Amy Hiland

Amy Hiland in 1958 covered in grease after swimming from Catalina Island to Pierpoint Landing in 24 hours 25 minutes by Channel Twenty-one. Photos credit by United Press Telephoto.

Amy Hiland (born 1923) is an American open water swimmer from Long Beach, California.

Open Water Swimming Career Highlights

• On 14 November 1954, she completed a crossing of the Salton Sea in California in 6 hours 14 minutes at the age of 33.
• On 24 September 1955, she completed a crossing of the Catalina Channel in a time of 20 hours 7 minutes from Catalina Island to the California mainland.
• In May 1956, she completed a double crossing of the Salton Sea in California in 14 hours 57 minutes, breaking the record of Dr. Wilfred Slater.
• On 26 April 1958, she completed a crossing of the Catalina Channel in 24 hours 25 seconds to join the 24-hour club at the age of 37.
• On 18 August 1956, she became the first woman to cross the Strait of Juan de Fuca, in 10 hours 51 minutes, after previous attempts that summer were aborted (Ottowa Citizen). Her crossing was completed simultaneously with Ben Laughren, making them the third and fourth people to ever complete the crossing - only one day after Cliff Lumsdon became the second.
• In 1954, she conceived of the Seal Beach Rough Water Swim in Seal Beach, California together with Daisy Murchie and Mary Ann Ward.
• On 2 August 1959, she competed a 16.8 km swim across Puget Sound from Bremerton to Aki Beach in 5 hours 5 minutes.

Early successful crossings of the Strait of Juan de Fuca

1. Bert Thomas - 8 July 1955 (11 hours 10 minutes)
2. Cliff Lumsdon - 17 August 1956 (11 hours 35 minutes)
3. Amy Hiland - 18 August 1956 (10 hours 51 minutes)
4. Ben Laughren - 18 August 1956 (10 hours 17 minutes)
5. Marilyn Bell - 23 August 1956 (10 hours 38 minutes)
6. Vicki Keith - 10 August 1989 (14 hours butterfly)

External links

• Marilyn Bell Recalls Her Remarkable Teenage Years On WOWSA Live
• Chasing Amy, Where Perception And Reality Clash
• Catalina Channel Swimming Federation
• Updated 24-Hour Club
• Pacific Star reports Strait of Juan de Fuca crossing
• Bert Thomas, Strait And Tough As A Marine
• 24-hour Club…Swimming All Day And Night
• Shooting And Missing…Sharks And Swimmers…Fortunately
• Sports Illustrated on Amy Hiland
• Swimming Across The Channel On Warm Orange Juice
• The Resurgence Of Catalina Channel Crossings
• History Of The Seal Beach Rough Water Swim
• World Open Water Swimming Association
• Marathon Swimming
• Open Water Swimming
• Daily News of Open Water Swimming
• I Got Stung
• Seal Beach Rough Water Swim
• Lynne Cox Surviving And Thriving Over The Test Of Time
• 46th Annual Seal Beach Rough Water Swim
• Chasing Amy
• Marathon Swimmers Federation bio
• Chasing Amy, Where Perception And Reality Clash
• Updated 24-Hour Club
• 24-hour Club…Swimming All Day And Night
• Swimming For More Than 24 Hours
• Open Water Swimming Heroes In The 20th Century
• Kim Rutherford Achieves a Dream Across Strait of Juan de Fuca