Laara began teaching swimming lessons and lifeguarding as a teenager. She was amongst the first people to pursue the National Coaching Certification Program to coach recreational and competitive gymnastics. She held positions as Assistant and Head Coach for two clubs. 

She has remained active in a range of physical activities and trained as a fitness instructor and personal trainer. Laara joined the Otters in the fall of 2008. She trained with the kids who were racing and did her first swim meet the following June at age 46!

She and her family continued to attend swim meets and participate in a variety of club activities over the following eight years. Given the club mandate to teach kids to swim, she updated her Water Safety Instructor certification, and recertified as a lifeguard to facilitate club events such as lake swims and the Mayne Island Triathlon. Laara was a board member for the club, serving as secretary and vice president, and also volunteer-coached from 2014 through 2016.

Laara believes that swimming is a life skill—especially when you live on an island. While taking a break from riding ferries to swim club she taught parent-tot water safety classes on Mayne Island. But she’s back and she’s inspired to help swimmers meet their goals and potential! 

Sidney is entering her second year coaching for the Otters team! She started her long swimming career where she went from learning how to swim to competing at provincials with the Otters. I swam with the Otters for four years before moving on to competitive winter swimming. Sidney is now competing at the national level for the University of Victoria’s varsity team. She’s excited to use her twelve years of competitive swimming experience to help the Otters learn and grow. She hopes to help swimmers grow their confidence both in and out of the pool. She will be working with the team to promote sportsmanship, camaraderie, and to create an engaging atmosphere for swimmers to master their craft! 

Deirdre is a school teacher working in the Gulf Island School system, an artist, and a dance teacher — and now also uses her skills in teaching water safety and strokes for the Otters. She started helping coach the Otter Pups in the spring of 2023, and has coached the Pups since. 

Elise is in her grade 12 year and has spent most of her life in the water. She joined a swim team in Alberta when she was seven and swam with them for seven years. After that, she moved to Vancouver Island and joined the Pender Island Otters, and has been with them as a swimmer for just over a year. Two years ago, Elise started working at Panorama Recreation Centre as a lifeguard. She got certified as a Swim Instructor through the Lifesaving Society a year ago and has been teaching at Panorama for a year. Elise has always enjoyed teaching younger kids, finding them easier to teach and engage with. She hopes to help kids' confidence in the water, and make swimming a fun, life-saving skill.