Kim Chambers successfully swims from Farallon Islands to San Francisco

Kim Chambers became the first woman to ever swim from the Farallon Islands to San Francisco on August 8, 2015. Kim Chambers became the first woman to ever swim from the Farallon Islands to San Francisco on August 8, 2015. Image 1 of / 35 Caption Close Kim Chambers successfully swims from Farallon Islands to San Francisco 1 / 35 Back to Gallery

The English Channel gets all the attention as the most famous open-water swim, and more than 3,000 people have crossed its bitter cold waters.

But in the world of extreme marathon swimming, the 30 miles of shark-infested waters between the Farallon Islands and San Francisco is the most difficult stretch to cross. Until today, only four people, all of them men, have accomplished this swim.

Kim Chambers made history this afternoon as the first woman to swim from the Farallones to San Francisco, reaching the Golden Gate Bridge in 17 hours and 12 minutes.

"This is the hardest open-water swim in the world," says Vito Bialla, Chambers' coach who rode in the boat following her. "I think she's the top open-water swimmer in the world right now."

The 38-year-old San Francisco resident took a boat to the Farallones on Friday night and dove into the Pacific Ocean at 11:30 p.m., wearing only a swimsuit. She endured through the night and into the morning while most of the city was sleeping. In the afternoon, the wind picked up and Chambers was exhausted and on the verge of giving up, especially because she was struggling to keep down the food her crew was throwing to her from the boat.

"I knew if I touched the boat, the swim would be over," Chambers says. "I had to dig really deep to keep going. But when I saw the Golden Gate Bridge, I knew I couldn't give up."

A long one Posted by Brandon Mercer on Saturday, August 8, 2015

Chambers swam under the bridge, where the boat picked her up and carried her to the San Francisco Yacht Club in Tiburon. Friends gathered in support, cheering and crying as she lifted her exhausted, shaking body

"I'm shocked," Chambers said, standing on the dock. "I want this honor but I knew it was up to Mother Nature. It's going to take me a long time to process this. That was the scariest thing I've ever done."

Chambers is an inspiration to many as she has become the world's top open-water swimmer in six years, and only eight years ago she found herself in a situation where doctors told her she'd never walk again.

Posted by Brandon Mercer on Saturday, August 8, 2015

After falling down stairs in 2007, she suffered a severe leg injury that nearly resulted in an amputation. The former classical ballerina took up swimming to stay fit and rehabilitate — and got very serious, very fast.

She became the sixth person (and third woman) to complete the Ocean's Seven, a collection of marathon swimming challenges, including the Strait of Gibraltar, the Molokai Channel, and the North Channel, where she endured hundreds of jellyfish stings during a 13-hour successful crossing.

But Chambers says the Farallones is "the toughest swim, bar none."

"The weather is less predictable, and there are great white sharks," she says.

The cluster of islands and sea stacks off the San Francisco coast are notorious for their shark population. The Farallones' elephant seal population attracts hungry great whites that are among the largest in the world, with some measuring as long as 19 feet. (An average full-grown great white measures 13 to 15 feet long.)

Last week, Chambers' friend Simon Dominguez was on his way to being the first person to finish the swim in the reverse direction (from S.F. to the Farallones) when he was stopped by a circling great white, even though summer is the season when the population is smaller. The shark was likely attracted to Dominguez's bleeding neck that was chafed from the salt water. Dominguez was only three miles from the islands and full of frustration but Chambers' swim today has lifted his spirits.

"The disappointment of me not finishing was completely gone when she finished," Dominguez, who rode in the chase boat, says. "She's very inspirational."

Chambers' mom flew all the way from New Zealand to support her daughter and ride in the boat.

"I was watching her in the water last night, watching her struggle, and I was in awe of of her fortitude and physical determination," Jocelyn Chambers says. "It's a journey for people to follow her story, because you can realize what's possible."