Amy Appelhans Gubser Becomes First Person to Swim From Golden Gate Bridge to Farallon Islands (2024)

by Riley Overend 13

June 02nd, 2024 News, Open Water

Amy Appelhans Gubser made open water swimming history last month in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The 55-year-old UCSF nurse became the first person to swim from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Farallon Islands 29.7 miles away, a remarkable feat that took 17 hours while fighting through cold, shark-infested waters.

A former University of Michigan swimmer (1986-90), Appelhans Gubser had completed other marathon swims before such as the Strait of Gibraltar, the North Channel between Ireland and Scotland and locally to Angel Island and back. But the outbound Farallon Islands is unique in that it requires going against the currents for so long. Only five people had previously completed the trek in the inbound direction, from the Farallons to the Golden Gate.

“I trained at Aquatic Park to get exposure to the cold water and swim against currents,” said Appelhans Gubser, a grandmother of two with a third on the way. “I’m a South End member, I’ve done the Burlingame Masters – you can’t take a swim lightly, it’s a big swim.”

Appelhans Gubser encountered several seals on her journey, but fortunately, no sharks. The Farallons are home to some of the biggest great white sharks in the world, but most of them don’t migrate to the islands for a couple months.

“The elephant in the room is white sharks, and they were in the back of my mind at all times during the swim,” she told Outside Magazine. “We didn’t take the shark thing lightly—I had a savvy crew that kept watch for them from a boat and kayak. They were ready to jump into the water to help me if I needed, but we had no shark sightings the whole time.”

Appelhans Gubser was joined by a support crew featuring captain Chad Dahlberg, John Chapman, Abby Fairman, Kirk McKinney, Ken Mignosa, Sarah Roberts, and John Sims. They monitored surface currents for three months before the conditions aligned on May 11.

“As a pool swimmer, you’re following time intervals but you never see how much distance you’ve actually covered,” Appelhans Gubser said. “When you do open-water swimming you can look across a body of water and see where you’ve come from. It’s so much more profound. In pool swimming you’re going for time, but in open-water swimming time doesn’t mater because you’re up against so many elements you cannot control. Your job is just to persevere so you can eventually break through. I like that.”

You check out footage from their voyage here, courtesy of the Marathon Swimming Federation.

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Roberta Guise

2 days ago

Amy Gubser waited years for conditions to be just right. We’d chat in San Francisco’s South End Rowing Club locker room (where else?) about yet another date delayed due to conditions; it seemed to be mostly the winds.

She has unmatched tenacity, grit, talent, and enough knowledge about the body and swimming to fill the ocean she swam in.

I agree that the waters aren’t “shark infested” – sharks just happen to make a living in the area Amy swam in.

We should also tsk-tsk the media for opening their story with her role as grandmother. Have you ever heard of a male elite athlete being introduced in the first sentence – even the headline – as a grandpa?Read more »

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lily

2 days ago

hi am lily!

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Allen Shain

3 days ago

Woohoo! Go Amy!

3

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Roger cundall

4 days ago

Aloha
I have a trophy, won by my father. Of the Stanford swim team, from 1926.
He was the first to finish, ironically, his brother who was his escort, lost him in the fog. My dad beat his brother to the finish line. Small bit of swimming trivia.

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Steven Pedersen

4 days ago

👏👏👏👏👏Congratulations, Amy! You rock and rule!👏👏👏👏👏

5

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DLswim

4 days ago

Unbelievable swim. Anyone that’s done any type of significant ow swimming can appreciate the magnitude of this achievement. Congratulations!

5

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Chooch

4 days ago

A remarkable achievement, Amy. Well done!

Just to pick nits for a minute: I always bristle at the idea of “shark-infested waters.” Technically, it’s the sharks’ home. If we choose to venture into it, we are the ones out of place.

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KSW

4 days ago

that is some cold water

5

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About Riley Overend

Riley is an associate editor interested in the stories taking place outside of the pool just as much as the drama between the lane lines.A 2019 graduate of Boston College, he arrived at SwimSwam in April of 2022 after three years as a sports reporter and sports editor at newspapers …

Read More »

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Amy Appelhans Gubser Becomes First Person to Swim From Golden Gate Bridge to Farallon Islands (2024)

FAQs

Amy Appelhans Gubser Becomes First Person to Swim From Golden Gate Bridge to Farallon Islands? ›

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.

