Catherine Breed

Catherine Breed (born March 22, 1993) is an American open-water swimmer.

Career

Breed swam at Amador Valley High School in Pleasanton, California from 2007 to 2011, earning 21 All-American honors over four years. She was a collegiate swimmer at the University of California, Berkeley, where she primarily swam freestyle.

In 2026, she announced a plan to become the first person to swim the entire length of California, covering 900 miles of the Pacific coast from north to south. She will be supported by a team of four following in a sailboat and plans to swim 10–15 miles per day for an estimated total of 80–126 days. Breed and her team had been planning the attempt since 2023.

Personal life Breed studied integrative biology at the University of California, Berkeley, graduating in 2015. She planned to attend medical school before switching to focus on open-water swimming. She previously worked at Intuitive Surgical, an American biotechnology company.