Our coaches
All Nautilus instructors hold internationally recognised swimming instructor qualifications, but we think that you might like to know a bit more about them than that. So here, in their own words, is who they are and why they love swimming and instructing.
As one of our instructors likes to quote "Swimming is not just about learning technique, it's about building a relationship with the water".
Maciej Mitura
Milan Kantor
Margarita Damova
Kyle Owen Smith
Michele Giacuz
Joao Vasconcellos Garrido
Emre Sengul
Annamaria Veres
Nikola Akrabov
Eva Slováková
Madhi Faraji
Bedirhan Yildiz
Fernando Cuevas
Robin Conway
Michal Leks
Massimo Catucci
John Hull
Daryan Baker
Luis Gallo Mudarra
Stam Anastasakis
Francesco Coppeta
Anderson da Rosa
Laurence Leonard
Anastasia Mihailova
Peter Slania-Duma
Gradimir Angelov
Aleksandra Jaminska
Hillary Ann Nevyjel
Jeanine Meehan
Gleb Shataylo
Hakan Sofuoğlu
Panagiotis Anastasakis
Pawel Lichtop
Gianluca Dettori
Maciej Mitura
I grew up in Poland and started swimming at the age of six . I soon became a member of a local swim club and competed successfully at National level. When my professional swimming career ended, I became an instructor in order to pass on my experience and knowledge to the generations ahead. I have taught in a number of swim schools and clubs in London, my focus being on correct technique; this enables my students to progress smoothly and effortlessly in all four strokes. I also have a degree in Politics and postgraduate studies in PR which provide me with the skills to manage a large team professionally and efficiently.
Milan Kantor
I am a graduate of Sports Science and Physical Education at Brno University, Czech Republic (2006). At the age of ten, I started swimming with my local club and, by fifteen, I was training eleven times per week and competing successfully at the Czech National Junior Championships. My success in the pool allows me to work effectively in the water with the students by providing technically clear demonstrations which help them visualize what it is they are trying to achieve.
I arrived in London in 2006 and have worked as a swimming coach and instructor with numerous companies. Since 2017 I am managing the Wimbledon venue for Nautilus. My aim is to use my technical knowledge to help my students achieve their highest potential in their swimming.
I continue to work closely as a swimming coach with the staff and students at Glendower Prep School, Pembridge Hall, Wetherby and Thomas's Kensington/Clapham.
Margarita Damova
My name is Margarita and I come from Bulgaria when I started swimming at the age of 6.
I have been a competitive swimmer and part of the Bulgarian national swimming team for many years. I participated in many national and international championships, including open-water swimming world cup competitions achieving a 4th place ranking
My higher education was in sports journalism and swim coaching. As swimming and communicating with people are my two favorite activities, my job as a swimming coach enjoyably combines both these very well! As well as Bulgarian instructor qualifications, I also have the GB teaching and coaching certificates as well and, overall, I have more than 15 years experience in teaching/coaching. I love my job and believe that giving my students individual attention, even in a group, is one of the key ways for them to reach their goals.
Kyle Owen Smith
free and fun early childhood living wild on farms and in the national parks of Zululand,
Zimbabwe and Namibia. When my family settled in Swakopmund, Namibia I joined the local
swim club at the age of seven. Initially a very skinny, gangly and shy kid, I would swim as a
junior in the South African system and later as a senior for a newly independent Namibia.
Both my brother and I swam for the country and I went on to swim the 1500m free and
200m backstroke in the final of the 1995 All African Games.
I came to the UK in 2001 and started swim teaching and coaching in Inverness, Scotland
before coming to London in 2003. Since then I have been involved with a number of swim
schools and swim clubs over the last 23 years both in the UK, as well as in Namibia, the USA
and Asia. I hold a BSc in Psychology from the Open University and I am both UK and FINA
qualified as both a swimming coach, teacher and a baby’s instructor.
As a coach/teacher I try to be very technique focused and strive to build self- confidence by
empowering children through understanding and a sense of ownership of the activity they
are doing. I am a naturally patient, calm and humorous person and value the
person building part of my job as much as the technical swimming skills that I am developing.
