Meet our Guides
Meet the fantastic team of guides who bring your SwimTrek experience to life.
Dionne Tatlow
Swim history before SwimTrek
Growing up I always gravitated towards water activities and spent the majority of my summers at the lake, and then taking swimming lessons throughout the winter. I began recreationally lane swimming during my undergraduate degree and then started training with a Masters team in Toronto while in Chiropractic College. During my time in Toronto I completely fell in love with swimming and have since immersed myself in all facets of the sport; from treating swimmers, coaching, organizing a local race, and of course, spending endless hours in the water myself!
Most memorable swim moment
Perhaps my first SwimTrek swim! In the Aeolian Islands we swam along the coast of Vulcano and I couldn’t stop smiling. The scenery was gorgeous, the water was unbelievably blue, and the group was a lot of fun. I got out of the water and the only thing I managed to verbalize was “I’m so happy, just so, so happy!” I said it so much that it became a running joke throughout the trip!
Top swimming tip
One-armed and balance-driven drills are very effective. They do a fantastic job of highlighting and correcting asymmetries in strength and mobility while engaging the core; all of which are very important factors for efficiency and injury prevention.
Interesting fact
I live 236km from the nearest pool, but only 30m from a big, beautiful freshwater lake. It makes for a long winter with a lot of driving, but in the summer I can swim home from work!
Edmondo Paciocco
Swim History Before SwimTrek
I have been swimming since I was a child in the sea every summer. I learned the fundamentals in the open water and then I mastered my technique in a swimming pool, joining a group of master swimmers for 2 years in my home town, Chieti in Italy. Even though I played basketball for 14 years, the love for the water and team sports made me play water polo for a Scottish university were I currently study Sport Science and work as a swim teacher, lifeguard and sport assistant. In 2015 I joined the ASD Swimtrekking, which is an open water swim club settled in Rome and I have been guiding a group of guests in Itacha, Greece for 9 days with Francesco Cavaliere. As a guide I was in the water, swimming along the coastline of Itacha with the guests/swimmers and I fell in love with the variety of sea plants and the underwater ruins that we found along the way.
Locations guided on:
Tremiti Island, Italy.
Most Memorable swim moments:
I was swimming in Itacha and suddenly I saw a moray hiding in a rock hole looking at me without moving. I thought it was going to eat me at some point because we were staring at each other for a while but nothing happened so I was pleased at the very end…
Best Swimming tips:
1) If you are tired, just stop, relax, and take some time to explore the surrounding areas. Never push yourself in the open water unsupervised. We are nothing compared to the power of the sea. - Darth Vader.
2) If you see a jellyfish...don’t panic!
Interesting facts about myself.
I’ve been dancing professionally for 3 years . When I was 19 years old I won the gold medal at the Italian National Championships of Caribbean Dance, in Rimini. If I hear the music I can’t stop!
Elodie de Rover
Swim history before SwimTrek
I grew up on the South Coast of New South Wales in Australia and as a result, have loved the open water since before I could walk. I began swimming training when I was seven and competed in Interschool and State Swimming from the ages of eight to sixteen. My main competitive strokes were butterfly and breaststroke and my twin sister’s were freestyle and backstroke! I trained as a Lifeguard in 2015 and patrolled local beaches every season until I left home in 2019. Lifeguarding in Australia means dealing with huge swell, reef sharks, stingrays, hundreds of jellyfish and scorching sun-and that can all be before a morning coffee! From 2016 onwards, I coached and mentored young lifeguards (Nippers) for carnivals and futures on patrol.
Locations guided on
Malta, Sporades and Milos
Most memorable swim moment
I have two: the first one is in Thailand when I was three years old. My mum taught me to swim distance by walking backwards after I’d started. It took me years to figure out this trick! My second is much more recent. May 2019, Brighton: Celebratory swim with old and new guides after graduating from a week of gruelling but incredible Guides Training!
Top swimming tip
Try not to think about the physics of it too much! Technique is a work in progress and you will learn so much by watching others and through experience. If you want to work on technique, pick one aspect and just remind yourself of it every so often. Don’t be too hard on yourself about swimming perfectly all the time otherwise you’ll lose the enjoyment of the swim.
Interesting fact
I can rap.
Emily Matthews
Swim History Before Swim Trek
I was a County swimmer as a teenager for Sussex and have never looked back. I’ve always felt at home in the water and have worked as a beach lifeguard in Brighton and as a swim instructor in Australia for the Royal Lifesaving Society. I’m a member of the South London Swimming Club and can often be found at the Tooting Bec Lido. I have regularly taken part in open water events up and down the UK, including placing the Dart 10k last year. I also enjoy diving and have taken up Freediving; I am an advanced open water diver.
