meet our team
At Alyssa's Aquatics, our mission is to teach swimming in an enthusiastic and relaxing atmosphere, while still emphasizing the crucial importance of water safety. All of our lesson plans are specially tailored with each individual students' needs in mind, allowing students to experience significant improvements with each and every lesson as they push towards their own personal goals. To ensure the best lessons on Eastern Long Island, our instructors have been hand-picked from the most qualified swim instructors across the country.
All Alyssa's Aquatics Swim Instructors are:
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Trained with a blend of Swim Instruction Programs, hand picking the best techniques and methodology from each program - including: Red Cross Water Safety Instructor, Infant Swimming Resource, YMCA Swim Instruction, Camp Programs, Competitive Coaching, and more!
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CPR/AED and First Aid Certified
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Insured
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Experienced in working with students of all ages and skill levels (from 6 months to 86 years old!)
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Water enthusiasts outside of work
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Positive, patient, friendly, responsible, and FUN!
Alyssa's Aquatics Swim Instructors are able to custom tailor lessons to meet any special needs. Please let us know any additional requirements or goals you may have at the time of scheduling so we can be sure to pair you with the best suited instructor.
Jenna
Office Manager
A local Long Islander born and raised in Westhampton, our Office Manager Jenna has been a key component of Alyssa’s Aquatics since 2013. Jenna is a true teacher by nature, teaching swim lessons since 2003, and helping students with autism, dyslexia, and other special needs thrive in the classroom as a school teacher since 2007. Jenna has always had a passion for the water, swimming by the time she was two, snorkeling and knee boarding in the Florida Keys by five, and obtaining her SCUBA certification by the age of twelve. Her teenage years consisted of countless state level swimming competitions and national level synchronized swimming meets. During her undergraduate years at James Madison University, Jenna was a pivotal member of the women's water polo team. Currently, Jenna competes as a master synchronized swimmer, where her team has won gold medals at multiple National competitions! In addition to being a Water Safety Instructor, Jenna holds many other certifications, including CPR, AED, First Aid, PADI Open Water Scuba Diver, Ocean Mermaid, Free diver, and FinFun Mermaid University Instructor. Jenna completed her B.S. in Early Childhood Education, as well as her M.A. in Education with a minor in Special Education and a concentration in Autism. Additionally, she holds the following academic teaching credentials: Multiple Subject K-6, Early Childhood Education, Math Authorization, and Structured Literacy Dyslexia Interventionist.
When she’s not in the pool this summer, you will most likely find her helping with all your scheduling needs, as she is also our Office Manager! With twenty years of swim lesson experience, Jenna has seen it all, successfully teaching thousands of students of all ages and abilities to love and appreciate the water.
Juliet
Swim Instructor
Available June 23 - August 25
Born and raised in Queens, Juliet started lifeguarding and teaching swim lessons in 2016, and joined the Alyssa’s Aquatics Team in 2019. Juliet has always been a water enthusiast, learning to swim before they could walk, and earning their PADI Jr Open Water Diver certification at just ten years old (the youngest age possible). After high school, they played college water polo and coached a local competitive swim team. In addition to being a certified Water Safety Instructor, they hold certifications as a PADI Divemaster, PADI Mermaid Instructor, and PADI Freediver. When they are not teaching lessons, you can often find them swimming in one of Florida’s many springs, usually fashioned in a mermaid tail. Juliet has a vast aquatic skill set and can teach lessons to all ages and abilities. In addition to mermaid lessons, Juliet loves working with our youngest swimmers (starting at six months) and is especially passionate about helping shy or anxious swimmers build their confidence in the water. Juliet creatively imagines clever games to captivate fearful young students and has them practicing key safety skills before they even realize they are learning!
Casper
Swim Instructor
Available June 23 - August 21
Born in Hot Springs, AR and raised in Seattle, WA, Casper’s relationship with the water was love at first splash. He began swimming competitively at just three years old and it has been a longstanding joke among friends and family that he must be part fish. He continued exploring his passion for swimming through his adolescence and young adulthood, competing on school swim and dive teams and spending countless hours in open water. Casper started lifeguarding at fifteen and is a PADI certified free diver and advanced mermaid. As a former middle school teacher with over twenty years of experience in the water, he is excited to join the Alyssa's Aquatics team this summer. He loves to help kids of all ages discover their own lifelong love for the water, and the skills to be in and around it safely. His teaching style is highly responsive and individualized to the needs and personalities of his students, adapting plans and techniques to meet the needs of each situation. He loves to use imagination as a tool to help students find their passion for learning how to swim. When he isn’t teaching swim lessons, Casper is working on his PhD in education, imagining creative ways we can use the water as a place to learn and grow together.
Clara
Swim Instructor
Available June 23 - Labor Day
Clara was born and raised in Central Florida and has been swimming since infancy. Frequenting Florida’s various natural springs and coasts her entire life, she is a professional mermaid who delights children and adults alike with mermaid-like magic. Clara is currently entering her senior year at The University of Florida, on full academic scholarship, with plans to major in Psychology. Her goal is to make a career in aiding others to safely enjoy the water based activities while continuing her studies at the postgraduate level. She views swimming and water sports as a form of self love and is passionate about preparing the next generation to safely and happily enjoy the water as she does. In addition to being a certified Water Safety Instructor, Clara is also a PADI certified free diver. When she isn’t instructing, she can often be found exploring one of Florida’s many natural springs, or perhaps performing as a mermaid at a local event. The combination of her background in psychology and development as well as her joyful and enthusiastic personality uniquely bolster her ability to get students excited about water safety!
Anna
Swim Instructor
Available June 23 - August 12
From Richmond, VA, Anna has been teaching swim lessons since 2019. Anna has loved the water ever since joining her neighborhood swim team at age 6. She swam competitively for 12 years and was the captain of her high school’s varsity swim team. Her favorite strokes are breaststroke and butterfly! In addition to being a certified Water Safety Instructor, Anna has held certifications in CPR, AED, and Lifeguarding. She currently attends James Madison University, where she is part of an a cappella group & a campus ministry. Anna loves working with all ages and skill levels in the pool but especially enjoys working on stroke development and with younger swimmers! Her calm and caring personality encourages trust and excitement in the pool & she loves to create songs and games to bring the fun!
Gail
Substitute Swim Instructor & Swim Program Consultant
Only available for Substitute Teaching
A true daughter of the beach, Gail has been around the water her whole life. Born and raised locally in the Hamptons, her family spent nearly every day either at the beach or on the boat. Always passionate about educating others, Gail got her first teaching job at sixteen leading the arts program at the Quogue Field Club. She became a certified lifeguard shortly thereafter and began teaching Red Cross Swimming Lessons for the Westhampton Beach Summer Recreation Program throughout her college years, and well beyond. Once she became a mother, Gail trained in the Infant Swimming Resource program to help both her daughters to become water safe babies, and later encouraged them to become national level athletes in both competitive and synchronized swimming. Gail is also a CPR/AED and Pediatric First Aid Instructor for the American Heart Association. Having her B.S in Home Economics and M.S. in Special Education, Gail taught for thirty years at ESBOCES, including ten years of leading the Early Childhood Education Program. Currently retired in the Florida Keys, Gail spends most of her days snorkeling and volunteering for REEF, an organization centered on preserving the coral reef ecosystem. Gail’s passion for education, combined with her diverse volunteer and professional teaching experience with students of all ages and abilities, make her a huge asset to the Alyssa's Aquatics team. We are very fortunate to have her consultation throughout the season as well as her help to cover end of summer lessons as needed.