Meet our Team
Our Swim Instructors
We are always on the hunt for more amazing swim instructors to join our team, if you are interested please get in touch with us!
Jaime
Swim Instructor
Jaime is a Year 13 student at Taradale High School who is passionate about sport and loves playing netball and hockey. She used to be a competitive swimmer for Greendale Swim Club, helping her learn strong swimming skills and water confidence.
She is really looking forward to teaching children new skills, helping them grow in confidence in the water, and making swimming fun and safe for everyone!
Jaime is currently working towards her Austswim and first aid qualification.
Casey
Swim Instructor
Casey is a Mum to two very active boys and loves the outdoors. She is very passionate about teaching children how to swim and how to be safe around the water.
Casey has completed her Austswim Teacher of Swimming and Water Safety, Austswim Teacher of Aquatics Access and Inclusion and Teacher of Infant and Pre-school Aquatics, is First Aid qualified and has NZ Pool Lifeguard Level 3. She is also an Austswim Competency Assessor and NZ Pool Lifeguard Assessor.
Casey won the Outstanding Swim Teacher of the Year Award at the Swim Coaches and Teachers NZ Awards in late 2025.
She loves teaching the children at Dolphin Academy.
Finn
Swim Instructor
Ever since Finn was little, he has always appreciated being able to swim in pools, rivers and the ocean.
He wants to become a swim instructor because he believes that, whether in a casual, competitive or emergency setting, knowing how to swim safely and confidently in any body of water is key.
Finn is eager to help our students have fun learning, develop confidence in themselves and gain a sense of respect for the water.
Finn is Austswim qualified and is first aid trained.
Karina
Water Safety Instructor
Karina is a Mum of two girls who love swimming. She has been with Dolphin Academy for over 3 years. As a water safety instructor she is part of the team who takes school classes for the Water Skills for Life programme.
Alongside Casey, Karina teaches our preschool learn-to-swim lessons. She really enjoys teaching children water skills and safety as she believes it is an important life skill.
Karina is first aid qualified and trained as a Water Skills for Life teacher.
Julie
Water Safety Instructor
Julie is a mum to two girls who both love being in and around water. As a family who live rurally surrounded by dams, creeks, rivers and a pool she knows how important it is for all kids to learn water safety skills and to be able to swim safely.
She really enjoys being a part of the Dolphin Academy Team and loves watching the kids confidence grow through the lessons they receive in the Water Skills for Life programme. She believes every school should partake in this programme.
Julie is first aid qualified, is a Pool Lifeguard and trained as a Water Skills for Life teacher.
Holly
Swim Instructor
As a youngster, Holly was petrified of water so started swimming lessons early, building up her confidence and ability. Ever since then, she has realised how crucial and convenient knowing how to swim has been throughout her life. Her goal as a Swim Instructor is to teach kids from an early age to swim so that they can use these skills for the rest of their lives.
Holly is also passionate about enhancing her knowledge within the beauty industry and spending her spare time with family and friends.
Holly is currently working towards her Austswim and first aid qualification.
Kaytlin
Swim Instructor
Kaytlin has always had a passion for swimming. As she looks to support herself while studying beauty therapy at EIT, she is immensely grateful to her grandmother for allowing her to learn to swim, leading to now, being able to teach young ones, giving them the confidence she gained through her lessons.
She believes swimming is a very important life-saving skill leading to a healthy lifestyle with many positive benefits.
Kaytlin is currently working towards her Austswim qualification, and is first aid trained.
Alisha
Swim Instructor
Alisha is currently a third-year nursing student at EIT, pursuing her passion for medicine, helping and caring for others. She has been part of the Dolphin Academy team for three years and loves connecting with the kids she teaches, watching them develop and master new skills in the water.
Alisha aspires to deepen her nursing knowledge through hands-on experience and spend more time finding new ways to build confidence in the kids she teaches.
Alisha has her Austswim, First Aid and Lifeguard qualifications.
Anke
Swim Instructor
Anke is a year 13 student at Taradale High School, who loves both sports and academics. She wanted to become a swimming instructor so she could help kids gain confidence and have fun in, and around, aquatic environments.
She loves working with the little ones as she has two younger sisters who keep her on her toes, just as she hopes her students will do.
Anke also loves playing netball and going for runs, while also enjoying some quiet reading in her spare time.
Anke is Austswim qualified and is first aid trained.
Lilie
Swim Instructor
Lilie is a year 13 student at Napier Girls’ High School. She has always had a strong passion for swimming and loves being in the water, after learning how to swim from when she was a baby.
She is excited to teach kids, help them grow in confidence, and develop important swimming skills. In her spare time, she loves to umpire and coach netball for school, spends time with friends and family, and going for walks with her dog, Teddie.
Lilie is currently working towards her Austswim and first aid qualification.
Anika
Swim Instructor
Anika is a 22-year-old social work student at EIT. She has a passion for staying active, and enjoys going for long walks and hitting the gym in her spare time.
She has a strong desire to work with children which is why this year she has taken on this new role as a swim instructor. She believes that swimming is an essential skill everyone should master, whether that be to swim competitively or to be able to swim comfortably in some of the beautiful beaches and lakes here in New Zealand.
This year she would love to explore new hobbies like surfing and pilates, further enriching her active lifestyle.
Anika is Austswim qualified and is first aid trained.
Carmel
Shift Supervisor
Carmel has just retired from her long teaching career and has a strong background in swimming. She represented NZ at the 1984 Olympic Games in backstroke and freestyle and again at the Commonwealth Games in 1986, making finals in her backstroke events.
Carmel is a qualified lifeguard, has customer service and plant room experience. She loves meeting our swimmers and their families.
Carmel is another smiling face as you come to swimming each week, working alternate afternoons with Vicky in the office, including Saturday mornings.
Margo
Water Safety Instructor (Casual)
Margo is a mother of 2 girls and teaches water safely at Dolphin Academy. She believes that every child should have access to a pool and be taught to be confident and safe in the water.
With a focus on building self-assurance and essential swimming skills, Margo works to ensure that all children, regardless of background, can enjoy the life-saving benefits of water safety.
Vicky
Manager/Co-owner
Vicky is one of the owners of Dolphin Academy and is the Manager. Having initially trained as a Primary School Teacher, Vicky then worked in the event and not-for-profit industry for many years. She has been the face of Dolphin Academy since opening in 2021.
Vicky is passionate about forming great relationships, developing a family-orientated environment and ensuring Dolphin Academy is the best it can be.
As Mum to three busy girls, she knows how important water safety and learning to swim is in Hawke’s Bay.
Vicky is a qualified lifeguard and is first aid trained.
Paula
Swim Instructor (Casual)
After 20 years of teaching and coaching swimmers, Paula is now semi-retired. She supported her two children as a club parent throughout their competitive years and became an NZS-qualified official. Her journey began at the "Greendale Pool" when her kids were five—her oldest turns 26 this year.
These days, Paula assists at Dolphin Academy when needed and enjoys seeing swimmers progress through their excellent programmes. She holds certifications in Austswim and first aid, and she looks forward to working with your swimmers if they’re in one of her classes this year.