Media Kit

Our business was established in 1987 in Anglesea, Victoria and now takes care of more than 50,000 customers every year from multiple locations along the east coast of Australia.  In addition to the Victorian Surf Coast, we now operate in Surfers Paradise, Sunshine Coast, QLD, with other locations opening soon.

We are a passionate lot, and it is our greatest pleasure to share the joys of surfing and other outdoor recreation with our beloved customers.

Go Ride A Wave helped to create the industry standards we now all work to.  We take very seriously our obligation to provide a safe and enjoyable experience for our clients, as well as protecting the environment and other users while we conduct our activities. 

Today we provide a diverse range of outdoor recreation activities including surfing, bodyboarding, surf life saving, surf carnivals, surf safety, lifeguarding, sit on top kayaking, climbing, abseiling and corporate and team building activities.

Company Highlights

• Established Go Ride A Wave in Anglesea, 1987
• Established National Head Office operations on Great Ocean Road, 1996
• Established Over the Edge, corporate division, 1992
• Established Go Paddling, kayaking division, 1994
• Opened Torquay Shop 1999
• Opened Warehouse/Storage at Anglesea 2001
• Acquired surf school and shop on the beach end of Cavill Ave at Surfers Paradise on Gold Coast, 2004
• Opened Warehouse/Storage at Burleigh Heads 2005
• Opened Retail outlet under Surfers International Hotel at Surfers Paradise 2006
• Established Retail Outlet and activity operations on Sunshine Coast, 2006
• Major local employer on Victorian Surf Coast, with more than 70 employees
• More than 50,000 customers each year

Industry Highlights

• First professional surf school in Australia.
• Directors were first professional life guards on Anglesea Beach
• Founding members of the Surf Schools Association of Australia.
• Consulted to many outdoor adventure companies around Australia (W.A., Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast, Sydney), helping them improve their standards and operational processes. 
• Invested in the development of the first G Boards manufactured in Australia, specifically for use in Surf Schools.
• Contributed content to the AAS (Adventure Activity Standards) Working Party
• Peter Fidler (MD) was a founding member and President of Surf Schools Association of Australia for 5 years, 1998-2002.

All our operations are supported by a strong administration team dedicated to ensuring compliance with our legal obligations, as well as the smooth and professional delivery of services to our clients.  The Victorian operations are centrally managed from our building on the Great Ocean Road, a beacon for visitors and tourists.  The office is open whenever classes are conducted, providing important back up support to field staff in the event of an incident or any difficulties.

We have invested in the development of database software that manages our entire operational function.  It captures all relevant data about customer bookings, group numbers and profiles, special needs, instructors allocated, names, contact details and medical history.  It allows quick and easy access for any member of staff at any time of the day or night.  We also use a staff qualification database to manage the qualification, training and development of our field staff and an equipment maintenance database.

A measure of our success is the commitment of our customers, many of whom continue to use our services almost 20 years after we delivered their first surf program.  Our client base of schools and businesses now numbers in the hundreds and includes some of the largest and highest profile organisations in the country.

Many of these customers are also groups with special needs.  Our class booking process ensures that information about the profile of the group and their particular needs is communicated to the Operations Manager, whose department allocates staff to classes.  The most appropriately skilled and experienced instructors are placed with each group, and the program is always customised to meet the particular needs of these groups.  In addition, risk management tactics are adapted to the situation.  For example, a class will be cancelled if the conditions pose any difficulties for a group with special needs, where those conditions might still be appropriate for another group without special needs.

Our 70+ staff members receive annual training and re-qualification through the Go Ride A Wave in-house training program and our minimum instructor qualifications exceed the industry standard.  Our instructor hierarchy system ensures only the most experienced instructors are always in charge of each and every class and new and developing instructors learn directly from the best.

Many of our staff members are qualified teachers, teachers in training, or students and graduates of physical education and outdoor recreation tertiary courses.  Many of them are active patrolling surf lifesavers and members of one of the local surf clubs.  Most of the members of the After-hour Marine Rescue Unit, attached to the Anglesea Surf Club (Victoria), are on staff at Go Ride A Wave.  This is the Unit called on by the Police when they are co-ordinating emergency and rescue efforts.  This Unit has conducts around a dozen rescues in per year.

We house and maintain our equipment with a professional maintenance and operations team ensuring that equipment is always in top condition and ready for classes in the numbers required.  A Risk Management Committee regularly reviews equipment selection, location status, programs and tactics to ensure the highest possible standards are maintained.

Risk management plays a central role in our approach to delivering classes and managing our business.  We have developed a comprehensive Field Operations Manual that covers every aspect of every task.  As a part of this Field Operations Manual, our Risk Management Plan provides daily guidance to our field staff and administrators.