The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Water way to get some exercise as Wild Shore takes off
Agrowing Dundee watersports and aqua park expects to reap the benefit from major investments in the city such as the Eden Project.
Wild Shore Dundee, in West Victoria Dock Road, has already seen a big rise in staff numbers since opening in August 2017.
Expansion of the activities on offer has seen the initial team of seven reach 35 part and full-time instructors. The site now attracts around 2,000 customers a week.
Operational manager Craig Gunn said that when the centre, originally known as Foxlake Dundee, began operating there were just two wakeboard cables and some stand-up paddleboards.
He added: “We only offered a few activities in our first season.
“However, in 2018, we installed Scotland’s biggest aqua park and this allowed for to take on much larger groups and offer activities for everyone. The aqua park is our huge inflatable obstacle course which we have successfully expanded again this year, adding a variety of new obstacles – including a floating trampoline.
“We also offer cable wakeboarding – one of the world’s fastest growing sports. Traditionally, wakeboarding was carried out behind a boat – but cable wakeboarding allows participants to take part in a relatively small body of water and is well known to be much easier to learn.
“Then, we have our stand-up paddleboarding. We offer lessons to all abilities.
“Finally, our ringo is a large inflatable ring that pulls participants up and down the City Quay with everyone jumping on and off over a session.”
Wild Shore Dundee is owned by directors Callum Mark, James Barbour and Malcolm Gillies.
Craig said the centre in the heart of the city attracts visitors from the likes of Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh, as well as those from Dundee and even tourists.
He added: “Our aim throughout all our activities is to be as accessible as possible. Because of this we get customers of all different age ranges and abilities.
“You can take part in our aqua park activities from six years old and with no age cap. This means we have people visiting for all sort of occasions such as birthdays, school trips, stag and hens events or simply just to get in the water and have some fun.”
The operational manager felt that Covid has been an obstacle for many businesses including Wild Shore Dundee.
He added: “We had to close for months unexpectedly. However, due to being an outside activity, we were able to reopen with reduced capacity.”
Craig said current and future investments in the city are a great opportunity for Wild Shore Dundee.
“The likes of the Eden Project will be just a few minutes’ walk from us. All of this is very exciting, and will hopefully prove to be a great addition to Dundee.”
The Eden Project is predicted to contribute £27 million a year to the regional economy when it opens by 2026. The tourist attraction is to include walled gardens, and draw on the history of Dundee’s Nine Incorporated Trades.
Asked about where he sees Wild Shore Dundee being five years from now, the operational manager replied: “We aim to still be offering a five-star customer experience and hope to keep on expanding what we offer here.”
Being outside, we were able to reopen with reduced capacity