WIRRAL WATERSPORTS CENTRE & WEST KIRBY MARINE LAKE

Wirral Watersports Centre is based at West Kirby Marine Lake and is run by a highly qualified team of instructors offering a range of water sports activities. 

The Centre and the Lake are open to launch personal equipment, with a licence purchased from the centre, and offer a range of activities and courses to book.

Beach Wheel Chair Rentals

Wirral Watersports Centre now has a number of Sand Cruiser Beach Wheel chairs which are available for hire free of charge to enjoy the beach area at West Kirby. The chairs are available to book between the hours of 9am – 4:30pm.

Booking can be completed online, via telephone and also in person. Pre-booking is recommend. Online booking is available here.

All users must be able to self-transfer into the chair, at present there is no hoist availability

For more information please click here

To speak to a member of The Watersports Centre Team call 0151 929 7707 or email wirralwatersportscentre@wirral.gov.uk

Monitor The Weather

Monitor the weather at West Kirby Marine Lake at any time via our new weather station located at the North end of the lake. 

The new weather station has been installed and jointly funded by Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council and West Kirby Windsurfers.

View here

LICENCE PRICES

Ticket/Licence:Price 23/24:
One Day Ticket£13
1 Month Licence£30
3 Month Licence £60
6 Month Licence£100
Annual Licence£170

HOW TO PURCHASE & BOOK

More Information

  • Licences, sessions and courses must be pre booked and prepaid before attending any activity online or by telephone on 0151 929 7707 (9am – 4pm daily) or 0151 606 2010 (Phone lines are open Monday to Thursday, 9am to 7pm, Friday, 9am to 5pm and Saturday to Sunday, 9am to 3pm)
  • Three month or daily licences are available. All licence holders must also book a session before 5pm on the day they wish to visit
  • Licences can be purchased online by creating or activating your online account and selection Membership Options to view all licence options for personal crafts
  • Some activities may only be available to customers who have certain qualifications, please check prerequisites before booking (see below)   
  • All visitors to the Lake will be provided with an access code in order to access the car park, this code will change daily and please call before 4pm 
  • Members with a three month licence can now book up to three days in advance of their visit to the marine lake.  On arrival please call and you will be checked in and given the barrier code.
  • To use the lake early in the morning before staff arrive at 09:00 please book the day before and you will be given the barrier code to use the following morning.  Note that if you leave after 09:00 you will need to call for the exit barrier code.
  • Advanced bookings can be cancelled at any time.  Please remember to call and cancel if your plans change or your booking will be flagged as a “no show”.

All customer registration, purchase of licences and bookings can be made by telephone. If you have registered your details with Wirral Leisure and have an existing Member ID number, please try to have it available when you call.  Please do not leave an answerphone message to book a session.

Book online

COURSE AND ACTIVITY DESCRIPTIONS

Junior Sailing

  • Minimum 8 years of age
  • Stage 1, 2 and 3, 30 hours over one week with no previous experience required.  This course starts with the absolute basics and progresses to include rigging, launching and recovery, capsize recovery, sailing theory and building confidence in a range of sailing techniques. Includes plenty of time for fun and games on the water.
  • Stage 3 and 4, 30 hours over one week. Required experience: sailing skills to the standard of Stage 3. Children should have logged sailing hours within the last year.  This course includes transferring previously learned skills, techniques and manoeuvres to sailing crewed boats, improved rigging, launching and recovery and practical skills to recover a man overboard.

Adults and Older Teens Sailing

  • Start Sailing Level 1 – No prior experience necessary.  A two day or 16-hour introduction to dinghy sailing for complete beginners, covering everything you need to get afloat under supervision.
  • Basic Skills Level 2 – Required experience:  skills to the standard of L1 sailing.  Over two days or 16 hours this course builds your confidence and develops your skills; by the end of the course, you’ll be a competent sailor in light winds.
  • Better Sailing Level 3 and Advanced RYA modules (such as Seamanship Skills) are available on demand.
  • All adult dinghy sailing courses will be run in single-handed dinghies until further notice.

Junior Windsurfing

  • Minimum 8 years of age
  • Stage 1 – No prior experience necessary.  Stage 1 is the ideal first introduction to windsurfing, teaching the basics of getting on the water and sailing the board across the wind and back.
  • Stage 2 – Required experience: skills to the standard of Stage 1.  This course covers the practical skills to get you sailing around, tacking and gybing, and enabling you to make progress towards and away from the wind.
  • Stage 3 – Required experience: skills to the standard of Stage 3.  This course aims to enhance the practical skills and knowledge gained in Stage 2 plus learn how to hook into the harness and get going in stronger winds.

Adults and Older Teens Windsurfing

  • Start Windsurfing (was Level 1) – No prior experience necessary.  A gentle introduction to windsurfing, covering the basics: turning the board around, sailing where you want to go and getting back to the shore.  The course runs over two days with 8-10 hours of tuition.
  • Intermediate Windsurfing: non-planing (was L2) – Required experience: skills to the standard of Start Windsurfing. This course aims to enhance techniques e.g. faster turns, beach starts and an introduction to the harness. The course runs over two days with 8-10 hours of tuition.

British Canoeing

  • Applicable for Adults and Juniors
  • Start – a 2 hour certificated introduction to paddling with no prerequisites.
  • Discover – a 3 hour certificated improvers course building on the skills from the Start course.
  • Explore – a full day improvers course for those who have completed Start and Discover.

Splash and Mini Splash

Splash (6 to 8 years) and Mini-Splash (4 to 6 years)

  • Fun and games on the water for little people Sessions usually includes a sail with an instructor onboard, a powerboat ride, team fun on boards in shallow water and a lot of splashing! Great for instilling water confidence. A parent or guardian must be on-site for the duration of the session.

RYA Powerboat

  • Level 1 (juniors only aged over 10) – A one-day introduction to simple boat handling and the use of safety equipment.
  • Level 2 – (adults and juniors aged over 12) – A two-day course providing the skills and background knowledge needed by the competent powerboat driver and is the basis for the International Certificate of Competence.

Private Tuition and Taster Sessions

Two and three-hour sessions are available for all activities listed above and also Stand Up Paddleboarding.

T's&C's

THE SAIL LOFT COASTAL KITCHEN

The Sail Loft Coastal Kitchen can be found in the Wirral Watersports Centre at the crossroads of the golden sands of West Kirby beach, the elegant promenade and the walkway of the West Kirby Marine Lake.

More information and how to book can be found here

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Affiliations

Wirral Sailing Centre is:

Contact

Wirral Watersports Centre
South Parade
West Kirby
Wirral
CH48 0QG

Tel: 0151 929 7707

Email: wirralwatersportscentre@wirral.gov.uk

Terms & Conditions 

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