Catherine Breed swims California's entire 900-mile coastline — a first in 111 days

On October 19, Catherine Breed waded out of the Pacific Ocean near the California-Mexico border and into the record books — the first person ever to swim the length of California's coastline, all roughly 900 miles of it, in 111 days.

The 33-year-old endurance swimmer from the San Francisco Bay Area had entered the water at the Oregon-California border on July 1, living aboard a 52-foot sailboat called the Catalyst and averaging around 10 miles a day on swimming days, staying one to five miles offshore to avoid crab pots and reduce the risk of shark encounters. She finished the journey in private, three miles out to sea, to avoid the sewage and pollution flowing from the Tijuana River. A ceremonial landing followed at Coronado Beach, where spectators were encouraged to 'stay dry and cheer loud from the beach,' according to the Los Angeles Times.

It just felt emotional. I felt so proud of the team, and definitely a mix of joy but also relief that it was over and we did it successfully.— Catherine Breed, endurance swimmer

Breed says she is not only the first person to complete the swim, but the first ever to attempt it — a claim that took three years of preparation and planning to put to the test. The original plan called for 10 miles a day over 90 days. What she could not have planned for was a Super El Niño year that reshaped the California coast around her.

El Niño 'mixed up the water in ways that I don't think we've seen historically,' Breed told the Times. Tropical storms, hurricane threats, and a Kelvin wave drove warm coastal water northward — directly against her southward route — reducing some days to near-zero progress. Seven-foot waves at times made her feel as though she was swimming through, in her words, a washing machine. On certain stretches she was forced to swim segments in reverse, south to north, simply to avoid fighting the current head-on.

You cannot bring hubris or expectations into the ocean — whether you're surfing, spearfishing, sailing or swimming. You can't. When I get in the ocean, it's a full surrender. You're completely present. Your only job is to put one arm in front of the other and be at peace with whatever the ocean gives you that day.— Catherine Breed, endurance swimmer

There were eight separate shark sightings, though Breed told the Times the fins were spotted by her crew from far enough away that they were not 'even a part of the swim.' Staying miles offshore, she said, also helped avoid being mistaken for prey. The jellyfish she had worried about before setting out never materialized as a problem. What did show up — dolphins, sea lions, and whales — she described as magical.

The World Open Water Swimming Association tracked her progress throughout the expedition, publishing dispatches that described the crew's daily rhythm: studying wind and currents, launching in the best available window, supporting Breed from nearby vessels, then returning to harbor when possible, with bedtime sometimes arriving before sunset because the next day began in darkness.

Breed was raised in Pleasanton, California, and swam for UC Berkeley before knee injuries ended her college career. She came to open-water swimming afterward, eventually crossing the English Channel and the North Channel, and in 2022 became the first person to swim from San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge to Half Moon Bay — a 25-mile crossing. Last year she completed a swim from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Farallon Islands, a known shark breeding and hunting ground.

Throughout the California swim, Breed paused periodically to come ashore and give talks on marine conservation — the cause she says drove the entire undertaking. She has said she hopes the journey will inspire others, particularly women and girls, to pursue goals that seem impossible, and to engage with groups working to protect the ocean.

It is a little bit of an out-of-body experience. Like, I know I'm the one who did it, but there are parts of me where I feel like I'm along with the audience, watching this thing happen. I think I'm still trying to grasp what I've done.— Catherine Breed, endurance swimmer

The day after finishing, Breed went surfing at Point Loma. 'It was just nice to not feel tied to time or task,' she told the Times, 'to just be out there and enjoy it with friends.' Asked whether she would recommend the California swim to others, she laughed. 'Absolutely not,' she said — before adding that she would recommend anyone get into the ocean in whatever way feels right to them.

Why it matters — Breed's swim is the first documented completion — and, by her account, the first attempt — of California's full 900-mile coastline, carried out during one of the most disruptive El Niño years on record, and undertaken explicitly to draw public attention to ocean conservation.

Reported by goodnewsnetwork.org, reuters.com, latimes.com, nytimes.com