Most Memorable Swim Moment
Crossing the channel between Albania to Greece is a 3km swim. This swim was out of the question (for political reasons) for many decades (many drowned trying to escape Albania’s Communist dictatorship in the 1980s) but in 2018, I took part in a small swim of 60 swimmers, undertaking the challenge to raise funds for a local children’s charity. It was remarkable to think of the new political freedoms afforded to people in the area, but equally amazing was the pure joy of feeling the waters of the Ionian on your skin and the stunning panorama of the Albanian mountains loom in the distance.
Top Swimming Tip
Sighting is important when it comes to open water success. You need to look ahead as you swim to find a fixed point in the distance; regular visual contact with this same point is essential to mitigate the power of currents or busy lane traffic. There are a few different methods of sighting effectively whilst swimming in order to conserve energy; different methods suit different people and I have learnt to adapt my own method to suit different challenges and the demands being placed on my body.
Interesting Fact
In 2013, I became Slovenia’s female high diving champion on the 10m board.
Benjamin McIvor
Swim History Before SwimTrek
Back in the day, I swam competitively for the Sussex and Internationally for England. It’s safe to say swimming has been in my blood since I was a youngster and still find it hard not to dabble with the occasional race here and there!
Nothing beats the rush of competition and fast swimming!
Nowadays I tend to be seen more on deck than in the water, coaching the up and coming age group swimmers and master swimmers for Brighton Swimming Club.
Locations Guided On
Bosphorus Continental - Istanbul, Durdle Door - Jurassic Coast, Latitude Festival, Lycian way - Turkey, St Kitts & Nevis, Malta Escape, Mallorca Camps, Hellespont and Dardanelles, Lakes of Lithuania, Arizona, Montenegro Fjords, British Virgin Islands, Red Sea - Egypt.
Most Memorable Swim Moment
Swimming the English Channel with the SwimTrek office was one of the most memorable moments to date for me as this was a childhood dream. However, I will never forget the time whilst representing Great Britain in South Africa where not only did I win a bronze medal, but I had the opportunity to swim against competitors and dolphins alike.
Top Swimming Tip
Consistency provides opportunity, opportunity provides a swimmer with the chance to achieve anything. Humans are creatures of habit so what we do repeatedly and what becomes a habit, is what we do instinctively in times of fatigue and pressure.
Interesting Fact
I struggle with the concept of shoes...Flip flops for me all year round!
Emma Savage
Swim history before SwimTrek
Ever since I can remember I’ve been spending my time down at the beach and in the ocean. As a kid growing up I was lucky enough to spend my summer holidays either at the beach on the south coast of England where I grew up, or in France on family holidays. I moved to the SW of England for University and found a passion for surfing, before discovering the warmer waters of Australia in 2012 . The past 7 years I have been living in Sydney and have loved developing my open water swimming abilities and learning to navigate big waves. I became a member of Bondi Bathers Surf Life Saving Club in 2015 and have since gone to on become an Open Water swimming instructor teaching kids and adults how to get the best out of the ocean environment. I also coach on a 14 week learn to Ocean Swim programme, preparing participants for a 1 or 2km Ocean Swimming race. I find this hugely rewarding and enjoy passing my passion and knowledge of the ocean onto people of all ages and abilities. I also have a love of Scuba Diving, learning about Marine Biology and supporting Ocean Conservation.
Most Memorable swim moment
I will never forget my first point to point journey swim between 2 headland artillery forts across the entrance to Falmouth Harbour in Cornwall in 2010. I wasn’t a very efficient Freestyle swimmer at the time and swam the event mainly by breaststroke. I also hadn’t swam any real open water distances before and was amazed how hard it was to sight the finishing point from the water level. It was also super cold, but I finished exhilarated and eager to progress at the sport. I also have so many fond memories of the beach break at Bondi and swimming onto some of the best waves of my life.
Top Swimming tip
Always remember to breath and stay relaxed. I often aliken the breathing rhythm needed in swimming to that of the breath cycles in Vinyasa Yoga. If you can stay relaxed and have a nice smooth inhale/exhale flow of breath, you can conquer anything!
Interesting fact
I love details! When I am not enjoying the attention to detail in swimming, I take pleasure in working as a Project Architect on residential houses.
Eoin Gleeson
Swim history before SwimTrek
Ennis Swimming and Lifesaving Club, Clare Surf-Lifesaving Club, National Surf-Lifesaving Squad/Team, Swim Teacher, Assistant Lifesaving Instructor, Pool Lifeguard, Beach Lifeguard, IRB Crew/Coxain
Most memorable swim moment
Hard to choose one. One of my first memories of swimming in the ocean would have to be with my whole family including cousins, aunts and uncles. We found a small secluded bay in the Burren, just before Fanore. It was limestone rock right up to the water and limestone mountain behind us. Once we all got in with wetsuits, snorkel and mask equipped, a lone dolphin appeared. As a child I still have this memory of diving down and coming face to face with this huge animal. She came right in and circled around us gently showing affection in a playful manner. We named it Mara. But the dolphin is now known to people as Dusky. We re-visited a number of times, but that first encounter will stay with me.
