Swimmer on 900-Mile California Expedition Rounds the Wild Waters of Cape Mendocino

Catherine Breed for Hardcore [admin Openwaterpedia, GFDL 1.2, via Wikimedia Commons]

Jutting into the Pacific along Humboldt County’s remote Lost Coast, the cape marks the westernmost point of mainland California and sits off a stretch of shoreline known for powerful swells, shifting winds and seas that can turn rough with little warning.

This week, American open-water swimmer Catherine Breed took on those waters without the protection of a hull beneath her.

Breed successfully rounded Cape Mendocino as part of her ambitious 900-mile Swim California expedition, clearing what her team considers one of the most challenging stretches she will face as she attempts to swim the length of the California coast.

Catherine Breed Rounds Westernmost Point of California, Reaching One of Swim California’s Biggest Milestones Yet

“The water was cold, and there was so much energy moving through the ocean today—you could feel the power of Cape Mendocino with every stroke,” Breed said. “But I also felt an incredible sense of excitement.”

The geography that makes Cape Mendocino familiar to North Coast residents also makes it formidable from the water. Powerful ocean swells, the southbound California Current, shifting winds and shallow underwater features can combine to produce steep and confused seas. Add cold Pacific water and a remote, largely undeveloped coastline, and the cape has long held a reputation as one of California’s more demanding areas for those traveling offshore.

For Breed, getting around it marked both a physical accomplishment and a psychological milestone in a journey that began at California’s northern end and is intended to carry her roughly 900 miles south.

“While we recognize there are tough days ahead, this is a big morale booster for Catherine and the entire team,” Captain Matthew Sessions said.

Breed, 33, is no stranger to long distances in cold, open water. A former competitive swimmer at the University of California, Berkeley, she won two gold medals representing the United States at the 2011 Pan American Games and later turned her attention to marathon open-water swimming.

Her previous accomplishments include swimming the English Channel and North Channel, completing the 20 Bridges Swim around Manhattan and swimming the length of Lake Tahoe. In 2023, she became the first person to swim from the Golden Gate Bridge to Half Moon Bay, a distance of approximately 27 miles.

Her latest undertaking dwarfs those individual swims.

Breed is attempting to become the first person to swim the entire length of California, traveling from the Oregon border toward Mexico with a support team accompanying her aboard a sailboat. The expedition is expected to take months, with Breed swimming portions of the coast as conditions allow.

The North Coast presents an early and particularly rugged test. Much of the coastline south of Humboldt Bay is isolated, with few protected harbors and long stretches where steep mountains meet the Pacific. Cape Mendocino stands as one of its defining landmarks—and one of the significant hurdles between Northern California and the waters farther south.

After rounding the cape, Breed described looking back toward the coastline she had just passed and toward the support boat carrying the team sharing the journey with her.

“Looking back at the coastline and then over to the boat, knowing our entire team had made it through this milestone together, was a really special moment,” she said. “I’m grateful, I’m energized, and I’m excited to keep heading south.”

For Breed, Cape Mendocino is now behind her. Hundreds of miles of California coastline—and plenty more cold, unpredictable Pacific water—remain ahead.