In the future I aim to return to Caithness in north eastern Scotland to buy a home and start
a part-time business where I can live a more outdoor lifestyle. My hobbies and interests
include adventure travel, open-water swimming, free-diving, surfing, hiking, rugby horse
riding, trying to learn bass guitar
Michele Giacuz
I have been teaching children and adults of all levels for more than eighteen years, both in Italy, where I come from and, for the last ten years, here in London. I pride myself on an ability to work with everyone from the most inexperienced, timid swimmer to aspiring tri-athletes looking to improve their performance.
My lessons for younger students are made to be fun while pushing them to explore and improve their abilities. With a sound understanding of the underlying mechanics and physics of swimming, I am able to provide more structured, technical lessons to advanced swimmers.
Joao Vasconcellos Garrido
Born and raised in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), my contact with water began very early at the beach with my parents and brothers who taught me how to swim. At the age of 6 I had my first swimming lessons, at the lagoon military club, where a year later I was accepted into the children's team and started competing. I competed until the age of 15 and during this time I participated in competitions for the military club, Flamengo regatta club and the lagoon educational center school. My specialty has always been free style and long distance.
At the age of 15 I started practicing Brazilian jiu jitsu, and participated in competitions, but I never lost contact and passion for the water and continued surfing and swimming in my free time. At the age of 28, I finished college with a bachelor's degree in sports science and physical education, and began my career as a teacher and running coach, open sea swimming and personal trainer. After moving to London in 2018, I continued my career as a swimming teacher and personal trainer.
Emre Sengul
I grew up in Ankara, Turkey surrounded by family and friends. I developed an interest in sports, particularly due to my father being a former professional football player. Especially during our summer visits to our cottage, I spent all my time in the sea and pool. The local pool became my second home, and I found joy and purpose in the water. Over the years, this passion transformed into a journey that led me to competitive swimming and eventually coaching.
As I witnessed the profound impact of swimming on personal development and building confidence, the desire to share this experience with others emerged. Becoming a swim teacher was a natural choice. Swimming has been a source of strength for me, offering not just physical well-being but also valuable life skills. I believe swimming goes beyond a skill—it’s a transformative experience. Now, I enjoy sharing this joy with others.
Now, as a dedicated swim teacher, I find immense joy in helping individuals overcome their fears and discover the incredible world beneath the water’s surface.
Annamaria Veres
I started swimming at the age of four. I quickly joined the school squad and won my first medal at the age of six! Since then I competed continuously until my late teenage years in Eger, Hungary. I then went to Óbuda University in Budapest and completed my engineering degree.
I moved to London in 2008 and first worked as a lifeguard. In 2011, I started my journey as an ASA qualified level 2 swimming teacher, then level 2 coach. Since then I have worked for various different swim schools across London with all abilities and age groups from preschool to adults. I have found my time teaching has been the most rewarding years of my life, helping me to grow personally and professionally.
In 2018, I became an STA qualified baby and pre-school teacher. This was an amazing experience as I discovered an innate love and ability for the craft, and I have found my parent & baby lessons to be my favourite teaching time!
I really enjoy seeing my little swimmers (and their parents) growing with confidence in the water, having fun and learning new skills week by week. I am a kind and patient coach, I am passionate about swimming and the water, something I try to pass on to my pupils. Getting to know who they are is essential to me so I can tailor the lessons to their individual needs.
Nikola Akrabov
I have been swimming since the age of six and was National Champion in Bulgaria for seven consecutive years in freestyle and butterfly. Swimming is a vital life-skill as well as a fun thing to do. I enjoy teaching both children and adults with my aim being to get them to share my enthusiasm for this amazing sport. I like to think I am particularly good at motivating swimmers by tapping into their full potential in a fun and enjoyable way.
Eva Slováková
My name is Eva and I am originally from Slovakia. I started swimming, when I was very young and I can’t imagine holiday without the sea or a pool.
I joined our neighborhood diving club, when I was 11 and tried my hands on free diving and fin- swimming, in which I competed nationally. Butterfly is naturally stroke of my choice, but I enjoy and integrate all four strokes in my training. This inspires my lessons and specially tailored approach to build confidence and technically sound swimmers.
I have a master’s degree in philosophy and I am fond of the developmental side of the sport as well as competitive and technical.
