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".
Milan Kantor
Maciej Mitura
Aleksandra Jaminska
Margarita Damova
Jorge Puchol
Michele Giacuz
Nikola Akrabov
Sanela Nikolic
Matt Power
Gisa Schubert
Michal Leks
Icaro Del Mar
Jeanine Meehan
Gleb Shataylo
Peter Georgiou
Constandino Demetriou
Luisa Franco
Panagiotis Anastasakis
Ruta Grumovskyte
Pawel Lichtop
Sorin Dumbrava
Claire Lowry
Gianluca Dettori
Krizstian Serfozo
Rosario Numerato
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. Such success in the pool allows me to work really effectively in the water with 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. My aim is to put my excellent technical knowledge to best use, so as to help all my students achieve the highest possible level of success in their swimming.
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 so as to pass on all my depth of experience and knowledge to younger generations. I have taught in a number of swim schools and clubs in London. I am really keen on getting the technique right which enables my students to swim progress smoothly and effortlessly in all four strokes. I also have a degree in Politics and postgraduate studies in PR.
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.
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.
Jorge Puchol
I have a Bachelor’s degree in Sports & Science and a Master’s degree in Secondary teaching of Physical Education from Valencia University (Spain). I started swimming at the age of 4 and I competed at national level until I was 16. Later I was involved in other sports including open water swimming, tennis, triathlon, and ironman competitions.
After my Master’s degree, I moved to Australia for one year. There, I learned from the best swim coaches in the world. I arrived in London in 2015 and, since then, have worked in the swimming industry as a strength and conditioning coach and as a swimming teacher and coach. My goal is to provide students with the best swimming lessons and the finest skills to become great and confident swimmers.
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.
Nikola Akrabov
I am Nik and I have been swimming since the age of six. I was a National Champion in Bulgaria for 7 consecutive years mainly in free style and butterfly. Swimming is a vital life-skill as well as great fun thing to do and I love teaching both children and adults alike, aiming to get them to share my enthusiasm for this amazing sport. I like to think I am particularly good at motivating swimmers and bring out their full potential in a fun and enjoyable way.
Sanela Nikolic
I have been involved in swimming all of my life and have a very wide background and knowledge of aquatic sports including swimming, synchronised swimming and waterpolo. I was a competitive swimmer from a young age and subsequently a gold medalist and record breaker in 100m and 200m backstroke between 1986 - 1991. in Former Yugoslavia from 13 - 19 old age groups.
I was nominated for the London Award 2013 in the category Coach of the Year 2013 across the UK. I have also had a chance to work with one of our county's Olympians, David Wilkie.
I am qualified as swimming and synchronised swimming teacher and a coach and I am a FINA synchronised swimming judge for National and International competitions with over 30 years of experience and well over 7,000 students World Wide.
My greatest satisfaction always comes from seeing my clients enjoy their progress. Whether working with nervous beginners who need to conquer their fear of water, or with more advanced swimmers who want to reach triathlon or other swimming goals. I am certain that I can help you improve results through supportive and experienced instruction.
Matt Power
I have been a swimming teacher for four years. Before becoming a teacher, I managed swimming pools and sports centres in central London, as well training/ assessing lifeguards in the London Boroughs of Westminster and Kensington & Chelsea. Since starting to teach swimming, I have worked for inner city schools and community sports centres, as well doing private client instruction.
I love working with kids, helping them to improve and motivating them to be the best they can be.
Gisa Schubert
I have had a passion for sports and physical activities from a very early age. This passion led me to take a degree in Physical Education in Brazil.
I spent a year in Australia in 2014, where I furthered my training whilst working as a swimming teacher. It was a huge learning curve for me, and has intensified my passion for this career.
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.
Icaro Del Mar
Amongst my many passions in life, two are very important: teaching and sport. Growing up in a country like Brazil that has a large coastline gave me a love of water and swimming.
As a teenager, I was able to train and compete in small to medium size competitions which helped me gain the knowledge and confidence to be able to teach children the sport and give them the critical life-saving skill that swimming is. After more than a decade of teaching, I can surely say I'm very happy and enthusiastic about this career.
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
I am a Level 2, ASA Swimming Coach and 1st4sport Level 2 Triathlon Coach. I started my career as a P.E. teacher, but retired several years ago to concentrate on swimming teaching (since 2016) and triathlon coaching (since 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. Through my students and coaches, I have managed to find a wonderful balance in my teaching method that creates a both a pleasant environment and a rewarding experience for all my students.
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” of 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.
Peter Georgiou
I started swimming when I was 5 years old at Wimbledon Merton Swimming Club. I believe that I have achieved a very high standard of teaching. During my time as a fully qualified STA level 2 Swimming teacher. I have built up an extensive teacher profile. Teaching up to 120 people a week aged between 3 years to adults. My hobbies are swimming, Badminton and Wu Shu Kwan Chinese Kickboxing that achieving a 3rd dan black belt.
Constandino Demetriou
From an early age, I was at ease in the water. I began swimming around the tender age of 3 or 4 years old. My parents nicknamed me "their little fish" because I loved to be under the water, trying to swim between their legs. After competing in galas during my school years, I got a job as a lifeguard, and went on to do a swim instructing course. I have never looked back since. During the last seven years I have taught both adults and children alike. I have helped people overcome their fear of water and made them more confident swimmers. I have a solid understanding of stroke technique and can easily identify what aspect of a stroke needs improving. To achieve this, I incorporate a lot of drills into my lessons - always explaining the reasoning behind them - and I demonstrate what I am trying to teach. We are visual creatures and knowing is one, thing but seeing it is done is better.
