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ABOUT US
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Who are we?
SwimTogether Swimming Holidays, founded in 2019 by André Santos, is the only portuguese specialist swimming holiday company, taking you around some of the most beautiful, spectacular and timeless locations in Portugal. An attention to detail, passion for what we do combined with local knowledge from our bi-lingual company make our swimming trips an unforgettable experience.
Our mission is to give the possibility to everyone, regardless of their level of swimming, to do it freely, with security and companionship in unique natural locations through close, informed, socially and environmentally responsible customer experience.
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Our Trips
Our trips are designed to be a balanced combination of relaxation and adventure. SwimTogether team spend a great deal of time planning each of our trips, ensuring that we work with high quality accommodation and local staff and offer the swimmer a tailored experience that they will cherish. We believe that during a swimming holiday it is important to have time out to relax in between the swims and get into the portuguese spirit. This is why André and his team have personally scouted, swum and selected particular swim routes, that include stops at fishing harbours, villages, remote islands and beaches for the swimmer to enjoy local cuisine at traditional portuguese tavernas and explore each unique destination… after all you have worked to get there!
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Our Guides and Coaches
Our guides combines a mix of diverse skills, catering both for the newer open water swimmer alongside those that want to train a little faster and improve fitness. They are all experienced in open water and have also attained the relevant life saving qualifications, making your swims safe as well as enjoyable. Lastly, we feel it is really important that you get a real portuguese experience, which is why we have a bilingual team with local knowledge to make you feel at home in Portugal… our guides can even teach you the all important Portuguese phrases!
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Our Team
ANDRÉ SANTOS
FOUNDER & CEO
André Santos is an entrepreneur. With only 20 years old opened his own business. Unsatisfied by nature, he can not stand still, dedicating his time to what he likes the most: to create and to explore.
Not only is the voice of the project, but also responsible for motivating his team to follow his dream. What moves him is the will to "make it happen," believing that "difficult is different from impossible".
JOSÉ BAPTISTA
SWIM COACH
José was born in Coimbra. He is a level 3 swimming coach and has a degree is Sport Science and Physical Education. Over the years, he has coached several competitive swim teams. Currently is also a master swimmer. Passionate about teaching swimming and the pleasure of swimming in open water.
VÂNIA NEVES
SWIM COACH
Vânia Neves is a swimming coach and former open water Olympic swimmer. She was responsible for the first academic work on biomechanics in open waters, namely the kinetics of VO2. She is also a co-author of the first published scientific article on energy expenditure and kinetic analysis in open waters (“5 km front crawl in pool and open water swimming: breath-by-breath energy expenditure and kinematic analysis”). As a high competition swimmer, she used to swim between 80 and 100 km per week, something that was only possible due to her passion for the sport and her great psychological preparation. As a coach, she seeks to instill this passion in her swimmers.
ALFREDO SANTOS
CFO
Alfredo Santos is the CFO of Swim Together. With more than 30 years of professional experience in business management, he has a special affection for new projects.
Lover of sport activities and passion for aeronautics. He believes that the union of accumulated experience with the irreverence of the young entrepreneurial spirit is a winning recipe.
TIAGO DURÃES
SWIM GUIDE, LIFEGUARD & SKIPPER
Tiago Durães started swimming at the age of 5. Tiago is an open water swimmer for some years, was a swimming coach and a lifeguard. He is a long distance swimmer and has participated in several competitions. Tiago loves sports and he can´t live far from the sea.
MARGARIDA MADEIRA
DESIGNER
Margarida Madeira began learning how to swim when she was 5 years old. During her teens, she practiced non-stop, in order to compete. However, due to her other passion, design, she abandon it to persue her dream. Today, she swims in open waters as a running complement and practice for the swimrun.
PEDRO BISCAIA
SWIM GUIDE
Pedro is a waterman. Portuguese and raised in Lisbon he started swimming at the age of 3, progressing through the squads and competing at a regional level. He left his team at the age of 14 to focus on Judo where he achieved a 3rd place in National Championship. At this stage regarding water activities Pedro was surfing, bodyboarding and also joined a waterpolo team. By the age of 20 he came back to swimming at a local club and since then he started competing in masters category and open water events from 1,5km to 10km achieving always top qualifications in the open category. He studied engeneering and worked as a IT consultant and now is taking a sabatic time to share his passion and knowledge for swimming in open water with others, always providing great, entertaining and safe experiences. As a curiosity Pedro worked 6 seasons as a lifeguard and competed in lifeguard National events indoor and outdoor.