Madhi Faraji
Bedirhan Yildiz
I was born in Turkey and started my swimming journey at 6 years old at a local swimming club. I became a national swimmer and national underwater hockey player. I have been on Youth Olympic Games and won the world cup twice. Since then I have decided to become a swimming teacher, and I have been improving my knowledge and experience for teaching. I studied sports of medicine. I’m very passionate about sports therefore I love sharing what I’ve learnt throughout the years of my experience in swimming.
Fernando Cuevas
I have been teaching swimming for more than ten years in several swimming schools and clubs across London. Through this experience, I gained valuable skills to motivate and teach swimming to students of all ages and abilities, from preschool students, aged 2 and 3, to competitive swimmers, and various walks of life.
My passion for the water began at the age of 6 in the open waters surrounding Barcelona. The sense of achievement I felt at taking my first independent strokes is still prominent in my memory and is emulated each time I teach someone to swim.
Swimming became a gateway to other sports and a way of life. I obtained my ASA level 2 in order to expand my knowledge of teaching so that I could successfully help others achieve their goals. Still eager to become more accomplished, I completeda BSc (Hons) in Sports and Exercise Science and, a Bachelor degree in Physical Education whilst continuing to teach swimming.
I bring to my students enjoyable and varied swimming lessons according to their age and ability, where having fun in the water is an essential part of my lessons. With my passion, enthusiasm and sheer love of swimming, whether students are a complete beginner or an experienced swimmer, my goals for every one of my pupils are to look forward to a terrific time when they are at the pool.
Robin Conway
I have been swimming from the age of 4 years old i started swimming with Swiss Cottage Swim Club getting to canteen championship
I have a strong link to water as I used my swimming skill to start work as a lifeguard when i was 16 years old then moving on to swimming teaching i have or so With an MA in Fine and Art and over 17 years’ experience in underwater photography with some of the top ballet dancers in the UK and Europe.
Michal Leks
I am a qualified PE teacher with an additional five years of experience of working as a swimming teacher. I am an enthusiastic educator who enjoys working with children and is committed to developing their physical skills.
Having spent the last few years teaching swimming to children at all levels, I have formulated a very good relationship with them and have found that I can instill in them a real enthusiasm for sports, health and fitness. I believe that my dedication and involvement in sports activities and healthy lifestyles will encourage and contribute to children’s swimming education.
Massimo Catucci
John Hull
I enjoy teaching enormously and would like to think I have helped lots of children to become more confident and proficient in there swimming.
Daryan Baker
My swimming background involves my devotion to the sport through over 12 years of competitive swimming, regularly attending galas. I have been around water my whole life, evolving from a swimmer, assistant swim teacher, lifeguard, and finally a swim teacher.
My ethos in regards to swimming is to project my passion for swimming upon others who wish to obtain a similar enthusiasm, projected through effort. Ensuring that they enjoy their time in the water to encourage regular attendance to develop fitness. Building upon the foundations of confidence and communication skills to translate into productivity in regards to swimming ability.
I currently study Medicine at King's College London. Incessantly on my odyssey towards becoming a pediatric physician.
I am a character who aspires to continually build upon my knowledge through a wealth of experiences and regular research. Implementing my findings to provide a scientific perspective for all stroke actions to flourish.
Luis Gallo Mudarra
I grew up in Spain where we have loads of lakes, rivers, miles of sea shore and great swimming pools. I started swimming at the age of 4 and I gradually built up to reach competitive swimming.
Once in the UK, I completed a dance theatre degree that took me to have a career in the arts as a dancer and choreographer.
My experience of moving my body in a wide variety of sports and creative disciplines translates into having a very acute eye for how humans move and how we perform with our bodies, both in the water and outside.
As a swimming teacher, I take pride in couching good technique, meticulous attention to detail and safety as well as inspiring fun. I believe this to be essential when training non swimmers specially those with water phobia but equally so when developing highly skilled swimmers.
I have enjoyed many years of yoga and pilates practice. I am passionate about facilitating the development of physical awareness, save and healthy body performance and confidence. I have also worked as a researcher analysing creative movement pedagogy: breathing, posture, alignment, dynamics and many other human movement facets.
