Built on friendship, passed on with love: Land & Wave begins its next chapter after 15 years

After more than 15 years growing something rare – a business where people fall in love, start families, and find their calling – founders Owen Senior and David Mutton have handed Land & Wave to the people who know it best.

Land & Wave, the Swanage-based outdoor education and instructor training provider, announces the completion of a management buyout in April 2026. Co-Directors Rosie Tanner and Alex Mortimer – between them, carrying over two decades of Land & Wave experience – have taken ownership of the business they’ve called home.

Land & Wave new owners Rosie and Alex — New owners, Rosie Tanner, Alex Mortimer

Land & Wave – Built on Friendship

Land & Wave was never just a company. Owen and David founded it in 2009 as friends, and that founding spirit shaped everything that followed.

Over the years, it became a place where friendships deepened into partnerships, colleagues became partners, siblings worked side by side, and children were born to people who’d met on its many adventure activities. Rosie met her fiance at Land & Wave and is Owen’s sister-in-law. Alex is married to Jen, the Schools Manager. Phil Elwood, one of the operations team, met his partner – and the mother of his three children all through work. The business didn’t just employ people; it wove them together.

Rosie joined in 2013, Alex in 2018. In the years since, they have helped grow Land & Wave into a nationally recognised destination for schools, colleges, and outdoor professionals – most recently developing a specialist rescue water safety arm that draws trainees from across the UK.

“When people walk through our doors, they always comment on the welcome they receive and how at home they feel – whether they’ve travelled from down the road or from the other end of the country. That sense of belonging is our ethos, and it always will be.”

— Rosie Tanner & Alex Mortimer, Co-Owners, Land & Wave Ltd

Where Land & Wave Began

Owen and David stepped back from day-to-day leadership in 2021. David now uses his wealth of experience to support businesses across Dorset at Evolve Advisory. Owen is in the mountains in North Wales, volunteering with Aberglaslyn Mountain Rescue . Their legacy continues.

“Dave and I started Land & Wave 17 years ago. Our only real aspiration was to get some time off during the winter to have some cool adventures. The first 10 years were a wild ride – scary, stressful, and loads of fun. The best thing about the business was getting to work with friends and family every day. We never fell out. We were always there for each other- it made really difficult things achievable. It’s all about the humans when it comes down to it.”

– Owen Senior & David Mutton, Co-Founders, Land & Wave Ltd

Screenshot 2026 04 29 at 09.19.09 — Sophie Tanner, David Mutton, Owen Senior at the first Land & Wave office in Upton House, Poole, 2011

National Profile, With Strong Local Roots

Alongside its national profile, Land & Wave remains deeply rooted in the Dorset community. The team hosts The Big Swim at Sandbanks – celebrating International Women’s Day and this year attracting national press coverage – and delivers subsidised outdoor trips for local schoolchildren on pupil premium. This year sees the launch of two new initiatives: The Female Adventure Grant and The Purbeck Adventure Grant, designed to open up Land & Wave’s 15-week outdoor instructor training programme to people who might not otherwise be able to access it, addressing barriers of both gender and economic inequality.

Looking ahead, Rosie and Alex have big plans – a new school camp in Purbeck, four new in-house Rescue 3 trainers to strengthen the rescue water safety programme, and an ever-deeper commitment to the communities that have made Land & Wave what it is.

About Land & Wave Ltd

Land & Wave Ltd is a Swanage-based provider of outdoor education, outdoor activities, professional instructor training, and rescue water safety. Founded in 2009 on Dorset’s Jurassic Coast, the company has grown into a nationally recognised destination, attracting schools, colleges, and outdoor professionals from across the UK to train and qualify in one of Britain’s most spectacular coastal landscapes. Land & Wave hosts the annual Big Swim at Sandbanks and delivers subsidised outdoor education for local schools.