What is Swim California

HIGH LEVEL

Swim California is a 900+ mile staged assisted adventure swim that will take place over 3 months. The swim will be North to South with various stops along the way. This is an extremely complex endeavor that will require constant flexibility and a fleet of resources.

A FIRST ATTEMPT

I am aiming to join an elite group of humans who have been the first to accomplish a monumental feat. This coastline presents unique challenges that will test me all 900+ miles.

A STORY OF THE COAST

This coast raised me, from sailing to surfing, from swimming to spear fishing. The California coast has been there for me in times of need and in time of joy and plenty. I know I am not the only person who feels this way and I would love to hear other stories and use my platform to share.

A CALL TO ACTION

We have to protect this place. There are many ways to conserve what we love; through action, education, and inclusion. I aim to bring people into the water in each of those ways. Encouraging someone to learn an ocean sport or to inspire a group to organize an ocean clean up--were all in this together and there are many ways we can contribute.

Visit www.SeaDreamers.org

THE LAUNCH AND THE WHY

We launched Swim California

I’ve spent my whole life in the ocean.

Some of my earliest memories are sailing around the Pacific. With the estuary and Angel

Island as our playground. My sister and I would head out on little day adventures, watching

sea lions, jellyfish, and whatever else we could find, we even have had a feature in Latitude

38 while in La Paz. The water was where everything felt okay. It was my escape, my safe

space.

During my time at Cal Berkeley, I learned how to surf in Pacifica, standing on my board

maybe a total of 10 times over five years. And after graduation, I was introduced to the

Dolphin Club. It was there that some of the legends of open water swimming saw potential

in me, noting I was quick and I could handle the cold. When the English Channel was

suggested I remember thinking THAT was crazy, who would want to swim 21 miles.

Then I swam the length of Lake Tahoe. That was my first real dip into marathon swimming.

And something shifted. In 2017, I started exploring other endurance sports and chasing big

goals that took me all over the world.

In 2020, I swam across Monterey Bay—Santa Cruz to Monterey and it was a pitch-black

night, with no moon and no stars, just me and the water. With every stroke,

bioluminescence lit up my fingertips. And in that glow, I thought about all the people who

helped me get there—each of them a little light guiding me forward. That was the moment I

realized: this is where I want to leave my mark. This is how I want to make an impact.

Why?

For the past few years, I’ve been quietly dreaming about Swim California.Would anyone care? Would anyone join me? Could I really do it?Then, in 2022, I swam from the Golden Gate Bridge to Half Moon Bay. I didn’t do it for a record—I just swam for the love of the ocean, calling it my soul swim. After that, something clicked. That inner voice, the one that had been whispering about Swim California, finally became too loud to ignore.

Swim California stands for something bigger: community, education, and access to the ocean. I want to inspire more ocean stewards and raise awareness for ocean conservation through stories and sport.

All of this to say, Swim California is so much more than a swim, it is about testing the limits of human potential, it is about exploring uncharted waters (no pun intended), and it is hugely about courage, listening to that inner voice that says, you can do it, even when it terrifies you to say it out loud.

I will need help

This is a hugely complex swim in and out of the water. I’m looking for support—whether it’s expertise, lodging, logistics, funding, or just being part of the story. However, you want to join this journey, I welcome it with open arms.