Meet our Guides
Meet the fantastic team of guides who bring your SwimTrek experience to life.
Simon Murie
A solo English Channel Swimmer and swim coach, he still guides on some of the tours himself. Continuing his swimming adventures around the world, in 2009 Simon swam across the River Volta in Ghana and broke the Australian record for swimming across the Gibraltar Straits; in 2010 he swam to the Isle of Wight. He spends a lot of his time now scouting for new SwimTrek locations.
Simon founded SwimTrek, after spending many years organising open water swimming trips for himself and others. Originally from Australia, Simon lives in the UK and prior to SwimTrek, was working overseas in the mining industry.
He was introduced to open water early by both his mother and father. His most memorable open water swim was the Hellespont in Turkey, which he first completed in 2000.
Susan Reynolds
Swim history before SwimTrek
I took up open water swimming when I was 13 years old in the lochs in Scotland and represented my country as a junior. After having had a break from swimming for a few years I began working as a beach lifeguard, renewing my love of the water and gaining a new found love of the sea and other water sports including surfing, stand up paddle boarding and surf life saving. I am also a National Tutor for Surf Lifesaving GB
Locations guided on
Gozo, Malta Dalmation Coast Croatia Lake Bled, Slovenia Greek Cyclades Hellespont Burgh Island River Thames Sardinian Emerald Coast Mallorca training camps Sicilly
Most memorable swim moment
Dawn swim from Bay Bridge to Aquatic park in San Fransisco. We started the swim just before light broke and watched San Fransisco wake up from the water. Thank you to the ladies at SERC's for taking me on this journey.
Top swimming tip
Any time spent in the water is good time, so don't get disheartened if your swim isn't going to well. Approach it from a different angle and instead of forcing yourself to do the 4 km you were planning change it to a time goal or focus on your technique.
When open water swimming always always always know what the water is doing before you get in!! This will help you to plan your route and help to keep you safe.
Interesting fact
I have delivered calves and lambs, hatched chickens and ducks and been in a stand off with a bull!
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.
Trina Requena
Growing up on the South Coast, Brighton, meant that the Ocean was a big part of my life. My father apparently threw me in at Croyde Bay, that was my intro to swimming!
My love for the water has taken me on a journey with its ever changing beauty, whether surfing, swimming , diving or simply just being. The Ocean is my refuge, my temple!
I left for New Zealand to become a yoga teacher in 2000. I trained as an Iyengar teacher and over a period of nine years, travelled and lived in NZ, OZ and time in Indonesia. I began to see the incredible connection to swimming/surfing and yoga.
I came back home to Brighton where I started up Ocean Spirit Swim School. Teaching children and adults of all ages. Along side Yoga mixing the two and developing a programme of these two essential disciplines.
The combination of Swimming and Yoga has brought me an awareness of not only myself but how I teach and how I live my life on a daily basis and the environment I find myself in.
It is with this knowledge and passion I want to translate to all I meet.
Swim & Yoga Holidays
I have guided on Swim/Yoga Crete and Lithuania. With many more destinations on the horizon!
Most memorable swim moment
Being six months pregnant with my son, swimming on the South Island where I lived, a little place called Kekerengu on the coast, edge of the pacific, dolphins joining me on my daily morning natural swim, the local Mauri,s say the dolphins sensed my pregnancy! Special, special moment…
Top Swimming Tip
Swimming and Yoga together creates a beautiful swimmer who glides effortlessly and becomes one with the water. My ethos Effortless Effort whether land or sea. Become one with the water…
Interesting fact about you
I was late to see his Holiness the Dali Lama so security rushed me in and I had to sit down in front of him, as I sat down he looked me in the eye and smiled squeezed my arms, my son laying across my heart , he had a smile that filled his whole being!! From then on my practice is to never rush, stay present, stay mindful. Live life to the full, focus on what matters and let go of what doesn’t.
