Our Coaches
Coach Oscar
Coach Joseph
Coach Oscar
For most of you, Coach Oscar needs no introduction! Oscar was one of my first coaching clients back in 2012 and now he is one of the most experienced open water coaches around, with 6+ years of coaching experience and 20+ triathlon and open water swim races under his belt. Don’t be fooled by that mean face and death stare though, Oscar is notoriously laid back and calm under pressure. Fun fact: Oscar despises cold water, but was the first coach to get in the ocean this year! Oscar will be coaching on Thursday evenings this summer.
Coach Kira
Coach Joseph
Coach Oscar
Kira will be returning for her fourth season of open water coaching this summer. Having completed many triathlons in the past, including three Ironmans (Lake Placid, Florida, Hawaii), Kira changed her focus to swimming and social fun competitions. She completed the Bay Challenge in 2015 - an 11 km swim from West Vancouver to Kits Beach - and has participated in many VOWSA swims and competitions. Keen to bring athletes together with fun social events, last season's popular Monday Mini Triathlon series was a Kira idea and she will be heading that up again this year. You'll find Kira coaching on Wednesday evenings this summer.
Coach Joseph
Coach Joseph
Coach Joseph
Joseph has been a swim client for many years, initially working his way up through the technique courses and now consistently training with the masters group (and even doing some masters racing now and then). Currently training for his first Ironman, he has a wealth of triathlon training and racing experience, having completed 6 half-irons and 15+ sprint and olympic events. Having previously coached and mentored Team In Training first-time triathletes and marathoners, this summer Joseph is dipping his toes into open water coaching on Tuesday evenings. Fun fact: an avid strongman, Joseph can deadlift a baby Orca!
Open Water Beginners
This 6-week course will help you build comfort and confidence while swimming in the ocean with a wetsuit. This is the best place to start if you feel anxious about open water swimming. We begin with short, shoreline swims to hone your skills and work towards longer off-shore swims as the course progresses.
We will cover: wetsuit fit and comfort, open water safety, identifying hazards, reading the tide and currents, acclimatizing to colder water, breathing and navigation, building to longer swims.
Suitable for anyone who can swim front crawl with their face in the water for 50m without stopping.
Cost = $255 + GST
Tuesdays at 12:00 noon with Coach Stewart
June 16 until July 21
6 spaces available
Tuesdays at 7:15 pm with coaches Stewart & Joseph
June 16 until July 21
6 spaces available
Wednesdays at 6:00 pm with coaches Stewart & Kira
12 spaces available (2 groups of 6)
June 17 until July 29, no class July 1
Thursdays at 7:15 pm coaches Stewart & Oscar
12 spaces available (2 groups of 6)
June 18 until July 23
Open Water Racing Skills
Develop your open water racing skills with this 6-week course.
Swim with confidence amid the chaos of triathlon or open water swim racing. We'll review the fundamentals of efficient open water swimming skills in the first few weeks and then add more specific racing skills as the course progresses.
We will cover everything in the Beginner course, plus: stroke adjustments for open water racing, how to navigate and swim straight without slowing down, pacing and race strategy, starts and exits, and a fancy trick for quickly turning around the swim buoys.
Suitable for anyone who is confident getting in the ocean and can easily swim 100m+ non-stop.
Costs = $255 + GST
Tuesdays at 6:00 pm with coaches Stewart & Joseph
June 16 until July 21
6 spaces available
Wednesdays at 12:00 noon with Coach Stewart
June 17 until July 29 (no class July 1)
6 spaces available
Wednesdays at 7:15 pm with coaches Stewart & Kira
12 spaces available (2 groups of 6)
June 17 until July 29, no class July 1
Thursdays at 6:00 pm with coaches Stewart & Oscar
12 spaces available (2 groups of 6)
June 18 until July 23
Open Water Masters
Masters - please read! We had hoped to run an exciting, revamped Masters course this summer - in conjunction with Coach Powell - but this currently cannot go ahead due to group size restrictions in light of COVID. If you are interested and suitable to swim in the masters program then you already have the fundamental skills needed for open water swimming. Given that no triathlons or open water swimming events are happening this summer (and I suspected none will go ahead in the Fall either) I will be focusing on the Beginner and Race Skills classes this summer. For now I recommend training solo or in small groups - you already have the skills for safe open water swimming. Get in touch if you have any training questions and look out for some fun end of summer events we hope to offer!