Amy Diamond
Founder, Owner & Lead Instructor

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Amy's love of the water began early. A competitive swimmer from age 8 through college, she competed in butterfly, backstroke, individual medley and freestyle relays before turning her lifelong passion for swimming into a career in teaching.

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Amy began teaching swim lessons and lifeguarding at just 15 years old and has now spent more than 30 years helping swimmers of all ages become safer, stronger and more confident in the water. Her experience also includes coaching age-group swim teams and teaching swimmers on both the East and West Coasts.

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In 2006, Amy founded Lil' Guppies Swim School in Los Angeles, where she built a successful private swim program centered around individualized instruction, water safety and meeting each swimmer where they are. After relocating to Sarasota in 2020, she brought that experience and teaching philosophy to Florida and founded Starfish Swim School SRQ.

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Today, Amy's decades of experience form the foundation of the Starfish Method. She personally selects and trains each Starfish instructor to provide the same individualized, positive and safety-focused approach that has guided her own teaching throughout her career.

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Amy believes water safety is only the beginning. Her goal is to help swimmers develop the confidence, skills and love of the water that can stay with them for a lifetime.

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When she's not working with Starfish, Amy is a proud mom of two boys—the original Starfish swimmers—and still loves getting in the water whenever she can!