My name is Nickolay Shulga. I come from Kiev, Ukraine (part of the former Soviet Union). My story starts in late 70s when I won the National Junior Championship of the Soviet Union in water polo (1978) and then became a professional player in the Dynamo Kiev Senior Water Polo Team.

In the season 1981/1982 we won The Cup of the Soviet Union and got into the final round of the European Cup Winners Cup. By that time I had completed my Masters Degree in Physical Education and Sport at Kiev State University, and in 1982 I decided to start my coaching career. I started my coaching from the very bottom and in 1988 I became coach of the Ukrainian Junior National Water Polo Team.

In 1990, I joined the coaching staff of the Soviet Union Junior Water Polo teams. In that year my clubs’ junior team under my coaching won every major national tournament of the season. In 1991, the Soviet Union collapsed and Ukraine became an independent state. I took position of Head Coach of the Ukrainian Junior National Team. At the same time I became Head Coach of Dynamo Kiev Pro Senior Water Polo Team.

In 1994, I opened a new page of my life and became the Head Coach of the National Water Polo teams of Saudi Arabia, and I worked there until 2002. During that period, I also created a swim team under AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) USA Middle East League (which was for expatriates who lived there). In two seasons, I made one team one of the best in the ME League; and in 2001, nine of my swimmers participated in the AAU Junior Olympics, Virginia, USA. We won 8 gold, 13 silver, and 9 bronze medals. In 2002, I moved to Nova Scotia. In 2003, I started the Water Polo program at Dalhousie University and created Halifax Wavecutters Aquatic Club in 2005. Our club continues to strive for success and excellence to this day.

Throughout my long international career, I have gained invaluable experience on how to teach and enhance the performance of athletes in both swimming and water polo. Ever since it's inception, the Halifax Wavecutters have been a club that valued technical individual approach. That is my coaching approach, and it has served my swimmers and players well in the past and present.  We now run a couple of different programs at the club to suit the individual needs of many swimmers. Please do not hesitate to look through our programs on this website.