GHP Q2 2021

10 GHP / Q2 2021 , Sep201001 After one of the toughest years of operation since its inception, UltimateWatersports’ founder Lindsay Cannon reflects on the impact of the pandemic and where the company intends to go fromhere. A Testament to Dedication Leaders in the tourism and leisure industry, Ultimate Watersports has an unparalleled commitment to safety and training both for its clients and staff. Offering a wide variety of sporting equipment and experiences such as jetpack, jet ski, kayak, SUP boards, tubes and its all-new Wake foil, this company operates across four different beaches depending on the time of year. The Geraldton Foreshore is where it operates from November to April, boasting a protected bay that is central to the rest of the area. It switches to Cable Beach in Broome with its glass-clear water in May and September, and Exmouth on Town Beach from May to October. The latter beach is the gateway to the Ningaloo reef, and the Seadoo Fishpro Jetskis really come into their own here to allow customers access to fishing and exploration of the surrounding waters. Lastly, the most recently opened fourth location is in South Perth, which will be operational from November to April alongside Geraldton. Ultimate Watersports was founded by wakeboarder and water sports enthusiast Lindsay Cannon after being inspired by his father, a renowned state champion who taught himself with home-made equipment. Ultimate Watersports hopes to provide its customers accessible ways to learn the sports they offer at a fraction of the cost. It also works to create an environment that puts safety first, going above and beyond to exceed the requirements that were needed for it to operate. Going further than just the focus on cost and safety, it finds its niche in appealing to a wide audience of both experienced water sports participants and those who are new to it. Along the way, the company has experienced many challenges. During its first 3 years of life the founder found himself having doubts as whether his dream was possible, but through determination and tenacity, Ultimate Watersports pulled through. It opened for the very first time on boxing day in 2016. Now, it provides experiences for everyone from tourists and locals to corporate groups and school outings, boasting the largest range of water sports in Oceania. It offers day passes, along with group passes and party bookings. The trials weren’t quite over yet for this ambitious start-up, however. Over the past year, the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic has been devastating to Ultimate Watersports and other companies like it, with the tourism and leisure industry receiving one of the sharpest blows of all. Despite the loss in revenue and the uncertainty that followed, Ultimate Watersports remained dedicated to its business. It ensured that it kept on all its staff and responded by switching to food delivery services to keep afloat. In this way, it managed to sustain enough income to keep afloat, and even develop an action plan to map out its future. Alongside this, the founder offered easter egg deliveries, dressing up as the easter bunny to elevate spirits in the local community. Having accomplished all of this, Ultimate Watersports is looking forward to coming back bigger and better after the tumult of the pandemic settles. In terms of its industry, it is constantly striving to keep ahead of the new sporting products and innovations that are being developed. Once it gets back into the full swing of business, something that it is looking forward to greatly, it will be incorporating these into its already stellar variety of equipment. Its clients appreciate the value for money that Ultimate Sports offers them, but also the range of opportunities relative to the competition it faces within its price bracket. Internally, when hiring new staff, it seeks to hire people with great customer service skills and a passion for creating great experiences for its customers. Charisma is also important to Ultimate Watersports; its culture is always to have all the fun and competency of its business model ‘on show’ for its visitors. In the future, it is working towards resuming its plans to expand internationally, finding new locations and owners to join in the co-operative organisation and improvement of water sport as a whole. In doing so, using its status as a licenced product, it will lower overhead costs to business owners and provide even more scrupulous levels of safety to a wider range of guests. Company: Ultimate Watersports Pty Ltd Contact: Lindsay Cannon Website: www.ultimatewatersports.com.au