Camel Ski School is located on the beautiful Camel Estuary in Rock. In addition to waterskiing, we also offer a wide range of watersports activities, including wake surfing, wakeboarding, stand up paddleboarding, kayaking, towable fun rides and private boat charters. We also offer a range of coaching and boat courses.
Why choose us
Camel Ski School is proudly accredited by the British Water Ski & Wakeboard Federation. We are committed to following BWSW’s coaching guidelines, as well as adhering to its policies.
Top Instructors
Every instructor at Camel Ski is hand picked and trained by Charlie himself, ensuring that you get the best experience possible during your visit.
Best Equipment
Everything we use at Camel Ski is of the highest quality, from the boats to the buoyancy aids. It is regularly inspected and maintained throughout the season. This way we ensure our clients have the best equipment to use during their sessions.
Safety First
Safety is at the heart of everything we do. We are committed to maintaining a safe environment for all participants, staff, and visitors. We conduct thorough safety briefings before all activities and comply with all relevant local and national safety regulations.
About & history
Camel Ski School was opened in 1977 and has been owned and run by Charlie Toogood since 2001. Charlie has 25 years experience as an instructor and holds a number of watersport qualifications including Waterski/Wakeboard UKCC Coach and Assessor, SBD2 & ICC Assessor, Kite Surf Instructor and ISIA Ski Teacher.
The Camel Ski Way
The Camel Ski Way Coaching Booklet is the cornerstone of our unique teaching philosophy, designed to help skiers of all levels progress at record rates. Rooted in years of experience and a deep understanding of ski/wake progression, this booklet serves as a structured guide for every lesson, ensuring consistency and quality across all coaching sessions. Our methodology blends expert instruction with a personalised approach, making learning safe, effective and fun. This booklet is more than just a resource, it’s a roadmap to success, crafted by passionate professionals dedicated to helping you reach your full potential on the water.
At Camel Ski School, our coaches are held to the highest standards, with continuous assessments ensuring they deliver each session in line with our bespoke Coaching Guide. Their instruction is regularly evaluated across multiple areas, including lesson delivery, technical knowledge, communication, and the ability to adapt to each skier’s needs. Beyond coaching, our team is also assessed on their boat driving performance, ensuring safety, precision, and efficiency on the water at all times.
This commitment to on going development guarantees that every lesson meets our exacting standards, providing an exceptional experience for all our students while maintaining the professionalism and expertise that define Camel Ski School.
The Camel Ski Way Coaching Booklet features a structured customer progression system, guiding students through six distinct levels in each discipline. This framework ensures a clear and measurable pathway for development, from absolute beginners at Level 1 to advanced riders mastering high level techniques at Level 6. Each stage is carefully designed to build confidence, refine skills, and introduce new challenges at the right pace. Whether learning to waterski, wakeboard, or wakesurf, students can track their progress while coaches tailor sessions to individual needs, ensuring a rewarding and structured learning experience on the water.
Where we are based
We are based on the Pontoon in Rock and all our watersports take place on the Camel Estuary which is a stunning, geological ‘ria (drowned river valley) in North Cornwall, stretching 5 miles from Padstow to Wadebridge. At Wadebridge, the Camel is still a small freshwater river, but where it meets the tide, it opens out to form a broad, flat estuary, a vista unlike any other in the county. It is a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and famed for its sandy beaches on either side.
Meet the team
Charlie Toogood
Boss man and owner of Camel Ski. With many years of waterskiing experience under his belt there’s not much he doesn’t know about the sport.
Susan Rowlands
For the last six years Susan has run the office. She keeps all the wheels turning behind the scenes, giving Camel Ski its ‘smooth operator’ status.
Chloe Ross Brown
Chloe joined Camel Ski back in 2021 to learn more about boats – today she is one of our best coaches and boat drivers – constantly in demamd – she’s the woman to know.
Simon Message
Simon came to Camel Ski a good few years ago now – a keen wakeboarder himself, he’s a great instructor if you are looking to progress. He’s also a real stickler for keeping Camel Ski looking ‘ship shape’.
