Today we’d like to introduce you to Stuart Melville.
Stuart , can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
As a former Navy SEAL, I have a passion for extreme sports, water environments, and the outdoors. After years of serving my country and going on overseas assignments, I decided it was time for a change and do something I have always dreamed of. I wanted to use my skills and former training to help people in a different way by putting a smile on their faces, and making them forget about the stress of modern life. I also wanted to have fun and be closer to my family. Then one day while I was in Iraq doing a deployment as a private contractor, I found out about the seabreacher while watching you tube videos with a friend. I thought the idea was incredible, I knew that was just what I was looking for and right away I start to draw a business plan. One year later we started to offer rides in San Diego Bay. This is how seåQuest was born.
Our first year was a crazy ride, it’s not easy to be a pioneer when opening a business. But we were blessed to find amazing people along the way that helped us and supported us when we needed the most. My goal is to give you unforgettable memories through exciting new experiences.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Our biggest challenge is our greatest advantage: We are the only one in America!!! It is great because there is no competition, but it is hard because it is hard to market something that most people don’t even know exist! We are so unique that we don’t fit on any category when we try to list our business on websites like yelp, trip advisor, etc… we are not jet ski rentals, we are not jet pack (even we do offer hydro flight as well), we offer seabreacher rides and nobody knows what a seabreacher is. But slowly and surely we are creating awareness and getting our name out there. Our first year was great and the second year already shows promise to be even better.
Also we are a small startup which means we do everything, we are the managers, the cleaners, the hostess, the pilots, the marketing team, the customer service, the financial team and the list goes on, it ended up being a lot more work than I anticipated and sometimes it can be challenging when you have young babies that requires a lot of attention too.
Please tell us about seaQuest Water Adventures.
seaQuest Water Adventures is the premier watersport company, in the San Diego Bay. We have a state of art set up, brand new, top of the line and very unique equipment.
We are the very first commercial operation, in the United States offering Seabreacher (shark) rides and we also offer jetovator rides (a type of hydro flight).
The seabreacher is a semisubmersible watercraft on a shape of a shark that speeds up to 55mph on the surface, dives 5 feet deep and jumps 18 ft. high! It has a special canopy made out of glass, that seals the cockpit keeping it nice and dry during the ride, but still gives you an amazing 160-degree view! It’s a cross between a helicopter and a submarine.
The Jetovator is a hydro flight bike. It is attached to a jet ski through a fire hose and you can flight as high as 40ft or just stay closer to the water and enjoy the feeling of freedom and the refreshing salt water hitting splashing your over while you ride it! It is fun and one or the easiest hydro flight devices to learn.
But it is not just that, the whole experience also include a little cruise around the bay in our custom build pontoon boat from where you can spot the US Midway museum, seaport village, San Diego skyline, while watching your friends doing their shark ride on the seabreacher . Our unique adventure, and experience is unlike anything. And we aim 100% to give you that ultimate adventure!!
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I used to play ice hockey and I used to love it. I used to be a very adventurous kid, always outdoor playing sports and doing cool things.
Contact Info:
- Address: 955 Harbor Island Drive
- Website: www.goseaquest.com
- Phone: (844) 669-3483
- Email: info@goseaquest.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seaquestsandiego/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/goseaquest/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/seaquest-water-adventures-san-diego
Getting in touch: SDVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
