ultimate watersports

Love feeling like I'm on vacation right down the road from where I live. The staff are super friendly and they have many rentals to choose from whether you're into paddle boarding, kayaking or wind surfing!

THE PARKThis is a great little gem set in some of the most serene, cleanest water you will find in the area. It's $5-7 for park entrance, there is plenty of space and parking. If it looks crowded, it's either a Saturday, or everyone has flocked to the same pavilions. Bathrooms, changing rooms, locker rooms, and showers on site. Vending machines don't always work, so make sure you have plenty of water and snacks. THE WATERSpring water, clean for the most part. No major rocks or obstacles in your way. Rough sand; you can wear water shoes or not. Can be a bit muddy. Most wind from 2-5pm. Wear a rashguard for SPF protection or when water temp is cool.THE SPORTSI've done both a SUP, stand up paddleboard, lesson here and also a 2 day windsurfing/sailing course. Great staff; friendly and knowledgeable. They teach you what you need to know in a technical but friendly and casual manner. Seems like they really enjoy their jobs and are excited to help people out. They also have kayaks, catamarans, etc. Hal, the owner, says all of their equipment is new each season, and they sell their one-season old gear at the end of the season, so if you are looking for gently used gear, you can get it at the end of season sale. Very reasonable rental and lesson prices ($20/hour for windsurfing rental, $1 for bottled water). They have a few water shoes and rashguards for sale, but a very small selection so probably best to bring your own.

I went canoeing with my brother while I was pregnant years ago... The water was calm and it was quite relaxing. The area is sectioned off apart from the Gunpowder Beach so it can be a planned event or an impromptu escapade... Always check for coupon before going and call ahead!

We had a living social deal and rented the kayaks. There was a nice, marshy area to adventure through. This was a great deal; however, very expensive without it! I keep looking for another deal to be posted so I can try paddle boarding!

I've been to Ultimate Watersports for gorgeous flatwater kayaking many times, but this Saturday was the first time I hosted an event there. I threw a bachelorette party with a handful of friends. We kayaked a water trail, sailed a small catamaran, and relaxed under a pavilion on the beach that was reserved for us. It was a really fun way to spend time with a group of friends. The staff were as friendly and eager to help as always. It's a beautiful place to spend the day and a great place to host a party!

Breathtaking location. Outgoing, energetic and gracious staff. Amazing selection of water and land activities that appeal to any group. We hosted a corporate event with over 80 guests. The large pavilion provided by Ultimate Watersports provided more than enough space for our group to enjoy lunch in the early afternoon and a crab feast later in the day. We also took advantage of almost every activity available to us including stand-up paddle boards, water volleyball, land volleyball, cornhole, sailboats, and kayaks. The team at Ultimate Watersports even orchestrated a mini-Olympics for us which took the day to another level. And afterward, our “Olympians” relaxed on a sailing tour with a certified captain. Every member of the staff exuded a love and appreciation for the outdoors that was truly contagious - they were even able to help engage those that hadn’t planned on stepping foot in the water.Not a single dull moment, or a worry from start to finish. Would love to work more with Hal and the team at Ultimate Watersports in the future.

Staff was very kind, knowledgeable, and accommodating. They offer unique, fun trips/packages/activities. Based on my experience (one trip), I recommend them.Please be aware - Ultimate Watersports seems to run on a skeleton administrative crew (not in itself a negative, but) this means you should contact them well in advance to assure a spot on a particular tour. The only downside I encountered was wanting to take the trip with a friend. Unfortunately, my companion was not contacted by Ultimate Watersports until it was too late to join the fun...

The 4 hour sea kayak course taught by Missy and Mike was awesome. The instructors were great and I learned a lot from them. I can honestly say that after taking the course I feel more comfortable and confident about my kayak skills. I was very impressed in how flexible they were to adjust the course to address the needs/fears of the students. I would highly recommend them to anyone wants to improve and learn kayaking skills.

My friends and I just attended the first SUP Yoga Fitness class of the year this past Saturday and it was excellent! After a short lesson on how to do standup paddle boarding from Tyler, we enjoyed a beautiful morning paddle, with our yoga instructor, Colleen, pointing out interesting birds. An hour of yoga on our boards, with plenty of encouragement and giggles, finished with Colleen reading a poem as we rested in corpse pose (chavasana). After another paddle around the inlet, we arrived back at the beach just in time for the morning rush to take their kayaks and boards out on the water. It was the perfect way to spend a relaxing Saturday morning. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys nature and meditative exercise, even if you are a novice to both (we were all new to paddle boarding).

I have kept meaning to write a review- I discovered UW two years ago and regularly go windsurfing. The staff and equipment are great, and the rates are so reasonable. They have kayaks and hobies too. My wife and kids- and parents- have gone kayaking and really enjoyed it. The bay is beautiful, wide and safe at this point. Cannot recommend them enough. The public beach has shade and swimming and barbecue pits, and must also be one of the best kept secrets.

We rented a Hobie cat from the Hammerman area and the person that rigged the boat was very rude. When we got there he became disgruntled that he had to rig another boat and asked us why we couldn't have arrived 20 minutes earlier. This was rhetoric of course since we arrived at 4:10 (well before the closing time of 6:00 pm and before 5:00 pm when they will last rent out equipment). My husband said he called and the girl who answered said boats were still available. The person who we returned to the equipment to was very nice. However, this same rude person was at the cash register to give us back our credit card and said he normally would have charged us for the extra hour. If he had said this politely, this would have been fine, but again he was rude. We mentioned that the girl who was working the register only charged us for the one hour because by the time we qualified to take the boat out and got underway she said we'd really only have an hour sailing time. As it was we had the boat out one hour and 20 minutes. So the rude person said "Didn't I get you out on the boat immediately after you were qualified?" I said we weren't trying to argue with him. We just mentioned what we were told and we didn't ask to be charged for only 1 hour. In sum, we were put off by his rude manner when we first showed up and then by his rudeness when we returned. The sailing was great, but this person should not be involved in customer service.

For the last 5 years I have rented kayaks from Ultimate Watersports and have always had a great time (excluding the occasion fly or mosquito bites). The staff is friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. Plus the selection of great kayaks has fulfilled my eagerness to buy one! Paddlefest 2010 was a great time!

I had planned to take the two day beginning sailboarding lessions from ultimate water sports last summer. After a day I was so frustrated I decided not to return for the second day. I was a complete novice but had extensive saliing experience so I was at least comfortable with points of sail. Classes are too large, very little personal instruction. You share a board with another student. There were a few students with prior boarding experience and the instructor spent time with them while simply letting the rest of us fall over and over again. Their input consisted of yelling at us from a distance that we weren't in the correct position - I was never sure what that position was. The instructor just seemed exasperated that we couldn't get it right away. You are better off learning at a resort where at least you have 1 on 1 learning. From what I heard there were other complaints and ultimate comped them additional time.

This venue is located in Gunpowder Falls State Park which is a nice park with several beach areas. They rent kayaks, windsurfers, and hobbie cat sailboats. The staff is friendly and helpful. Kayakers can paddle in the open or take trips along several scenic trails that exist in the vicinity. This is a great place but has two cons. First, there is an additional charge to get into the park. Second, the weather conditions are usually not ideal for windsurfing. It is hard to find a good wind day and sometimes the county shuts the windsurfing down because of bacteria in the water, and sometimes they rent their operations out for private events. The good news is that customer service is great and I recommend calling up to make sure they are operating before heading out there.