Vicki Linton-Crook
Swim history before SwimTrek
Competed from a young age at national level and progressed into Masters in the last 8 years. I have been consistently ranked in the top three in freestyle and backstroke events over the last few years. Now a GB records holder in 800m & 1500m freestyle, World record holder in 4x100m ladies freestyle relay, GB record holder in 4 x 50m ladies freestyle relay. 3 times European record holder in 4 x 200 ladies relay. Once I tried open water swimming, I got hooked wining the 1500m Windsor River swim and Adur River swim, but there is nothing better than a chilled swim with friends. In 2015 I swam the Gibraltar Straits clocking the 3rd fastest female. It was an amazing swim. In my spare time I love to coach, my aim is to help each individual achieve what they want to achieve with their swimming.
Locations guided on
Croatia, Greece, Malta, Thames, Jurassic Coast, Burgh Island, Loch Ness!!
Most memorable swim moment
Swimming in Lake Garda. Every time I breathed to one side I could see the view down the lake and the amazing mountainous setting, it was magical. A special time as I was swimming with all my friends and my husband was in the safety kayak.
Top swimming tip
We’re all different, find the things you need to work on to make the most of your swimming. Mine are to breathe out and hips up!
Interesting fact
When not swimming or swim coaching I might be found on a mountain bike.
Mark Johnston
Swim history before SwimTrek
I started competitive swimming at age 5 on the west coast of the United States and “retired” at 17 when I became an exchange student in Sweden. After 25 years, I returned to the sport on a master’s team in 2002, and I found my calling in the open water. I developed such a love for swimming, that in 2008, I quit my corporate job to become a full-time instructor and coach: age-group, high school, and masters.
2008 was a BIG year, as I began to seriously train for an English Channel crossing as part of a relay. Part of our group’s training plan was to swim colder and longer events both as relays and solo swims including the Trans Tahoe Relay (11-miles), Maui Channel (11-miles), Portland Bridge Swim (12-miles), Slam The Dam (15-miles), Deer Creek (10-miles) and several lesser known 10-25K events and series. Unfortunately our English Channel relay was weathered out but that did not deter my love for marathon swimming.
In 2013, I had the good fortune to move to the beautiful shores of Flathead Lake in northwest Montana, the largest natural, freshwater lake west of the Mississippi (28 miles long x 15 miles wide). In addition to swimming, I have piloted for several notable open water swimmers including Sarah Thomas (80-mile Lake Powell swimmer) and Craig Lenning (four of the Ocean’s Seven) and hosted open water swimming clinics with Darren Miller (Ocean’s Seven).
Most memorable swim moment
In the winter of 2015, I was honoured by the Tribal Council of the Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes and allowed to compete under the Flathead Nation Tribal Flag. As a non-native living on the Flathead Reservation in Northwest Montana, this is a unique privilege.
Top swimming tip
BABY SHAMPOO! I am always surprised when even experienced swimmers are not familiar with a simple trick to keep your goggles from fogging: baby shampoo and water. Soap disperses and defends against moisture. The “baby” shampoo won’t sting your eyes. I recommend a few drops of baby shampoo in a small squirt bottle and topped off with water. Carry the bottle around in your swim bag and squirt a little into each goggle lens prior to swimming. Rinse out the solution just before putting the goggles on, and you’re good-to-go!
Interesting fact
I am the defending United States ICE Swimming and Scandinavian WINTER Swimming Champion!
Kelly Gentry
Swim history before SwimTrek
I've spent 20+ years as a competitive pool swimmer in California reaching as far as the junior national level. As I transitioned into university, I switched to playing water polo and competing in Masters open water competitions, as pool swimming had lost the allure for a short while. I also have been a coach for 13 years, first focusing on teaching kids, but for the past 8 years have found that coaching adults in the Masters world has been even more rewarding. I also have a history as a water polo coach at the university level and spent my summers as a pool lifeguard for 10+ years.