Who was the woman who swam from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Farallon Islands? ›

On the early morning of May 11, 55-year-old grandmother, Amy Appelhans Gubser, entered the water underneath the Golden Gate Bridge and swam 29.6 miles, making it just off of the coast of Southeast Farallon Island at 8:31 p.m., meaning she swam 17 hours, three minutes and 11 seconds.

Who is Amy Appelhans Gubser? ›

Amy Appelhans Gubser made open water swimming history last month in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 55-year-old UCSF nurse became the first person to swim from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Farallon Islands 29.7 miles away, a remarkable feat that took 17 hours while fighting through cold, shark-infested waters.

Has anyone ever swam under the Golden Gate Bridge from Presidio to Marin? ›

The bridge now continually receives touch-ups, but the whole bridge has been entirely repainted only a few times. Has anyone ever swam under the Golden Gate Bridge from Presidio to Marin? Yes!

How far is it from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Farallon Islands? ›

Lying 28 miles outside of the Golden Gate Bridge and 20 miles south of Point Reyes, they are visible from the mainland on clear days.

What sharks are under the Golden Gate Bridge? ›

Several detections of tagged white sharks show individuals passing through the Golden Gate, swimming along the waterfront.

Who was the person that swam across the ocean? ›

Expedition Overview. On July 16, 1998 at 3:30pm EST Ben Lecomte set out on an 80 day swim from Hyannis, Massachusetts across the Atlantic Ocean to raise funds for cancer research. He arrived in Quiberon, France approximately 80 days and 3,736 nautical miles later.

Is it safe to swim at Golden Gate Bridge? ›

Swimming the length of the bridge, unless as part of an organized and approved event like the Odyssey Golden Gate swim, is not recommended. Waves, current, and Bay traffic all make a solo bridge swim nearly impossible without an experienced guide.

Has it ever snowed on the Golden Gate Bridge? ›

January 22, 2010: It snowed on the north side of the Golden Gate Bridge; this photo was taken at 6:30 am.. January 27, 2010: At 6:45 am, the Queen Victoria was greeted by the Golden Gate Bridge foghorns operated by Bridge Electrician R.

How deep is the water under the Golden Gate? ›

Between Hayward and San Mateo to San Jose it is 12 to 36 in (30–90 cm). The deepest part of the bay is under and out of the Golden Gate Bridge, at 372 ft (113 m). In the late 1990s, a 12-year harbor-deepening project for the Port of Oakland began; it was largely completed by September 2009.

How much does it cost to cross the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco? ›

The new five-year toll increase plan comes after a previous five-year hike was approved in 2019. Since then, the Golden Gate Bridge tolls have increased from $7.35 to $8.75 in 2023 for FasTrak users and $8.20 to $9.75 without it, with the most recent toll hike happening in June 2023.

Are the Farallon Islands radioactive? ›

From 1945 until 1970, when nuclear dumping at sea was prohibited, an estimated 47,500 barrels of radioactive debris from nuclear labs such as Lawrence Livermore as well as the Naval Radiological Defense Laboratory, were dumped in the area.

Did anyone ever live on the Farallon Islands? ›

The first people known to live on the islands arrived in 1819. They were Russian fur hunters and members of the Aleut community, who likely were working as enslaved people. They lived on the Southeast Farallon, which is the only island large enough to support humans.

What was found lurking under the Golden Gate Bridge? ›

Underneath the Golden Gate Bridge lies the wreck of the City of Chester, a steamboat that sank on August 22, 1890 at 10 a.m. The boat was impaled on the steamer Oceanic, arriving from Asia, and sunk in six minutes.

How many ships have foundered and sunk near the Farallon Islands? ›

Over 400 reported ship and aircraft wrecks may exist in the Greater Farallones sanctuary. The earliest known shipwreck in the sanctuary is a Spanish Manila galleon, San Agustin that went ashore in a gale while anchored in Drake's Bay in 1595.

Who was against the Golden Gate Bridge? ›

The U.S. War Department, which owned the land on both shores of the Gate, was equally opposed to the bridge, fearing construction would interfere with military operations and that, once completed, the bridge might be blown up by enemies and obstruct the harbor.

Who has flown under the Golden Gate Bridge? ›

That time America's Top Ace Richard Bong flew under the Golden Gate Bridge and buzzed downtown San Francisco Area flying his P-38 Lightning.

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