An American endurance swimmer has completed an unprecedented 900-mile journey down the entire coast of California. Catherine Breed, 33, reached Coronado Beach in San Diego after swimming for 111 days. She began her challenge on July 1 at California's northern border and swam about 10 miles each day. Breed compared the physical effort to doing a half Ironman race every day for nearly four months.
The swim was made much harder by severe weather. During her journey, an unusual ocean weather pattern called Super El Niño produced dangerous storms and waves up to seven feet high. Breed said that swimming through the rough waves felt like being inside a washing machine. A strong surge of warm water also moved northward along the coast, creating ocean currents that pushed directly against her as she swam south.
Along with rough seas, Breed faced heavily polluted water near the end of her route by Imperial Beach, close to the United States-Mexico border. She described the dirty water as one of her greatest challenges. Breed explained that she took on the swim to test her endurance, encourage women in ocean sports, and highlight the need for ocean conservation. She noted that while people often fear sharks, human pollution poses a much bigger threat to the ocean.
A support crew accompanied Breed on a boat, where she slept each night and hosted events with marine conservation groups. The team officially documented the journey for the World Open Water Swimming Association. After more than three months of swimming past whales, strong currents, and floating plastic, Breed completed her record-breaking journey on Monday.