Meet our Guides
Anna Wardley
Swim history before SwimTrek
I love the freedom and calmness that comes with swimming in the sea especially over long distances – it gives a rare and precious opportunity to switch off and enjoy being in nature. I took up swimming when I was 31 with a mission to swim the English Channel. I didn’t make it on my first attempt less than a year later, but being pulled out and hospitalised with hypothermia and exhaustion after 14 hours taught me more about myself than any other swim I’ve done since. I made it across the Channel on my second attempt and went on to swim various international stretches including the Strait of Gibraltar and the Hellespont Channel. In 2012 I embarked on my Five Island Swim Challenge which included solo swims around Jersey and Portsea, and culminated with a 56-mile swim around the Isle of Wight. My latest project, the Balearic Swim Challenge, to swim between the Balearic Islands and the Spanish mainland ended abruptly in May 2016 when I was rushed ashore from the Menorca Channel in a lifeboat after being stung unconscious by jellyfish. After ten years of endurance swimming during which time I’ve raised around £70,000 for charities, I’m now focusing my energies on coaching and helping other people to reach their potential both in and out of the water.
Locations guided on
Mallorca LDT. I enjoy being part of the Mallorca LDT team as I love to support others in achieving their goals and pushing themselves to exceed their own expectations. I also enjoy sharing my experience of organising my own swims and logistics, fundraising and sponsorship, learning from unsuccessful attempts and helping people to find their own way of preparing for challenging swims.
Most memorable swim moment
A memorable moment was finishing my swim around the Isle of Wight in September 2013 surrounded by a flotilla of boats and cheering crowds, I was the fourth person to complete the feat and the first in almost three decades, and it was an incredible feeling for all the hard work to pay off. Overwhelmed by relief when I finally punched Ryde Pier to mark my finish after swimming non-stop for over 26 hours, I nearly broke my hand and came out with something deemed so explicit by the TV crews that they had to chop it out of their broadcasts!
Top swimming tip
For long distance swimmers I always say keeping a sense of humour is a priority. If you can’t laugh at yourself eating rice pudding out of a Ziplock bag in the pitch darkness in the middle of a lengthy stretch of water with waves breaking over your head then you should probably take up a different sport.
Interesting fact about you
I swam two lengths of Windermere topless after the elastic failed in my swimsuit at the beginning of the swim and as a result I hold the record for the first Topless Double Windermere!
Sian Williams
Swim history before SwimTrek
I re-found my love of swimming and open water when I did my first triathlon some 12 years ago. 6 Ironman distance events later, looking to improve my own technique and help others, I qualified as a swim coach and teacher.
Locations guided on
Montenegro, Croatia Dalmatian coast, Croatia short swims, St Kitts and Nevis, Lithuania, Burgh island, River Thames, Greek Activity week, Greek Cyclades, Greek Sporades, Crete escape, 10k training camp, LDT, Tenerife, Milos Explorer, Crete Discovery and Slovenia
Most memorable swim moment
This should probably be landing on the rocks in France after my Channel crossing! Other special moments include enjoying the peace, tranquility and beauty of nature in the River Dee. Spending lots of quality father-daughter time as my father kayaked for me on many of the BLDSA swims. Crying in to my goggles during the Zurich crossing when I was convinced I wasn't making any progress and of course night diving with Mantas in Hawaii
Top tips would be
Set yourself a goal to keep you motivated to train
Stay safe! I love my red float for open water swimming
Record your progress
Interesting fact about you
My first language is Welsh. I love cooking and have a passion for locally sourced ingredients. In the winter months i work as a ski chalet manager for Reach4theAlps based in both Morzine and Les Gets.
Tasmin Powell
Swim history before SwimTrek
I started swimming in the sea with the Jersey Long Distance Swimming Club (JLDSC) at 8 years old, gradually spending more and more time in the sea around the stunning beaches of Jersey. My first taste of open water swimming came at 12 swimming around Jersey in a relay, then moving onto a solo swim 3 years later. In between I also swam Lake Coniston and the English Channel in another relay.
The next couple of years was spent crewing for a number of English Channel swims, including a successful double Channel, round Jersey and Jersey to France swims, spending a lot of time in a kayak. Then in 2015 I also swam from Jersey to France, with what appeared to be half the worlds population of jellyfish standing between me and the French beach.
Most memorable swim moment
My most memorable moment has to be during a particularly tough hour of my Jersey to France swim one of my crew fell spectacularly into the water while handing me a new set of goggles.
Top swimming tip
My top tip, having taught children to swim, take it back to basics, if you’re not blowing bubbles you’re not breathing right.
Interesting fact
I have a Fine Art Degree and love to knit and crochet.
Tim Whitefield
Swim history before SwimTrek
My deep connection with the ocean began as a young kid growing up on the beaches of Durban, South Africa. Endless summers spent surfing or being hurled about in the shore break has left an indelible mark on me and as a result I have spent most of my life either in the sea or on it. I work as a RNLI beach lifeguard as well as operating a water sports adventure company, based in Cornwall.
Locations guided on
Cornwall, Outer Hebrides and Greece Cyclades.
Most memorable swim moment
There’s a lighthouse in Cornwall which has a cave that runs through it. Only accessible at spring low tides, it’s home to packs of seals, almost pitch black with a very small underwater hole as an exit. To return to the shore you have to beat the racing tide or be swept down the coast…epic!!!
Top swimming tip
Relax and enjoy the ride.
Interesting fact about you
If I could surf everyday, I would.
