Our Guides
Our SwimTrek guides are some of the most experienced open water swimmers around. From solo English Channel crossings, Manhattan Island, Cook Straits, Rottnest Island our guides have swum throughout the world. They have a passion for swimming outdoors and helping others also achieve this goal.
All our guides have the best training available. They are trained in open water specific courses run by the Royal Life Saving Society, the UK governing body for lifesaving and lifeguarding.
Simon Murie
Simon founded SwimTrek after spending many years organising open water swimming trips for himself and others. A solo English Channel swimmer and swim coach, he is always going to new destinations to find more SwimTrek locations.
John Coningham Rolls
... an experienced open water swimmer, with solo crossing of the English Channel and around Manhattan Island to his name, John is also an IronMan triathlete and swim coach.
Cliff Golding
.....A former marathon runner whose life changed when he caught his first glimpse of the English Channel from the air. A solo Channel Swimmer who brings a wealth of open water experience to our trips.
Kate Matwychuk
.. ignited her love of swimming in wild water as a child in the lakes of Northern Ontario. Kate has swum around Key West, Bermuda Sound and completed the Boston Light Swim.
Mark Faure Walker
... a regular of the Serpentine in the Hyde Park, London. When not tending to the demands of his farm Mark loves to guide at any of our island locations.
Neil Bowers
.. an experienced swim coach, Neil has built up a wealth of open water expertise. Having captained the England waterpolo team, he can now be found swimming in the cooler waters of the Lake District and west coast of the UK.
Lesley Ferguson
... a true all rounder, you will find Lesley either walking in the Lake District, swimming in the Scottish Lochs or kayaking in the Yukon River Quest.
Nick Adams
... youngest person ever to swim the Channel 2 ways at 18 and currently holds the world record. Nick has also swum to Rottnest Island Australia and around Manhattan Island. He is a qualified swim coach.
Andrew Ragless
... has joined us from Adelaide, Australia for his first season with SwimTrek. Andrew is a very experienced pool swimmer who has competed in breastroke at a high level, but is enjoying his new passion of open water swimming.
Birgit Kempf
Grown up and still living in the southern part of Germany, Birgit quite often swims in the Bavarian Lakes and Lake Constance area. Being a competitive “pool paddler” as a teenager and an experienced scuba diver she turned more and more to open water swimming during the last years.
Mia Russell
.....Hailing from Cape Town Mia virtually grew up in the water. With her considerable time spent in the water and years teaching swimming she now runs her own swim school. In her free time she simply loves swimming in the numerous Bays, Dams and Lakes around Cape Town.
