Kim Chambers becomes first woman to swim from Farallones to S.F.

Kim Chambers made history today when she successfully swam from the Farallon Islands to the Golden Gate Bridge in 17 hours and 12 minutes. Kim Chambers made history today when she successfully swam from the Farallon Islands to the Golden Gate Bridge in 17 hours and 12 minutes. Image 1 of / 23 Caption Close Kim Chambers becomes first woman to swim from Farallones to S.F. 1 / 23 Back to Gallery

UPDATE: The English Channel gets all the attention as the most famous open water swim, and over 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, had accomplished this swim.

Kim Chambers made history today when she successfully reached the Golden Gate Bridge in 17 hours and 12 minutes.

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Kim Chambers is on her way to becoming the first woman to swim the 30-mile stretch between the Farallon Islands and San Francisco.

The 38-year-old San Francisco resident took a boat to the Farallones last night and dove into the Pacific Ocean at 11:30 p.m., wearing only a swimsuit. She swam through the night and into the morning while most of the city was sleeping.

She was about 10 miles from reaching her goal at 9:30 a.m. today and is expected to pass under the Golden Gate Bridge around 4 p.m., after spending over 16 hours in the water.

"It sounds cliché but there's something so rewarding in pushing yourself out of your comfort zone," the New Zealand native who works at Adobe said in an interview earlier this week.

After falling down stairs in 2007 and suffering 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. In only a couple years, 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.

The English Channel is the most famous long-distance swim, as some 3,000 people have crossed the stretch, but only four, all of them men, have successfully swum from the Farallones to San Francisco — as it's one of the world's most dangerous crossings.

"I think this is the toughest swim, bar none," Chambers says. "The weather is less predictable, and there are great white sharks. There aren't any sharks in the Channel."

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. Chambers says 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.

Chambers has planned her swim at a time when the seasonal shark population at the Farallones is typically away and only year-round ones will be present.

"People think I'm crazy because there are sharks but that's why I'm doing it," Chambers says. "That's their habitat and they should be there. I think they're magnificent creatures."

Chambers' mom has flown all the way from New Zealand to ride in a boat following her daughter, along with about 16 other crew members who will watch for dangers and make sure Chambers follows traditional "English Channel rules."

"No wetsuit," Chambers says. "You can't touch the boat at any time. There's an observer onboard to make sure you're not getting a free ride."

But Chambers shouldn't need help as she's been training hard, swimming every morning in the Bay and doing long four-to-eight-hour swims on weekends.

"I thrive with having an intense goal," says Chambers, who works out with a local open-water group known as the Night Train Swimmers. "It makes me tick. It makes me feel purposeful."

No doubt, Chambers is ready and now only Mother Nature needs to cooperate, which is less predictable at the Farallones.

"My mentor Vito Bialla, who founded the Night Train Swimmers, says, 'Swimming at the Farallones is like swimming in heaven and speaking to the devil at the same time,'" Chambers shares. "Just the thought of that gives me goosebumps."

You can track Chambers' swim at NightTrainSwimmers.org.