Mike Ball
Swim History Before Swimtrek
Winner of the Cub's one width in 1967!!! 1968 joined Woolwich Swimming Club and went on to swim butterfly at national and international level. A career made me take a back step from swimming, encouraging me to play water polo reaching county and national levels. 2008, I was invited to the 2k sea swim at Eastbourne. After finishing I decided to attempt to swim the English Channel the following year. My 6 hour qualifier, much to my astonishment, was achieved on my first visit to Dover Harbour. I was now hooked on open water swimming.
Locations Guided On
I have guided on LDT only since 2013.
Most Memorable Swim Moments
Representing Great Britain at the World Life Saving Championships. Swimming the English Channel in 2009 and walking up the sandy beach of Cap.Gris.Nez In 12 hours 55 minutes.
Top Swim Tips
Always train hard and push yourself to your limit. Always complete a training session. Find different stroke techniques for long distance swimming. Keep your goggles away from Vaseline hands!
Interesting Swim Facts About You.
37 years as a London Police Officer, serving as a protection officer to high profile dignitaries. Police dog handler. Specialist explosive search officer. Advanced motor cyclist.
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.
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.
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!
Shelli Whitfeld
Swim history before SwimTrek
At five years old I joined my first swim club in Satellite Beach Florida, the Cape Coast Swim Team. If I wasn't in the ocean, I was in the pool. For the next fifteen years, I was a member of eight different swim teams crossing the United States from Florida to California back to the steps of the Pentagon in Washington, DC. Swimming highlights include at the age of 12 I broke the minute mark in the 100m freestyle, and stormed on from there to qualify for the US Olympic Trials in the 50 and 100m freestyle. I never made it to Seoul or Barcelona but I have swum with many exceptional people who did. My professional, competitive swimming career ended when I graduated from High School and decided to focus on education. In the past five years I started competitively swimming again, training around the world with teams such as 'the Bold and the Beautiful' in Australia and competing in races such as the Eton Swim at Dorney Lake, the Great London Swim in the Royal Victoria Docks, and the local Swim Around the Pier in Brighton. I recently spent 6 months travelling in South America and have been through, over and under waterfalls as well in glaciers. I am currently living in Paris researching the amazing pools and waters here.
Most memorable swim moment
Keeping swimming pace at the side of a whale shark for 15-20 minutes (or a good mile) off the coast of the Isla del Espiritu Santo in Baja, California.
Top swimming tip
Always pace oneself for the distance (and make sure that you can see it with excellent goggles). The challenge of a natural sprinter like me is that we like to be bold and go for it at the beginning. Keep the adrenaline and excitement in check. It makes for a better swim result and overall experience.
Interesting fact
I am a fully trained and qualified Body Therapist specialising in Relaxation Massage.
Saoirse McGrath
Swim history before SwimTrek
I grew up beside the beaches in Galway, on the West Coast of Ireland. Swimming has always been a natural sport for me to be involved with. I spent my childhood in the water, whether it was in the sea or the pool. I began competitive swimming at the age of 7. From then on, I trained hard and travelled all around the country competing for my club and province. As I got into my teens, I was lucky enough to represent my country at international events and train on the National team. I have achieved over 50 National medals and have broken many provincial swimming records. As I entered my college years, I gained interest in open water swimming. Once I stopped competitive pool swimming, I knew that there was a whole side of the sport that I was yet to enjoy. I have been experimenting with triathlons and open water challenges ever since. I am heading into my final year of PE Teaching in the University of Limerick. I've been coaching adults and kids swimming since I was 16. I enjoy sharing the knowledge I've gained throughout my swimming career from some of the best coaches around the world.
Most memorable swim moment
I have many memorable swimming moments and most of them include my achievements as a competitive pool swimmer. However, I am probably most proud of myself for completing my first ever open water competition last year. I swam 14km in the Atlantic, swimming from Clare to Galway for charity. I ended up winning the 'fastest woman' award whilst also becoming engrossed in the world of open water swimming.
Top swimming tip
For the most efficient frontcrawl stroke, FQS (Front Quadrant Swimming) is the most efficient way to remain relaxed whilst swimming, yet still maintaining a strong pace.
nInteresting fact
I just spent 6 months in college in California where I surfed and swam every single day!
Alessandro Mancini
Swim history before SwimTrek
Born in Rome, I started swimming since my early years at Circolo Canottieri Aniene (most awarded swimming team in Italy with many Olympians) where I was a swimming instructor during my university studies. I’ve been swimming competitively as breaststroker for a long time both as teen and master. I did my first Open Water competition about ten years ago and I loved it! I moved to Australia where I swam in Port Phillip Bay with lots of animals but thankfully I’ve never met a Great White! Currently living in Ibiza which is a dream location for the open water swimmers.
Locations guided on
I took part of a memorable Swimtrek in the Greek Cyclades few years ago and since then I’ve been dreaming to be a Swimtrek guide. Since I moved to Ibiza, I’ve been guiding groups around the amazing coastline of the white island.
Most memorable swim moment
During the summer 2008 I swam the Sicily Strait, pretty much a MUST for an Italian swimmer, and I will never forget the incredible color of the deep blue water. And the old ladies clapping their hands from the balcony of the houses built right on the beach where we arrived.
Top swimming tip
Swimming for me is all about relaxation and gliding. Enjoy every single stroke, get lost in the blue. If your muscles are relaxed and your consciousness gets into a meditative state, your swim will be incredibly enjoyable and efficient.
Interesting fact
I’ve been working for major sport events for almost 20 years. In Rio 2016, I was the Mixed zone Manager at the Olympic Aquatic Center for Swimming and Waterpolo competitions. I was lucky enough to witness live the last sensational strokes of Michael Phelps.
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