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Stewart Scott is a swim and triathlon coach based in Vancouver, BC, Canada. He grew up near Inverness, Scotland near the Loch Ness where local rumours say he was taught to swim by "Nessy the Monster". He is best known for training triathletes for open water swimming.

Early life and background
Stewart Scott did his undergraduate studies at The University of Glasgow, earning a BSc(Hons) degree in Exercise Physiology in 2005. After university he worked for BT (British Telecommunications) in Glasgow. He took voluntary redundancy and took the opportunity to move to Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Stewart is an avid pool and snooker player. During his time at the University he founded The University of Glasgow Pool Club. He was President, Secretary, Treasurer and Captain. The club won the Scottish University Tournament and came Third at the British Universities Tournament.

Professional Career
Stewart Scott was a lifeguard at the YWCA and completed the Vancouver Open Water Swim Association (VOWSA) Bay Challenge in 2014 with a relay team of YWCA lifeguards.

Sea Hikers
Sea Hiker Swimming was founded by Peter Scott with the aim of making people feel more comfortable in open water. Stewart was a Senior Swim Coach for Sea Hiker Swimming from 2011 to 2018.

Swim Smart
When Sea Hiker Swimming closed in 2018, Stewart began his Swim Smart Coaching company, offering courses on pool and open water swimming plus private lessons.

Pool Courses
Swim Smart offers pool courses from Level 1 to Level 4, plus Masters classes.

Open Water
Open water swimming takes place in oceans, lakes and rivers. Stewart, the founder of Swim Smart Coaching, delivers courses to train swimmers and triathletes on outdoor swimming: Open Water Beginners and Race Skills. Each course has two coaches.

Safety is key during Stewart’s open water courses. He focuses on the best open water swimming safety protocols such as never swim alone, always tow a SwimBuddy, and always check the local weather conditions, water temperature, water conditions and tide charts.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many of his open water courses sold out within 15 minutes as pools were closed.

The first Marathon Swim Training group was launched in February 2022. The swimmers completed various long-distance open water races like the 6km Kits Challenge, 7km Across the Lake Rattle Snake Island, 11.8km Skaha Ultra and 18km Big Effort Christina Lake swim.

Coast Swim Team
The Coast Swim Team began in 2018 with a focus on providing a very inclusive environment open to swimmers of all abilities.

In the 2022-2023 season, Coast Swim Team sent a team of 6 swimmers (2 men, 4 women) to compete at the Speedo Canadian Masters Championships in Calgary, Alberta, May 26-28, 2023.

Six swimmers from the Coast Swim Team represented Canada in the 2023 World FINA Masters Championships in Fukuoka, Japan.

The Coast Swim Team has won the Masters Swimming Association of British Columbia (MSABC) League Trophy (Small Team) three years in a row (2019-2020, 2021-2022, 2022-2023 seasons).

Train Smart Coaching
In 2021, Stewart began coaching triathlon with Oscar Peralta. They completed their training and certification through Triathlon Canada and started Train Smart Coaching.

Coach’s effect on swimmers and triathletes
Stewart Scott has helped 1000s of clients become more comfortable in the water.

Mary Chang, Vancouver writer and open water swimmer, explains how Coach Stewart’s 10-second rule changed the outcome of her race experience at the 2023 Vancouver Triathlon. Chang also wrote about her swim journey and her first set of open water swim lessons with Coach Stewart.

Pop Culture
Coach Stewart’s popularity has grown enough that the popular Canadian TV series Family Law has featured his swim caps in two seasons: Episode 210, “All Happy Families,” and the yet-to-be-aired Episode 310, “Tony Danza Dreaming.” The swim caps are worn by actors Zach Smadu (Daniel) and Birkett Turton (Yannick). The Family Law creator and show runner, Susin Nielsen, is a long-time client of Stewart’s.