I look forward to helping you to improve your technique, build confidence, get fitter and, if you want, preparing you for competitions
Luisa Franco
I am a passionate swimming instructor who loves teaching swimming. My love for swimming started when I was very young. I grew up in a town in Colombia where the average temperature is 26 degrees throughout the year. There is no winter and outdoor swimming pools are available everywhere. I had my first swimming lesson at the age of 4 and since then, it has been my favourite sport. I’ve been teaching swimming for over eight years now and I love the competitive side of the sport. I have experience working with all age groups (swimming schools and triathlon clubs) from toddlers to competitive swimmers – teenagers and adults. I also have experience working with special needs students, and I hold a certificate in the Halliwick approach, where the main focus is the biophysical principles of motor control in the water.
Panagiotis Anastasakis
I coming from Sparta, the warm weather of Greece coupled with the close distance of my house from the sea, was the main that spent a lot of time in my life around water sport, open sea swimming, and martial arts. In 2017 I moved to London and qualified as a swimming teacher. My passion for education and my enthusiasm for teaching children was the factor that drove me to make this life-changing decision. My main purpose is to transfer my dedication and cognitive skills to the next generation.
Ruta Grumovskyte
I started swimming at the age of eight years old whilst growing up in Lithuania. Even then I was highly motivated and set myself extremely tough goals. By the age of thirteen I was training ten or eleven times a week with Ltihuania’s top team to be an elite professional swimmer competing in Lithuanian National Championships in distance freestyle and butterfly. Whilst competing professionally, I graduated from the Lithuanian Academy of Sports Science and Physical Education. It gave me an excellent insight into how to apply strength and conditioning training to swimming, and an understanding of the mechanics of swimming.
Since graduating, I have gained many years of experience teaching children and adults at all levels in London and Dubai. Teaching has become my great love and my lessons are both fun and focused whilst taking place in a relaxed environment. I believe that I help my students achieve their goals and I do get great feedback. Never wanting to stand still for long, I love learning new things from salsa to snowboarding and therefore I really understand the learning curve and the level of teaching input needed to acquire new skills.
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. He begun swimming at the age of 4. When he was 7 years old, he joined his local swimming team. As he remember 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.
Sorin Dumbrava
My passion for sport started at the age of eleven when I joined a local water-polo team in Bucharest. After a year of hard work and determination I won my first water-polo National Championship. I won the National Championship of Romania four years in a row and received awards such as Most Various Player and the Top Scorer of the season. My determination, will and perseverance gave me the opportunity to represent Romania in international championships in countries such as Russia, Turkey and Germany. Whilst competing professionally, I finished high-school and decided to broaden my knowledge of sports by applying to study at university in London. During my first year in London, I joined the water-polo team Ealing Crabs. This gave me the chance to compete in the National League and London League. Whilst at university, I joined the university swimming team and participated in events such as BUCS.
My passion for water sports shaped me into the man I am today. The knowledge that I have acquired has helped me and my students to strive, improve and correct any imperfections related to swimming. Through my own experiences, I have gained a great insight into how to work with different students and how to deliver my information in a clear and concise manner whilst at the same time keeping my lessons both focused and fun!
Claire Lowry
My love of the water has been passed down from my Dad who was a great surfer and national competitor in Australia. I know that my sister and I learnt to swim by holding onto his legs as he kicked us off so we could paddle back to him.
I took to competing in the open water many years ago when the city was becoming too hectic for me. Submerging myself under water always brought me a sense of great peace. It is gentle and quiet and this is how I would like all children and adults to experience the water.
I am so grateful for all my competitive training, because I know that many parents struggle to keep their children safe at the beach during holidays. In my youth I was on swim teams, learnt to body surf on the Victorian coast with my friends, and went on to coach children when I was at university. Since then I have gained over 8 years of experience in teaching and training beginners to advanced learners and Masters swimmers. I am interested in applying my knowledge of water safety and swimming skills in order to equip my students to be both safe and happy in the water.
Gianluca Dettori
My passion for swimming led me to take up the career of swimming teacher. I come from Sardinia, an island off Italy, so I started swimming from a very young age. Then, later, as I grew up, I fell in love with the sport and I started training regularly and I have never stopped since. Now, after more than 15 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 in ensuring that each swimmer has the finest technique. I want to bring out the best in each student, whether they are a beginner or a competitive swimmer.
Krizstian Serfozo
I have been involved in sporting activity all in my life. My favorite ones always include water. I want to share this wonderful sport with as many people as many possible. Not everyone is born to become an Olympic champion, but I would like to help people to reach their maximum potential and, through the lessons, show them how to really enjoy regular exercise and increase their knowledge and understanding of swimming and water polo.
Rosario Numerato
I come from Naples (Italy) and I am a swimming coach and teacher. I started to swim at the age of 7. When I was 11 I won a regional championship in Italy and a silver medal in the Italian Southern Championships. Subsequently, due to the very long distance between home and the swimming club, I had to give up go to another pool. There, water-polo was the main activity; a sport at which I reached professional level by the age of 21. Injury prevented me pursuing a career in the sport and I started to work as teacher. My lessons are fun, but I also make sure that children learn the correct swimming techniques that provide the right foundations for the future.