https://santabarbarachannelswim.org/

Santa Barbara Channel Swimming Association, 1755 Spinnaker Dr, Ventura, CA (2026)

10/17/2026

Congratulations to Carol Wortman of Annapolis, MD who swam from Anacapa to Oxnard on October 14th, 2026 in a time of 9 hours and 49 minutes (unofficial time, pending ratification).

Carol started in the early hours of the morning under a clear, star filled sky. Right away, Carol was battling a strong headwind of 10 knots, reaching 13 knots over the next 5 hours. She muscled through wind, chop, and swell. She was strong! Finally, the conditions started to lay down a few miles from platform Gina. There, she was greeted by a small pod of common dolphins. Carol was steadfast and determined while smiling at every feed in water temperatures ranging from 68-71 degrees.

Carol was escorted by Captain Jace Malone on the New Hustler with crew members Dan Simonelli and Jeffrey Rake. The swim was observed by SBCSA board member, Jane Cairns. This swim completes Carol’s California Triple Crown. Congratulations, Carol!

10/11/2026

Congratulations to Lura Wilhelm of Redding, CA who swam from Anacapa to Oxnard on October 10th, 2026 in a time of 7 hours and 10 minutes (unofficial time, pending ratification).

Lura started her swim with rough conditions due to a variety of factors including a super El Niño, Hurricane Rachel, a Kelvin wave, and a small craft advisory. At the start, she and the kayaker were facing white caps that periodically washed over them. Lura swam strong, persevered and conditions improved some as her swim progressed. Friendly dolphins and sea lions visited her in the channel and the water temperature was 72 degrees throughout the swim.

Lura was escorted by Captain Jed Beck on the Faith who kept her on a solid course despite strong wind and currents. Sarah Habib and Andreas Fuhrmann served as crew and the swim was observed by SBCSA board member, Gary King. This swim completes Lura’s California Triple Crown. Well swum, Lura!

10/09/2026

Congratulations to Samantha Lane of San Diego, CA who swam from Anacapa to Oxnard on October 5th, 2026 in a time of 9 hours and 34 minutes (unofficial time, pending ratification).

Samantha started the swim shortly before sunrise by touching the cliff face between the Arch and Landing Cove of Anacapa Island. The conditions began with clear skies, a light breeze, and smooth seas with air at 77 degrees and water at 72. With time, the conditions saw increased wind and seas building from the west with water holding steady at 73 degrees. Along the way, there were several small pods of dolphins, with one very close to the swimmer!

Samantha was escorted by Captain Jed Beck on the Faith. Angela Lee, Rachel Wetterlin, Martha Ornelas, Scott McCarty, and Mike Lane served as crew and the swim was observed by SBCSA board member, John McCarthy. This swim had special meaning to Samantha as she had been previously stationed in Port Hueneme as part of her Navy service. Congratulations, Samantha!

10/06/2026

Congratulations to the Swim for Service relay who swam from Anacapa to Silverstrand Beach in Oxnard on October 3rd, 2026 in 8 hours, 30 minutes (unofficial time, pending ratification).

There were 9 swimmers: Tyler Resnick, Erica Wilhelmsen, Grace Nackers, Eric Mukes, Aiden Malmberg, Jeremy Hinman, Connor Fenwick, Russell Skinner and Benjamin Cypressi. They were escorted by kayakers William Nackers, Jeff Jensen, Chris Pironti and Tim Maples. Also in the water for extra safety was K38 rescue on a rescue water craft. They were escorted by the New Hustler with Captain Jef Katz and first mate Dawn Brooks.The crew chief was Christine Nacker with crew Jacob Sandoval and observed by SBCSA board member, Jane Cairns.

The swim started in the dark in the early morning from Frenchy’s Cove with calm flat conditions. Most of the swim continued with flat beautiful water with just a little bit of bump and swell in the middle and a bit of wind at the end. The weather was clear with full sun the whole day. For the first two-thirds of the swim, the swimmers had dolphins surrounding the; little pods here and there were always close by. A few times, dolphins got extra close to check out the swimmers. It was a great effort from the swimmers who were supporting an important cause.

The Ventura First Responders Channel Swim Relay Team promotes first-responders from various rescue departments coming together to raise awareness around multi-agency collaboration and to help strengthen the non-profit Ventura Fire Honor Guard’s ability to provide scholarships. In particular, scholarships for future first responders including Jr. Ocean Lifeguards, Police Cadets, and Fire Explorers.The 15 first responders that made up the relay team had over 224 and ½ years of service in the military and as rescue heroes! The relay mission includes bringing awareness to the importance of preventative mental health amongst first responders and the importance of recognizing open water ocean lifeguards as first responders.

09/27/2026

Congratulations to Hassan Ghozlan, an Egyptian swimmer living in San Diego, CA who swam from Anacapa to Oxnard on September 26th, 2026 in 7 hours and 24 minutes (unofficial time, pending ratification).

Hassan started with bumpy conditions that eventually smoothed out some. Water temperature was 70 degrees or more throughout the swim, continuing the warm water trend in the SB channel. Hassan swam strong with a consistent stroke rate. During the swim, a tired baby bird fell onto his kayaker’s (Angela Lee) visor and the crew managed to get the bird aboard to feed it crackers and water. All the while, Hassan continued his swim fighting a strong north-bound current.

