Kim Chambers becomes the first woman to finish what is known as the world’s most difficult swim, from Farallon Islands to San Francisco

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

New Zealander Kim Chambers on Saturday became the first woman to swim through shark-infested waters from the Farallon Islands to San Francisco.

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Chambers told the Guardian early on Sunday her swim had “nudged the boundary of safety”, after she began it “violently ill” and “vomiting profusely”.

The swim, which took Chambers 17 hours and 12 minutes after she dropped into the water at 11.15pm on Friday, had been completed by four men, but never a woman. It also began in waters which are breeding grounds for some of the largest great white sharks in the world, which can grow to six metres (19ft).

In July, a man abandoned an attempt to complete the swim in the opposite direction when his support boat spotted a 15ft great white.

“You are really playing with the wild and the elements of the ocean,” Chambers said. “It is very scary because of all the great white sharks out there. We are nudging the boundary of safety.”

Chambers said that only when she saw the Golden Gate bridge did she know she was going to complete what she called the most difficult open swim on the planet.



“It’s truly an honor. It means so much to me,” Chambers said.

The Farallon National Wildlife Refuge includes all islands in the group except Southeast Island – the only inhabited island. A large elephant seal population attracts large numbers of great white sharks, and scientists have logged as many as 80 shark attacks in a single season.



Chambers made her swim at a busy time of the year for great whites, for which September is traditionally the mating season. Female great whites, which congregate off the Farallons, are generally larger than males.

“I love the water, but there is something scary about slipping in at dark with all the sharks,” she said.

Chambers has become one of the leading open water swimmers in the world. She has completed the Ocean Seven, a series of marathon swims that include the Molokai Channel, the North Channel and the Strait of Gibaltrar.

But this was the most dangerous and difficult swim she has attempted and completed, Chambers said.

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The swim didn’t start as Chambers expected, however, possibly thanks to something she had eaten the day before.

“I was violently ill,” she said. “I was vomiting profusely and it was a bit touch and go for a while there.”

But she said her support team and her mother helped spur her forward. “Everyone kept telling me, ‘You got this’,” she said. “I was in tears as I passed under the [Golden Gate] bridge.”

Chambers said she hoped her swimming could help inspire people to know there are no limits to what the human body and mind can do.

“My goal is to be inspiring young girls,” she said. “I want them to dream big because the rewards outweigh the risks. I didn’t leave anything in the bay.”