Catherine Breed, Mill Valley, Calif. , resident, has finished her roughly 900-mile swim of California’s entire coast. To achieve this unprecedented feat, the 33-year-old swam through open water for about five to eight hours per day — and faced an unexpected foe. Related video: Shows Catherine when she reached the Monterey Bay and spoke with KSBW 8
Since starting at the Oregon border in July, Breed experienced this year’s historic El Niño changing the Pacific Ocean in real time. She shared what she witnessed and how El Niño complicated her team’s journey with SFGATE on Saturday afternoon, two days before her ceremonial finish. In this conversation, Breed voiced concern about a surprising current, which seemingly flowed north as she attempted to travel south. Josh Willis, a senior research scientist for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, told SFGATE that El Niño has not changed the far offshore California Current, which flows north to south, but he had another theory. “Near shore, there is a small coastal jet that also goes from north to south most summers, driven really by the upwelling and the winds near shore,” Willis wrote via email. “But during an El Niño year, those upwelling winds tend to reverse and the coastal jet can stop or reverse as well. This is probably what Catherine was experiencing. ”
Catherine Breed: I swam from Point Loma to Mission Bay, which was about 8 miles. When we were coming back into the San Diego harbor, there was so much trash — like more than I’ve seen the entire trip. There were a lot of plastic bags. Breed: The Tijuana River is a global, national and California crisis. Essentially, raw sewage comes out of the river and spills into the ocean. The pollution zone is about 1. 5 miles offshore, so I’ll be finishing around 3 miles offshore, crossing the border at sea. That’s why no one’s gonna see me finish. The strategy for avoiding the pollution crisis is to 1) avoid, and 2) I’ve started taking prophylactic antibiotics at the guidance of my medical team. Thank goodness it’s at the end. Breed: Physically and emotionally, I feel great. We had a really fun day in the ocean today. My body’s holding up great. I think, mentally, I am ready to be done. I’m ready to be home. I’m a little overwhelmed at some of the attention that’s going to come from the finish. SFGATE: What should Californians know about your observations underwater? Breed: I want to underscore how challenging this was during the super El Niño. I picked this year out in 2023, and I had no crystal ball saying it would be a super El Niño.