George McDonough , whose nickname is Hopper , is the founder of SwimVacation . He has been guiding small groups of open water swimmers in the Virgin Islands and in New England for over ten years. Hopper, a former Division I collegiate swimmer, began competing in open water events in 1989, and has racked up several pool and open water course records in his career. He recently completed a 12-mile swim around Charleston, SC in a 2-person relay with his wife Cortney. He has been featured in Triathlete Magazine, The New York Times, and in Outside Magazine for his 23-mile swimming adventure through the British Virgin Islands. Hopper coaches triathletes and open water swimmers on proper open water swimming techniques in the warm waters of the Virgin Islands and in the cold waters of the Maine coast.