Stam Anastasakis
Francesco Coppeta
Francesco has competed in swimming since he was nine and has been teaching for the past five years. His lesson approach consists of detailed physical demonstrations from in and out of the water, a playful attitude and engaging communication skills. Francesco believes that every skill is achievable with practice and dedication; a mindset he applies diligently during his lessons. Other interests include, weightlifting, grappling , cycling and yoga.
Anderson da Rosa
Born in Brazil I have always been passionate about any kind of sports. I played Football and Volleyball throughout my childhood until University when I moved to London in 2009.
Since then I have been working in the leisure industry in different areas from fitness Instructor ,Lifeguard to swim manager I have been a swimming instructor for almost 10 years and during all those years I taught children and adults with all different levels and backgrounds
Laurence Leonard
I am a qualified ASA Level 2 Swimming Coach & ASA Level 2 Swimming Teacher.
Swimming is a huge passion of mine as I am an ex-county standard swimmer and still swim most days myself for personal fitness in pools and open water.
As a teacher, I take great pride in creating engaging and progressive lessons for all my students and aim to develop swimming skills that focus on technique and fitness, as well as being engaging and playful. I incorporate skills that will help swimmers progress competently and efficiently.
Anastasia Mihailova
I dedicate my whole life to sports, I think sports is the most important thing to be happy and healthy. I started swimming at the age of 5 in a local swimming pool in Latvia. After some time I moved to the competitive level and started winning junior competitions. Years of hard training gave me the opportunity to participate in open championships in countries such as Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Belarus and the Czech Republic. During my professional career, I have many junior records in both individual and relay events. During my university studies I competed in the London League and BUCS (Sheffield, 2022). I am in my final year at Brunel University London studying sport, health and exercise science.
Peter Slania-Duma
I am a swim enthusiast with a lifelong competitive record, on a mission to pass my knowledge and passion to a new generation of learners in a fun and fully personalised experience that both encourages and motivates.
I work extremely hard to ensure a personal approach to each of my students that allows for individually tailored lessons. Working with each student’s needs, I ensure we manoeuvre through the range of techniques and skills to help them become more confident, comfortable and capable in the aquatic environment.
My expertise will be an advantage to both new starters, who wish to be patiently guided through their first encounter with the pool setting, as well as developing and advanced swimmers, who look to refine their stroke, children and adults alike.
Gradimir Angelov
Born in Southeast Bulgaria - Burgas, city by the sea, I have had a passion for water sports from a very early age. When I was little child I spent most of my free time on the beach surrounded by water where I felt calm, comfortable and confident. I took note of these feelings and directed them into the field of competitive age group swimming. At age of twelve I started studying and training in the Sports School of Burgas in the following disciplines: 100m, 200m and 400m Individual Medley. .After finishing my career as competitive swimmer, I discovered the enjoyment of other aquatic disciplines such as Water Polo. I have been teaching swimming for 6 years in South West London and my greatest skill is patience; I believe that with small steps we can make big changes! I really enjoy working with kids and passing my swimming experience onto them, keeping them motivated to stretch their athletic potential.
Aleksandra Jaminska
Sport is my greatest passion in life! As a child I always wanted to spend as much time on my various sporting activities as I could, and my interest in swimming grew over the years. So much so, that I decided to pursue it as a profession, and graduated as a P.E. teacher from the Academy of Physical Education in Wroclaw, Poland. As a student there, I specialised in sports management and swimming coaching courses at every level, from toddlers through to adult swimmers, including those with special needs.
I get huge enjoyment from working with kids and seeing their smiling faces when they are succeeding and having fun at the same time is great. I want to share my enjoyment of sport and inculcate healthy attitudes and enthusiasm for life-long active recreation.
Hillary Ann Nevyjel
I learnt to swim in the alpine lakes and rivers of southern Germany and in the warm waters of Florida. From the age of 9, I also began club swimming. Being in the water for me is pure joy, freedom and fun, whether it's indoors or outdoors, across a lake or doing my laps. I believe swimming is such an important life skill as it's a brilliant way to keep fit and healthy, physically as well as mentally.
My career as a swimming teacher started in 2016. I mainly teach children in private, group and school swimming lessons, aiming to provide lessons that build confidence, improve technique and develop a positive, lifelong relationship with water that will allow my students to enjoy swimming wherever they go.