Hassan was supported by Angela Lee and Sidney Russel. The swim was escorted by Jed Beck on the Faith and observed by Jim McConica. This swim completes Hassan’s CA Triple Crown. Congratulations, Hassan! Well swum!

09/25/2026

Congratulations to Melinda Busch of Ventura, CA who circumnavigated Anacapa Island on September 22nd, 2026 in a time of 6 hours and 23 minutes (unofficial time, pending ratification).

The Anacapa circumnavigation is a beautiful, scenic swim, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t come without its challenges. In the first hour of the swim, Melinda faced a nasty current after rounding the arch. She essentially swam in place for 30 minutes! Her strong kick eventually got her through. Conditions were varied around the island - swell and chop on the back side, with calmer waters once she rounded the west end. Melinda was surrounded by playful, curious sea lions during the first part of the swim. Close to 100 of them came by to cheer her on. Melinda enjoyed the warm, clear water and the incredible views throughout the swim.

Melinda was supported by Karina Garcia, Erica Wilhelmsen, Gary King, and Stacey Warmuth. The swim was observed by Jim McConica and escorted by Jed Beck on the Faith. Congratulations, Melinda, on another successful SBCSA swim!

09/24/2026

Congratulations to Matt Clark of Irvine, CA who swam from Anacapa to Oxnard on September 21st, 2026 in 10 hours and 2 minutes (unofficial time, pending ratification).

Matt described himself as an “adult onset swimmer” having started with a masters team about 5 years ago. Matt persevered through rough conditions with swell, wind chop, white caps, and a current pulling him north. Strangely enough, there were almost no wildlife sightings - not even birds! Perhaps they didn’t want to be out in the rough conditions!

Matt was supported by Kevin Babb, Hans Devouassoux, Arlah Pfohl, and Rebekah Geiselman. The swim was escorted by Danny Graham on the Trion and observed by Stacey Warmuth. Congratulations on your first channel swim! Well done, Matt and team!

09/22/2026

Congratulations to Siena Cherry of Ojai, CA who swam from Anacapa Island to Silver Strand Beach in 8 hours 9 minutes 38 seconds (unofficial time, pending ratification.)

Siena started the swim at first light near Landing Cove with water temp at 71 and calm seas with a little ripple on the surface. When sunrise came, high clouds appeared to keep the air cool. The first few miles, Siena was visited by curious seals, sealions, and dolphins, and a marlin was seen jumping out of the water. Siena swam solid against a current pushing her up through the channel. She persevered, passing Platform Gina, and made it to Silver Strand with full sun.

Siena was escorted by Captain Jed Beck on Faith with Helen Petroff as crew chief and her dad, Jim Cherry, as her kayaker and feeder. Her friends Emily Cunningham and Georgia Tomasik escorted her on prone paddleboards for the whole channel. Jane Cairns of the SBCSA was the official observer. Congratulations, Siena, on your first Channel swim!

09/17/2026

Congratulations to Will Harryman of Santa Barbara, CA who successfully swam from Anacapa Island to Hollywood Beach on his birthday, September 14th, 2026 in a time of 7 hours, 3 minutes (unofficial time, pending ratification).

Will started the swim before 8am with high cloud cover and 71-degree water temp near Landing Cove. The theme of the first 6 miles off the island was seals! Will had one or two seals or small pods of seals escorting him, spying him and playing with him for the first half. The crew was watching dolphins pods off in the distance, playing and jumping. Two humpback whales passed right in front of the boat and were then seen from the stern with water spouts, fins and flukes. Will had a big smile on his face at every feed and was enjoying all themactivity. For the back half of the swim, the sun came out and Will was continuing to battle a predicted cross current that pushed him north, adding distance to his swim. Will was super strong and pushed through the current with ease. Will had wind pushing him in the last couple miles with the water temp hovering between 69-70 degrees. He was stoked with catching a wave to body surf in to complete his swim.

Will was escorted by Captain Danny Graham on the Triton; Sam Fuller was kayaker and crew members John McCarthy, Jeff Naylor, and Roberta Harryman (Will’s mom). Jane Cairns, SBCSA board member, was the official observer. Happy Birthday Will and congratulations on a successful channel swim!

09/13/2026

Congratulations to Julie Biaggi of Redondo Beach, CA who swam from Anacapa to Silver Strand Beach on September 12th, 2026 in 7 hours and 4 minutes (unofficial time, pending ratification).

Julie started with some bumpy conditions due to a small craft advisory that had ended a few hours before the start of her swim. Though she faced some significant mixed chop at the beginning, conditions improved as the swim progressed. The water was over 70 degrees throughout the swim. Julie was visited by a friendly sea lion at the start and later, the crew saw several marlin jumping nearby.

Julie was supported by Carly Miller, Linda Simons, Jim Grande, and Danny Piper. The swim was piloted by Jed Beck on the Faith and observed by Gary King of the SBCSA. Julie was greeted on the beach by her family. Great swim, Julie!

Santa Barbara Channel Swimming Association

10/17/2026

10/11/2026

10/09/2026

10/06/2026

09/27/2026

09/25/2026

09/24/2026

09/22/2026

09/17/2026

09/13/2026

Address

Website

Alerts

Shortcuts

Share

Category

Listing takedown request