Locations guided on
I have guided in the following locations: Montenegro, Croatia, Slovenia, Mallorca Luxury Escapes, Mallorca Coaching, Brighton Swim Days. And no, I can't tell you which is my favorite because they really are all so different :)
Most memorable swim moment
I was on a 26-mile relay across Monterey Bay, California where we began at dawn when it was still dark, swam alongside sea lions, watched the sunrise, endured really rough seas, and within a mile of the finish encountered a great white shark and hundreds of jellyfish. We weren't able to finish the swim that day, which was disappointing, but we also witnessed the beauty of Mother Nature and learned that some swims don't always go your way, but there's always something you can take away from it.
(As a SwimTrek guide): Watching a former professional football player (who believed he could never compete again in a sport due to a severely damaged knee) show up on a Croatia Short Swims trip thinking he would try out this "swim" thing. He left with the biggest smile on his face and a new love for open water swimming with goals to enter into some short races back home.
Top swimming tip
Even as lifelong swimmers, we all have our days where we aren't having fun on a swim. It's okay to feel that way! If you do get in a slump, try to pick one thing to focus on rather than thinking, "I hate this. I'm cold., etc" Focus on your head position, count how many starfish you can see on the bottom, practice breathing on the opposite side, or get on the boat/beach and tell yourself "I'll try again tomorrow." If you're having an off day, try to make the best of it and always have fun and know when to stop yourself if you feel the need to.
Interesting fact about you
A non-aquatic related activity, but I can say I've ventured into horseback riding, cooking, and sewing.
Ray Smith
Swim history before SwimTrek
I was an adequate club swimmer as a youngster, but that stopped when I was hit by a car and spent some time in a wheelchair. I returned to swimming many years later and had some moderate success in open water races between 3k and 10k. However, being more enthusiastic than talented, I needed to improve my technique which took me to a variety of coaches and eventually into coaching itself. There's no better way to truly understand something than by trying to help others with it. The journey towards true understanding is never ending, but very much worth undertaking. For a bit of adventure I moved on to colder water and longer distances and this led me on to an ice mile, three English Channel relays and a Channel Solo.
Most memorable swim moment
Surprisingly, it's not the Channel or the Ice Mile - they were long, cold, uncomfortable and uneventful. Just as I had planned. I have much more vivid memories of the times I have encountered wildlife. Most memorably, the time I bumped into another swimmer while sea swimming and stopped to apologise, only to find that no one was there - but there was a huge Barrel Jellyfish wider than me! He accepted my apology and we parted friends.
Top Swimming Tips
On long leisure swims: Relax and be mindful: Swimming is better when you relax - easier, faster and more fun. Remain aware of what you are doing and be your own internal coach. On Challenge swims: Remember that 'This too shall pass' and 'Success is on the far side of discomfort' - so as Churchill said: 'If you are going through Hell, Keep going'
Interesting Fact
I'm currently exploring the world of self-supported swimming by towing small boats.
Ciara Murray
Swim history before SwimTrek
I swam competitively as a child, peaking at the ripe age of 12. I then took a bit of a break from swimming in my mid-teens, but got back into it when I started working as a beach lifeguard. I lifeguarded for 4 summers in Galway, and trained with the Galway Surf-lifesaving team. I also spent several years teaching swimming and lifesaving, and have recently been swimming with my college swim team. During the pandemic, I really fell in love with the sea and went for a swim or a dip almost every day. I organised a student sea swimming group during this time and we joined the wonderful community of sea swimmers at Blackrock Diving Tower. As a medical student, I tend to be very busy, but I always try to find the time for a swim in the sea. It’s a fantastic way to clear your head and improve your mood.
Most memorable swim moment
Swimming across Galway Bay with a group of my closest friends.
Top Swimming Tips
Get a group of friends together, it’s so much easier to get out if you have someone else holding you accountable. Also, wear your togs under your clothes so you can’t back out when you get there!
Interesting Fact
I once dislocated my knee while surfing, popped it back in, then continued surfing.
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