Avantha started teaching swimming in London in 2006, while completing his BSc in Sports Coaching at the University of East London. Over seven years at Greenwich Leisure Centres, he trained under the UK's ASA Level 1 and 2 swim teaching standard and earned his National Pool Lifeguard Qualification — the same rigorous framework used in British schools.
After graduating, he spent two years as a Level 3 certified personal trainer in London before returning home with a single idea: what world-class swim teaching looks like in the UK, every child back home deserves too.
He and Dinethri built Stingrays together — from a single pool in Kandy to 2,100+ swimmers learning every week across 10+ cities, a proprietary Level 1–4 coach training pathway, and venue partnerships across apartment communities, schools, and clubs.
Credentials & Qualifications
- BSc Sports Coaching · University of East London
- ASA Level 1 & 2 (UK swim teaching)
- NPLQ · UK Pool Lifeguard
- Active IQ Level 3 Personal Trainer
- Former Sri Lanka national swimmer
- Previously coached a Kandy school's competitive swim programme to #2 at the National Age Group Championships in under a year
We never set out to build the largest swim school. We set out to teach swimming the way it should be taught — small classes, certified coaches, real progress, no shortcuts. Twelve years on, that's the network you see today: 70+ trained instructors, 12 pools, 2,100+ swimmers a week, all from Kandy outwards.
Stingrays operates with venue partners, certified instructors, and a regional coordination team across Sri Lanka — from Kandy to Colombo, Kurunegala to Kegalle.
