Guinness World Record Holder

October 8, 2025

Deborah G, age 66, became the oldest woman to swim the Catalina Channel, the body of water (Pacific Ocean) between Catalina Island and the California mainland. She completed the 21-mile swim in just over 13 continous hours, on the night of October 7–8, 2025.

The Catalina Channel is considered one of the most difficult open-water swims in the U.S., often called the "Mount Everest of open-water swimming." This area of the Pacific Ocean is considered very challenging because of strong tidal movements, upwellings of cold water, ocean swells, and waters frequently inhabited by sharks. Swimmers typically begin this challenge in the dark to take advantage of ocean currents which help guide them toward the coast.

Deborah dedicated the swim to her 90-year-old father (a retired Marine) and raised funds for a veteran-mental-health nonprofit, Southern Cross Service Dogs.