquay
Torquay Marina has plenty of activities to choose from, including a Coastal RIB ‘Seafari’, a high-speed RIB ride aboard Raptor, and training via an online RYA school. Fancy zipping around on a jet ski? Torquay Watersports, based at the marina, offers a 90-minute RYA PWC Taster Experience. This costs £145 for a solo rider (minimum age 18), plus an extra £35 if you bring along a passenger (aged 14 or over), with all the required kit included, and an instructor to guide you. In the likely event that you want to do more of it, you can sign up for the one-day RYA PWC Proficiency course, costing £245 per person for a group of up to three (mdlmarinas.co.uk/marinas/mdl-torquay-marina).
9. Chichester
Working alongside its other base in Portsmouth, Chichester Marine Training provides a dedicated range of tuition for those who wish to get closer to the sea or improve existing knowledge – including powerboat, sailing, jet ski, online and classroom courses. If you’re lucky enough to have your own boat, it can give you bespoke training on your vessel, too. Fancy mixing with A-listers? There are training packages that can earn you qualifications to land a deckhand position on a superyacht! These cost from £1,999 for two weeks (portsmouthmarinetraining.co.uk/contact-chichester-marine-training).
10. Penarth
Penarth Marina, in Cardiff Bay, offers a range of water sport activities. You can take RYA Powerboat and Yachting courses, or on-board training on your own boat. Skippered charters are also available, on a RIB or the racer sailing yacht X Beat II. SUP Coaches from the South Wales Paddle Boarding Club teach Introduction to SUP and Improvers classes in the Marina, and if you’re feeling more adventurous, paddleboard yoga is great fun! An Introduction to SUP session (two hours, minimum age 16) costs £40 per person (boatfolk.co.uk/penarth-marina-cardiff).
Discover more marinas along the British coastline to enjoy, get inspiration for a weekend escape to Southampton, or pick up the latest copy of coast magazine for more coast and marina news and property.