Top swimming tip
If feeling tired/fatigued, slow your stroke number and increase the length of pull by stretching arms.
Interesting fact
The earth's surface is covered by roughly 70% of ocean. We as humans we have only explored or seen 5% of these vast expanses of water. Let's get exploring!
Fiona Southwell
Swim history before SwimTrek
Swam the English Channel in August 2009, the oldest woman to do so at that time. Have been a primary school teacher for 18 years. Was awarded channel swimming coach of the year 2016 and has coached and supported 2 world record swims. Holds the record for having the highest success rate for coaching solo swimmers across the English Channel.
Locations guided on
Gozo, Mallorca, Sicily, Turkey, Hellespont, Brighton Swim-days.
Most memorable swim moment
Feeling my feet touch the French beach after a 19 hour and 22 minute solo swim of the English Channel.
Top swimming tip
Keep a wide arm, spear a wave, don’t slap it! No more than a 2 to 4 beat leg-kick. Never exhale all the oxygen from your lung.
Interesting fact
In 1983, myself along with my husband introduced the concept of the Mongolian Barbecue to Great Britain and ran a successful chain of restaurants for over 30 years.
Francesco Cavaliere
Swim history before SwimTrek
I am a PE teacher and I was teaching at the University in Chieti up until 2014. I am currently a swim coach and lifeguard and I work for SS.Lazio Nuoto in Rome. I am the President and founder of ASD Swimtrekking, this year completing 20 years of activity. I have been a swimmer since I was 4 years old but I never loved to swim in pools and fresh water and I retired from the pool at 14 years old. My passion was to swim in the sea, looking to explore, and when I was an early teenager I loved to swim with my friends in the blue sea of the Eolian Islands with a mask and snorkel. At 15 I completed my first circumnavigation of Panarea and from that moment every summer was the opportunity to explore to sea beauty swimming round the islands. My first big challenge was in 1993 when I completed a 150 km coastal of all the Emerald Coast in Sardinia in 13 days. From summer 1994 to summer 2005 I completed the swim of all the Italian minor islands (all the Italian islands apart from Sicily and Sardinia) for a total of 44 islands as a solo swimmer with no boat support. In the winter of 2005 I swam around 10 island in the huge archipelago of Los Roques in Venezuela and in 2006 I swam around the island of Ithaca in Greece. I have also completed the swim of the San Bernardo archipelago in Colombia in winter 2014 and the coastal swims in the Galapagos archipelago in winter 2015.
Locations guided on
I have been guiding for Swimtrek in Sardinia since the start of that trip and as well the Aegadian islands and the Aeolian islands. This year I will also be guiding the Tremiti islands.
Most memorable swim moment
The most memorable moment was when I was swimming around Stromboli island in 1996 and there was a lava eruption combined with a thunderstorm. It was an incredible to swim in such conditions and an unforgettable scenery to experience.
Top swimming tip
Swim with a kickboard in one hand. Pull and when you enter, aim the hand for the corner of the board and reach out under the side of the board instead of for the center. This can correct some of the common mistakes of moving the hands across the body on the reach after entry.
Interesting fact
I love the sea, and swimming is an opportunity to explore marine life in a very unique way and to feel part of it.
Frank Carty
History before SwimTrek
I grew in the midlands of Ireland. I joined my local club when I was 8 and swam competitively for club and Provence until I was 18. I lived in that pool; if I wasn’t training I was lifeguarding. Between school and college I threw myself into cycling, and unfortunately a few triathlons.
When I went to college I never thought Id never go back swimming with a club. But when I saw the crew I’d be training with I couldn't resist. A good balance of swimming and socializing, a mixed bag of characters that just loved swimming. While I was in college I got my beach lifeguard qualification and I worked 5 seasons in Galway; they've got some of the most beautiful beaches like you wouldn't believe. In Galway there’s always been a good swimming scene with Blackrock diving tower being the meeting place.
Locations Guided On
Milos, Cyclades, Dalmatian Coast, Kornati, Mallorca, Sardinia, Ibiza.
Most Memorable Swim Moment
The Coosan Point swim was a 'very' local race held once a year and would bring everyone down to the shore. Those first few races gave me such a buzz I’ll never forget.
Interesting fact
In college I got a BSc in Zoology. I grew up on a farm and have a huge passion for nature and wildlife.
Click to view profile
Click to view profile
Click to view profile
Click to view profile
Click to view profile
Click to view profile
Click to view profile
Click to view profile
Click to view profile
Click to view profile