SAN DIEGO, Calif. \u2014 Endurance swimmer Catherine Breed completed an approximately 900-mile journey along California\u2019s coastline, finishing a nearly four-month expedition from the Oregon border to Mexico.<\/p>\n
Breed, 33, began the Swim California expedition July 1 and completed the route in stages with support from a boat and crew. GPS waypoints connected each successive swim, while observers documented her progress.<\/p>\n
The swim is believed to be the first completed trip of its kind along California\u2019s entire coastline, though officials still need to review the records to confirm it.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor months, I measured my world in the next few miles. This was harder than I expected, and there were days when I was exhausted and overwhelmed,\u201d Breed said.<\/p>\n
Breed said encouragement from her crew and people following the expedition helped her continue through the demanding journey.<\/p>\n
The route took her along the remote North Coast, past the Golden Gate Bridge, across Monterey Bay, along Big Sur and around Point Conception before she continued through Southern California to the Mexican border.<\/p>\n
Weather, rough seas and long stretches of exposed coastline frequently dictated when Breed and her team could move. Boat travel, interrupted sleep, nutrition and recovery also complicated the challenge of returning to the water day after day.<\/p>\n
Before entering Big Sur, the team waited in Monterey Bay for favorable conditions. Breed then averaged more than 10 miles of swimming a day while moving through the remote stretch of coastline.<\/p>\n
Breed also documented encounters with marine wildlife during the expedition, including a humpback whale and calf passing beneath her and dolphins swimming nearby. She said she also encountered floating litter while traveling along the coast.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have spent my life loving this coast. Swimming it gave me hundreds of new reasons to protect it. I saw whales beneath me, plastic beside me and communities giving their time to look after these places,\u201d Breed recalled.<\/p>\n
Breed linked the expedition to ocean conservation through Sea Dreamers, the nonprofit she founded. The organization hosts community gatherings and discussions about kelp forests, marine wildlife, water quality and public access to the coast.<\/p>\n
Breed also highlighted the women who served as captains and crew members during the journey, handling navigation, safety and the changing demands of the expedition.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope a girl watching this sees a future she hadn\u2019t considered for herself. I was surrounded by women who could navigate a boat, make a tough call and find something to laugh about afterward,\u201d Breed said.<\/p>\n
Breed previously stepped away from a career in medical technology sales to pursue the expedition. She is a former University of California, Berkeley swimmer and two-time Pan American Games gold medalist.<\/p>\n
She has also set open-water swimming records in Monterey Bay, Lake Tahoe and between the Farallon Islands and Golden Gate Bridge.<\/p>\n
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