About Dan Vawter
Dan’s competitive swimming career began early at the age of five with the Carmel Swim Club (CSC), in Indiana. Dan became a part of CSC’s National Development Team at the age of eleven where he was a part of an eight-year run as State Champions. Dan swam in high school for Noblesville High School in Indiana; where he was Sectional Champion, and State Finalist, and a school record holder.
Dan continued his swimming career at Transylvania University where he was honored as the Scholastic Swimmer of the year and given the Team Spirit Award. Dan has been coaching and developing learn to swim programs and advanced stroke training since the age of 14. Eventually his path led Dan to Fort Lauderdale where he began working with the Fort Lauderdale Swim Team.
In 2004, he joined Mary full-time as the Head Coach & Marketing Director to build AquaChamps Swim School in to the premier swim school in South Florida. With Dan’s leadership AquaChamps developed the AquaTism program, specifically designed for children swimming with Autism. Dan is also a board member of the Florida Swimming Pool Association—Broward Chapter.
In 2018, Dan & Mary began working with the FSPA, Dr. Bill Kent, the International Swimming Hall of Fame and Every Child A Swimmer to have drowning prevention legislation passed. In 2020, AquaChamps served as a prototype for the “Every Child a Swimmer” Scholarship program; which provides swimming lessons to children & adults in financial need. Through the collective efforts of the “Every Child a Swimmer” team, in 2021 Florida passed SB 358 the “Every Child a Swimmer” Bill. This legislation requires all schools to ask families on the school entry health exam, if their child has had formal swimming lessons. If the answer is no, there are now resources for families to access swimming lessons, drowning prevention information & scholarships! The legislation continues to be passed in several states throughout the country.
The AquaChamps program has received national attention, and Dan has also been educating others in the aquatic industry through several speaking engagements with the World Aquatic Health Conference, the National Water Safety Conference, the United States Swim School Association, and the National Drowning Prevention Alliance. Dan and his husband, Vincent, are the proud parents of two great dogs: Buster & Bonnie!
