Woman Becomes First To Swim Entire CA Coast, Passing Whales And Great Whites – Patch

Woman Becomes First To Swim Entire CA Coast, Passing Whales And Great Whites  Patch

Catherine Breed completed the coastal journey Sunday, raising money and awareness for conservation. PLEASANTON, CA —In 2025, Catherine Breed decided to do what no one else had yet accomplished: she would swim the length of California's coast. On Sunday she became the first person in recorded history to do it. Breed swam California’s entire 900-mile path, completing an expedition that combined months of endurance swimming with fundraising and ocean conservation work. The project, Swim California, covered the coast from Pelican State Beach in Del Norte County at the Oregon border to Imperial Beach in San Diego County at the Mexican border. Breed completed the route through separate swimming stages, wearing a wetsuit and receiving crew support.

The Mill Valley resident swam sections in different directions along the coast. The stages did not always begin where the previous one ended. The format allowed breaks between swims. Breed averaged more than 10 miles a day, passing the Golden Gate Bridge, swimming through Monterey Bay’s kelp forests, and rounding Point Conception near Santa Barbara, and through great white shark nurseries in Southern California, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Supporters tracked her progress on social media and gathered along the route to cheer her on. A pacer supplied protein shakes in a thermos while Breed swam. Her support crew traveled aboard a 52-foot