What started as a friendship between three watersport lovers evolved into a partnership to open up their own wakeboarding club in the UAE.
Michel Peltier, Willy Mulet and Roel van de Ven were wakeboarding with local companies in the UAE before they decided to form Wake Evolution and bring along much of the watersport community they became so familiar with.
After beginning with one boat in Umm al-Quwain, the company moved to RIVA Beach Club, Dubai in September of last year and added another location in the Eastern Mangroves Marina of Abu Dhabi. So Peltier, aged 40, Mulet, 30, and Van de Ven, 26, gave up their full-time jobs and started living the beach lifestyle – a dream turned reality.
“I had a normal 9-to-5 job so I saw a big change,” said Van de Ven, who came to the UAE three years ago with a marketing background.
“It’s 24-7 really. Every day you’re working on it and improving your wakeboarding yourself because I’m a coach.
“The day-to-day activities are completely different than what I used to do. It’s kind of cool though, doing something you’re really passionate about and love doing. It becomes your life. Being on the beach isn’t the worst job, is it?”
Van de Ven began wakeboarding in 2006, but he and Mulet became addicted to the sport when they met up with the elder Peltier, who has 15 years of experience on the water.
Life’s a beach: left to right, Willy Mulet, Roel van de Ven, Michel Peltier.
The dynamic between the three friends has cultivated their love of wakeboarding and taken it to another level, with them pushing one another.
“The thing I like most about wakeboarding is you don’t have any limits. If you land one trick, then you want to go into another trick and see what’s possible in the water,” said Van de Ven.
“If you’re riding with friends, if your friend lands a new trick, it’s almost an internal competition.”
As the watersport community in the UAE continues to boom, there are more choices than ever for the public on where and with whom to catch waves.
When it comes to wakeboarding, however, Van de Ven believes Wake Evolution has something that no other local company can offer – first-hand, personalised knowledge.
“One of our strongest points by far is that the three of us are wakeboarders,” he said. “We’re good at wakeboarding as well, which means we do coaching. None of the other companies do any coaching or even know how to do wakeboarding as well.
“Having the knowledge of being a rider yourself, you know how to ride the boat, how long the rope should be, what type of board you should use.”
Check out Wake Evolution for yourself and book a ride with the trio of friends by visiting www.wake-evolution.com.
WHAT: Wake Evolution Founded: 2015
GEARED TOWARDS: Wakeboarding, wakesurfing, wakeskating, kneeboarding and waterskiing enthusiasts
WHEN & WHERE: Daily at RIVA Beach Club, Palm Jumeirah, Dubai and Eastern Mangroves Marina, Abu Dhabi
CONTACT & INFO: Visit www. wake-evolution.com for more information