GUSTAVO CARAÇA
SWIM COACH
After a degree in economics in his early years, Gustavo decided to follow his dreams in triathlon. He was a part of the national team and represented Portugal in many international events. He then turned to coaching swimming and triathlon, having more than 20 years of experience doing it. Currently finishing a degree in oceanography, he’s very passionate about sharing his knowledge, experience and love for swimming, the open water and the ocean.
GABRIEL JÚLIO
SWIM COACH
Gabriel is from Coimbra, a level 1 swimming coach and has a degree in Sports Science.He started competing when he was 10 years old and it was always his dream to grow up around the water. Currently, his mission is to spread the joy that swimming brings him every day, both in the pool and in the sea!
HUGO CAVACO
SWIM GUIDE
Hugo Cavaco is an engineer, but he has always been passionate about sports and the sea. From all the sports he has done, swimming has been one of the constant ones and in 2021 he decided to merge his two passions and try open water swimming. Since then, it became his main sport and what he enjoys doing the most, whether is only training with friends, try long distance challenges or just swimming in new places with new people.
MIGUEL FALCÃO
SWIM COACH
Miguel has a long term relationship with water. He's been a swimmer and a water polo player for over 10 years. In university he decide to pursue this love for physical activity with a degree in Sports Science, and following it up with a Master's in Sports Training. Used to adventures in his free time exploring the great outdoors, the sea is certainly a best of both worlds for him. With a firm belief that "Where ther's a will there's a way", he can't wait to challenge your goals with you.
MARY-CLARE
SWIM GUIDE
Mary-Clare is a Portuguese South African who has been surrounded by the water for as long as she can remember, whether she was in the water training and competing or coaching on the sidelines. MC started swimming at the age of 7 and soon after, began competing. She developed a love for all swims long distance and the water pretty much became her second home. When her and her family moved to the coast, she eagerly dived into the Open Water Swimming World and there was no turning back.She is constantly reminded about the importance of respecting and appreciating the Ocean and it’s waters for the strength, greatness and beauty that it holds and she looks forward to sharing her passion for the water with the people around her.
CATARINA CUNHA
SWIM GUIDE
Catarina has always lived in communion with swimming since she was 5 years old, when she started in this sport.
Passionate about it, she decided to try open water swimming and hasn't stopped since then.
Between adventures, tours and occasional competitions, she has dedicated her time to swimming and nursing, another of his great passions.
ARSENIY LAVRENTIEV
SWIM COACH
Arseny has a wide range of titles in his career as an open water swimmer. With particular emphasis on the title of vice European champion in the 25km distance and two participations in the Olympic Games, Beijing 2008 and London 2012.
Focus and discipline have always been part of his daily life, these being key factors to achieve success.
ANA DOMINGOS
COMMUNICATION MANAGER
Ana Domingos has a degree in Nursing, with 6 years of experience in ICU.
Although the ICU was an area of great professional interest, the reality is that the true passion lies in sport, which is why, in 2022, she completed a postgraduate degree in Sports Nursing and began working part-time, where she remains.
Always linked to sport and nature since she was little, dedicating her free time to volunteering at sporting events, she decided to follow her passion and dedicate herself solely to Sport, joining 100% to the SwimTogether family, which she has known since it appear.
In addition to her experience in Nursing, she also contributes knowledge in Sports Nutrition.
JOANA AMARAL
SWIM COACH
Joana Amaral has a degree in Sports Training, currently attending a master's degree in Physical Education.
Connected to the water from a young age, she was federated in pure swimming and open water. She is currently a swimming teacher, completing her knowledge with experience in first aid, acquired as a lifeguard.
Her passion for water is passed on to her students through the tranquility and happiness she shows when she teaches and swims.
CLÁUDIA SEMIÃO
SWIM GUIDE
Claudia's true passion is the water.
She was a competitive athlete for 7 years. For academic reasons stopped for 5 years but always with the focus on returning in the future. Nowadays she swims as master A in national pure swimming and open water competitions.
More recently, she discovered a new passion: swimrun. It's through nature and sports that she feels truly fulfilled, and this is the path she intends to pursue in the future
PEDRO SILVA
SWIM COACH
Pedro holds a degree in Sports Training, specializing in Swimming, and a master’s degree in Physical Education Teaching. With extensive experience as an athlete, he has 20 years of competitive experience, including 15 years in youth categories, from cadet to senior, and 5 years as a master athlete. In 2022, he became the European champion in the 3 km event at the European Masters Championship, in the 25-29 age category, in Rome. Since 2019, he has pursued a career as a coach, applying his passion for swimming and his commitment to the development of his athletes.
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