Jeanine Meehan
I learned to swim when I was three and was part of a swimming club by the time I was 7 years old. So swimming and teaching have been a passion since I was very young indeed.
I competed in the Middlesex county championships and became county champion under 16s 50 metres frontcrawl at the age of 15. I have taught a huge range of people with a variety of abilities and aptitudes, including people with water phobia, mental and physical disabilities and, of course, highly competitive swimmers. I can teach both competitive and non-competitive techniques in frontcrawl, backstroke,breaststroke and butterfly. My lessons are designed to be fun and I aim to build students' self confidence and particularly to share my enthusiasm for swimming. Through swimming, I want students to gain the sort of self belief that will enable them to realise that, in life, they can do whatever they put their minds to.
Gleb Shataylo
A qualified Level 2, ASA Swimming Coach and 1st4sport Level 2 Triathlon Coach, I started my career as a P.E. teacher, before retiring several years ago to concentrate on swimming teaching (2016) and triathlon coaching (2011). I am always very excited to share the knowledge and experience that I have accumulated over my years as a teacher and coach. I have taught swimming across all ages and abilities and this has helped me to improve my understanding of the sport. I have managed to find a wonderful balance in my teaching method that creates both a pleasant environment and a rewarding experience for all. Working on the FUNdamentals and core aquatics skills, I always try to bring new ideas to my lessons. When putting my teaching plans together, I like to ask myself these questions:
- Will the lesson be interesting, challenging, and enjoyable?
- Does it suit the ages and abilities of the learners?
- Is there variety, continuity, and balance?
I am an all-rounder in sports and, apart from my “first love” swimming, I enjoy tennis, skiing, and basketball. I also regularly compete in open water swimming competitions and Ironman triathlon events across Europe. I am a father of three and enjoy spending time with my family including my youngest child who is now doing A-Levels.
Hakan Sofuoğlu
Born in Turkey. Swimming have been among my passions since I was little. I started swimming when I was 6 years old.
In 2011, I broke the Turkish record in the 200m backstroke.
In 2014, I was selected in National Swimming Team and i competed in the Open Water European Championship. (Istanbul, Turkey)
In 2015, I competed in the European Junior Championships. (Tenero, Switzerland)
In 2019, I became the world champion in U23 Underwater Hockey World Championship. (Sheffield, UK)
I graduated from Kocaeli University in Sports Sciences. I have completed higher education in Pedagogy. In addition to my 15 year sports career, I coached swimming, strength and conditioning for 4 years. Meanwhile, I gained experience working with athletes from different age groups and at different levels. I am encouraging all my students to love swimming, and to help them set goals.
Panagiotis Anastasakis
I was born in Sparta where the warm weather of Greece, coupled with the close distance of my house from the sea, became the main reason I spent a lot of time around water sports, including open sea swimming and, on land, martial arts. In 2017 I moved to London and qualified as a swimming teacher where my passion for education and my enthusiasm for teaching children became the main factor that drove me to make this life-changing decision. My goal is to transfer my dedication and cognitive skills to the next generation.
Pawel Lichtop
Pawel got his athletic start on land growing up in Poland where he spent his youth playing his favorite sport basketball, but he always had a love for the water.and began swimming at the age of 4; at 7 years old, he joined his local swimming team. As he remembers, swimming has always been a part of his daily regimen, enhancing both his training and peace of mind. He competed as a swimmer for many years and he also swam with the competitive swim team at the University. Pawel has a Masters degree in Education and many years of coaching experience. Whether a student is 3 years old or over 60, he strives to show how much fun the water can be. When not working you might still find him swimming in the pool or on the court excelling at basketball.
Gianluca Dettori
Originally from Sardinia, an island off Italy, I started swimming from a very young age and my passion for swimming led me to a career as a swimming teacher. Later, as I grew up, I fell in love with the sport and I started training regularly and I have never stopped. After more than fifteen years of training, I am excited to be sharing my knowledge with Nautilus students and I hope my enthusiasm comes through in my lessons. My aim is to create strong, happy swimmers and to achieve this, I am both thorough and patient, ensuring each swimmer has the finest technique, whether they are a beginner or a competitive swimmer.