Morné Boshoff Bio

I grew up in South Africa, where my swimming career began under coach Rocco Meiring at just seven years old. By high school, I had moved into the High Performance Center in Pretoria, where I trained under Sandor Ban and Dirk Lange, and later with Karoly von Toros in Cape Town. During this time, I was fortunate to train alongside elite international athletes who came to South Africa during the European winter to take advantage of the altitude and warm-weather training environment.

I became a two-time South African Short Course National Champion in the 400m and 800m freestyle (2006–2007). Internationally, I won bronze at the 2006 FINA Youth World Championships in Rio de Janeiro (800m free relay), and placed third in the 400 IM at the 2008 South African Olympic Trials. I also competed at multiple FINA World Cup events in South Africa and Brazil, establishing myself as a distance freestyle and IM swimmer.

My collegiate career included competing at the University of Kentucky and later the University of Pittsburgh, where I continued at the NCAA Division I level while training under respected coaches Marian Clark and others. These experiences gave me both a global and technical foundation in swimming, preparing me for my career as a coach.

I began coaching in Chicago, Illinois, at Lakeshore Sport & Fitness, where I worked with the Stingrays Swim Team and gained valuable experience in learn-to-swim programs as part of their robust aquatics department. In 2021, I moved to San Francisco and coached with HOGS Swimming in Lafayette, California, before relocating to Sausalito in Marin County. Here, I joined the Strawberry Seals Aquatics Swim Team as a certified USA Swimming coach, while also starting Protea Swim Company to bring my own curriculum and vision for swim instruction to the Bay Area.

Today, I offer a full range of programs: in-water learn-to-swim for infants, swim lessons for children and adults, performance swimming, technical stroke development, and triathlon and open-water training. I also hold current Red Cross certifications in CPR/AED and Deep Water Lifeguarding, ensuring every lesson meets the highest standards of safety.

My goal is simple: to bring the same discipline, opportunity, and confidence that swimming gave me, and to help swimmers of every age and level thrive in the water.