About Us
A Journey To Paradise
The story of our family business begins in the 1970’s when “Dave the Wave’s” two month vacation turned into a seven year adventure working on Miami Beach at Larry’s Ski School. He would travel up and down the beach on his Hobie Cat, selling water ski lessons to tourists lounging at the hotel pools.
One hot summer day, two sisters on vacation from New York decided they wanted to learn to ski and Dave just happened to be their instructor. That is when Dave met the woman of his dreams, Andrea. One year later, Andrea moved from Rockland County, NY to be with him in Miami.
After three fun years together in South Florida, the couple decided to take a risk & move from Miami to Orlando to start their own business. Their connections with the British Tourism Industry was a valuable part in their success. Originally the Ski School was located at a lakefront hotel, however, in 1989 Dave & Andrea were able to purchase the property that is now home to Paradise Cove Watersports & Paradise Cove!
The Evolution of Our Property Dreams
Developing the property wasn’t easy! They had to hire engineers, architects, and contractors. Permits, public hearings and easements alone took over 3 years! Buena Vista Watersports now Paradise Cove Watersports opened in 1993! Dave and Andrea were a team. Andrea would handle the reps that would book the skiers as well as the register & accounting, while Dave would arrange transportation, make the phone calls, and run the water sports. If they weren’t skiing 100 people a day, it was a slow day!
Dave became the face of water skiing in Orlando and was renowned in the UK. Over 100 guests per day would learn to ski on Lake Bryan with Dave by their side. Tourists in “Dave’s Ski School” shirts were seen everywhere! In 2012, we brought back these retro shirts so make sure you pick one up on your visit!
Best Wedding Venue
After 9/11, the industry changed and business came to a halt.. As almost a last resort, Andrea had the idea to put an ad online for weddings. With Dave’s creativity and vision along with Andrea’s marketing, they were able to diversify their business. Due to the immediate success in weddings, the event planning company named ‘Paradise Cove’ was born. In 2013, Paradise Cove was voted the ‘Best Wedding Venue’ in Orange County, Florida.
So Where are Dave & Andrea now?
Well… they were finally able to buy a personal boat. You can find them either cruising the coasts of Florida, floating in Lake George, or sailing the British Virgin Islands…