Meet Our Coaches

 Robert "Butch" Butcher is an inductee into the Australian Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame.

Robert, known affectionately as Butch by his swimmers, is Melbourne's premier Open Water Swimming coach, having guided hundreds of age, open and masters swimmers in the pool, open water, triathlons and surf life saving.

To date (March 2022), in the Marathon Swimming world, he has coached two AMSHOF Inductees in Kevin Cassidy and Michael Gregory (coached 2011 - 2018), two Australian Triple Crown Swimmers in Brenda Norman and Richard Jones.

18 swimmers have made 21 English Channel crossings under his tutelage. Butch was also instrumental in Brenda Norman's preparation in becoming the first person to complete the 68km Double Derwent River swim and Michael Gregory's ground breaking 60km Geelong to Brighton epic in 2016 in Port Phillip Bay.

His swimmers have competed in a kaleidoscope of Australia’s major marathon events. Rottnest Channel, Port to Pub, Palm Beach to Shelley, Mentone 10km and many others too numerous to mention.

Butch has coached swimmers who have conquered many of the more arduous challenges around the globe. The English Channel, Lake Windemere, Manhattan Island, the Catalina Channel, Loch Ness and the Cook Strait.

Butch’s no-nonsense approach to coaching has gained him a loyal following of swimmers, some of whom have been with him for over 30 years!

 John van Wisse is an ultra distance marathon swimmer and triathlete from the Bayside area of Melbourne Australia. Over a 25 year career, John has won numerous international events, and set world records in gruelling ultra distance events.  He is a career swim coach, and regularly runs swim sessions for 50 to 100 athletes.  John was inducted into the Australian Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame in late 2020. 

• 2014 Enduroman Arch to Arc World record holder (2014-2016) (140 km run, 34 km swim, 291 km ride), breaking the previous record by 12 hrs and 12 minutes.
• 2001 Overall Victorian champion triathlon Olympic distance (1 hour 49 min)
• 2001 Overall New Zealand Half Ironman winner
• 2001 4th Overall New Zealand Ironman (first Australian home) 8 hours 32 min

John van Wisse first overall out of the water at:
• Ironman Hawaii world champs 1999,
• Ironman Australia(foster) 1999, 2000, 2001.
• Ironman Germany(Roth European champs) 1999
• Ironman Lake Placid (New York) 1999, 2001 (course record)
• 4 time overall winner of San Remo channel challenge Phillip Island Aquathon Triathlon Run
• First overall 1995 Melbourne marathon 20-25 year age group
(2 hours 39 min)

• Inducted into the Australian Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame 2020.
• Manhattan Island 48km marathon swim New York, USA, Winner 2000, 2008, 2009
• Broke Australian record in 1994 solo crossing of the English channel (8 hours 17min)
• Double crossing of the English channel in 2010 (19 hours 55min) fastest crossing for the year for first way (9 hours 21min) in horrendous conditions (4th fastest double crossing in history)
• Winner Bloody Big Swim 2008, 2010, 2014 (11.2km Port Phillip Bay) in times from 2:08 to 2:18 (1:08 to 1:14 pace per 100m)
• Fastest crossing of Port Phillip Bay 1993 from Portarlington to Frankston 40kms (9 hours 13 min)
• 21 time overall winner of annual Harry Raisbeck winter mile (8-9 degree C water, no wetsuit)
• 1997 Victorian Royal Life Saving Society Lifesaver of the Year.

• Coached 20 swimmers across the English Channel (including first Malaysian, essentially a non swimmer, and the oldest Australian)
• Runs numerous coaching squad sessions each week, training more than 200 athletes per week.
• Runs regular open water swim sessions in Melbourne summer attended by over 100 athletes per session
• Has assisted hundreds of swimmers with 1 on 1 instruction and stroke correction