About Us

About Mr. Michael

I was born and raised in a suburb of Pittsburgh, PA and graduated from Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania in 1992 with a BS in Business Management (yes, that really is the name of the school). After college, I worked for Wal-Mart as a store manager for over 11 years and then founded a retail merchandising company, Platinum Service, LLC. I am a dad to two daughters, 22 year old Bearenger and 18 year old Merlot. Bearenger is a health and wellness influencer on social media, @bearenger (you should follow her!) and she lives in Hawaii.  Merlot is a 3nd degree black belt in Taekwondo and competes throughout the United States and is a senior in high school in Grand Rapids, MI. 

In October of 2007, my father sent me a video of the toddler, in the blue cotton jumper, that falls into the water, rolls back to float, and maintains his float for five minutes, fully clothed. I was absolutely amazed that a 14-month-old child could save himself from drowning, in regular clothes, a real-life situation. Having a backyard pond and a 2-year-old that couldn't swim led me directly to a child self-rescue website. At the time, I noticed there were no self-rescue instructors in Michigan and the nearest Instructor was located in Toledo, OH. I came to the realization that I would not be able to enroll my 2-year-old daughter, Merlot, into the aquatic survival lesson due to the three-hour drive, each way. Seeing a need for this important program in Michigan, I began to research becoming a self-rescue instructor. In April of 2008, I became the first Certified Self-Rescue Instructor in Michigan.

During my drowning prevention journey, I’ve learned that drowning is the leading cause of death for children under the age of five. I’ve also learned that most drownings are preventable by empowering the child to know what to do if they reach the water alone. Self-rescue skills, taught to a child by a trained aquatics behavioral specialist, save lives!

In May 2012, I became a Master Instructor. This allowed me to teach other instructors thus reaching more children. I have trained over 50 instructors and over 2,000 children. My passion is mentoring new Instructors to become better, sooner and teaching your child how to find their own O2 (oxygen) when in the water.

In 2021, I moved to Chicago, IL and took on the roll of Director of Instructor Development with the CAST Water Safety Foundation. CAST stands for “Creating Aquatic Safety Teams.” Through education and access, CAST empowers families and communities to make safer choices as they embark on a journey towards their child’s swim competency. CAST is a team of educators, coaches, self-rescue parents and certified instructors working together towards this shared mission. Their growing team of highly trained instructor affiliates helps us reach families throughout the country with self-rescue lesson access while our “CAST” of volunteer advocates are driving lasting change in communities nationwide! www.CASTWaterSafety.org

In May of 2023, I moved to Erie, CO and founded O2 Swim, LLC. This is my newest venture, using what I’ve learned over the last 15 years, to ensure more children are water safe. At O2 Swim, LLC, we strive to make self-rescue lessons more accessible to working families. We not only adjust our lessons to each individual student, teaching them how they need to be taught, we also adjust our lessons to meet the demands of busy families.

We look forward to hearing from you, learning about your family, and teach your child how to find their own air in the water.