SAN FRANCISCO — Catherine Breed plans to swim the length of California’s Pacific Coast this summer and she has heard from many fans, but also from people who think she’s a) crazy b) has a death wish or c) has no idea what she’s getting herself into.
“This is not an inherently smart thing to do,” Breed said after a brief swim at Aquatic Park in San Francisco on Monday, “but most things that have never been done before aren’t.”
“Probably a lot of people are asking, ‘Why?’ But why did someone climb Mt. Everest? Why do a marathon in Antarctica? Why row across the Pacific Ocean?” continued Breed, a 6-footer known for finishing swims faster than she starts them. “People do these things to inspire others. I hope along the way, I can inspire people to do things that seem hard.”
Breed, 32, has been planning the three- to four-month swim along more than 900 miles of coast for several years. Besides personal fulfillment, she’s looking to inspire more women to get into the ocean and, by doing so, to help build consensus for greater environmental protections.
“People do these things to inspire others. I hope along the way, I can inspire people to do things that seem hard,” said Catherine “Cat” Breed, who’s planning to swim the length of California — from Oregon to Mexico — this summer.
(Paul Kuroda / For The Times)
“We’re seeing kelp deforestation happening on the North Coast. The ocean could reach a level of acidity that hasn’t been seen in millions of years,” Breed said. “When you love someplace, you want to protect it. We’re telling this story to try to get more people engaged, get people inspired, get people educated.”
Breed grew up in Pleasanton and bonded with the ocean when her family sailed around the bay and along the coast. She swam at UC Berkeley, where the team won two national championships. A pair of knee injuries left her somewhat short of her own college swimming goals.
A decade ago, after graduating, she joined the Olympic Club, with a famed swim outpost near Ghirardelli Square. Soon, the newcomer led long swims, like those between the Golden Gate and Oakland Bay bridges. Breed embarked on her first solo marathon swim in 2017, 21 miles across the length of Lake Tahoe.
“It wasn’t until around halfway through the swim that my team told me, ‘You could break the overall record,’“ Breed recalled. “So I kept pushing.” She finished in less than nine hours, the first person to break that barrier.
A series of other swims produced firsts and sometimes records — including from the Golden Gate to Half Moon Bay and across Monterey Bay. After her Half Moon Bay first, she began to think she might be able to swim the entire California coast.
Planning began. Once her audacious goal became public, so did the protests from naysayers, who assumed she didn’t know about currents, wind, sharks and frigid water. But her college housemate and kayak support paddler, Sarah Enix, said the swim odyssey — with Breed intending to be in the water each day for five hours and 10 to 12 miles — is being planned meticulously.
Catherine “Cat” Breed swims at Aquatic Park in San Francisco, where she has been training.
(Paul Kuroda / For The Times)
“It’s all very calculated,” said Enix, noting that her friend also surfs 20-foot waves and tackles the toughest runs when she skis in Tahoe, but only after training assiduously and assessing the risks. “She’s a daredevil. But she’s a calculated daredevil.”
Breed works as a sales rep for a biotechnology firm and spends much of her free time planning the swim. She’s trying to raise $500,000 to pay logistical costs and to promote the swim and Sea Dreamers, the nonprofit she founded to connect more women to the ocean and advance conservation.
During her swim, she plans to stop frequently along the coast to give talks about her epic swim and her mission, which her team calls “a love letter to California.” It will be a communal endeavor, but ultimately it’s Breed trying to do something no one has done before.
“I’m nervous about jellyfish. I’m nervous that it could be too windy and we can’t go out. I’m nervous about my wetsuit chafing,” said Breed, laughing a little, before adding more quietly, “And failure is really scary. … Still, it’s about being tough, being brave and trying to finish. That’s the goal.”
Casey Wasserman, chair of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics organizing committee, shown in March.
(Thanassis Stavrakis / Associated Press)
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A spread of signature dishes including: Shrimp and Crawfish Etoufee, File Gumbo, Charboiled Oysters and Catfish Nuggets at Harold & Belle’s in Los Angeles.
(Ron De Angelis/For The Times)
Thornhill Broome Beach at sunset with Point Mugu in the background.
(Joanne Carolan)
Joanne Carolan’s favorite place to see the sunset in California is at Thornhill Broome Beach, with Point Mugu in the background.
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