New extreme sports firm Go Wake will begin trading as of 21st June.

Supported by the Assembly through the Single Investment Fund and by Associated British Ports, it will be the principality's first permanent cable-powered wakeboarding park.

A cross between waterskiing, snowboarding and surfing, it sees riders pulled at speeds of up to 25mph.

Co-owner Matt Barker-Smith said the pastime was more accessible than other watersports.

He said: 'You don't have to own a boat or lots of gear to try it out. It's a growing sport and Swansea's the perfect location for it.

'We've got better transport links and infrastructure than Cornwall or Devon, and it's about time the city capitalised on that.

'Wakeboarding is a hugely popular sport — it's still relatively new, but interest is growing at a phenomenal rate and we are confident the Swansea facility will attract enthusiasts from far and wide.

'Wales is a superb venue for water sports, with Swansea and Gower established centres for sailors and surfers and GoWake will hopefully become another important attraction.'

The new firm, which employs five people, comes after last year's successful kiteboarding festival. The event attracted more than 10,000 people to the city's promenade in one weekend.

Based in The Prince Of Wales Dock in SA1, GoWake is a collaboration between two water sports operators in Wales — Gower Kiteriders, run by Mr Barker-Smith in Swansea Bay, and Big Blue Experience, based in Pembrokeshire.

'Being in the dock is ideal because we do not have to worry about things such as tide times or wet weather,' added Mr Barker-Smith.

'It's available to people aged 10 and over, and is not difficult to get the hang of.

'Plus, being a cable-powered system, noise levels are only eight decibels and pollution is kept low.

'Swansea has been home to champion surfers in the past. Hopefully, we will be able to add champion wakeboarders to that too. We are very keen to work closely with education authorities and community groups to support government initiatives for active children.'

The firm has already been given the thumbs up by the Assembly's Minister for the Economy and Transport Ieuan Wyn Jones.

He said: 'There cannot be many places in the UK where an activity like this is on offer within a stone's throw of a city centre — it makes it accessible to all and will also prove to be a popular spectator sport attracting visitors and residents into SA1.'