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Melissa King
Melissa King is an American open water swimmer from California who was part of the first all-female relay team to successfully swim from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Farallon Islands off the coast of northern California, U.S.A. She also kayaked the entire distance of the Catalina Channel from Catalina Island to the California mainland on 18 July 2013 escorting her friend Kimberly Chambers as well as participated in a 6-person Catalina Channel relay crossing in July 2013.
Contents
Farallon Islands Relay
King struggled and triumphed with relay teammates Lynn Kubasek, Kim Chambers, Cathy Delneo, Laura Vartain Horn and Patti Bauernfeind from the Golden Gate Bridge to the South Farallons Island in 16 hours and 29 minutes. The six hardy women went through three rotations on their relay through the Red Triangle (watch visual gallery here).
"The seas, generally 15-20 feet, were larger than the escort boat," said Vito Bialla, the team's pilot. "Plus it was cold: 49°F (9.5°C), but the enthusiasm and passion of the women never wavered."
Maui Channel Relay
King swam on a 6-person relay across the Maui Channel in Hawaii in 2011 as part of a group that raised over US$25,000 toward The Marine Mammal Center's drive to build a marine mammal hospital in Hawaii and help save the Hawaiian Monk Seal from extinction.
Pan-American Colibrí Swim
King participated in the 7.9 km 3 hour 3 minute Pan-American Colibrí Swim, a cross-border swim by a group of ocean swimmers from five nations with the purpose to raise awareness and funds for the Colibri Center for Human Rights in the Pacific Ocean between Imperial Beach near San Diego, California, USA and Playas de Tijuana in Tijuana, Mexico held on 5 May 2017. The Colibrí swimmers include Kimberley Chambers (New Zealand), Oded Rahav (Israel), Jean Craven (South Africa), Antonio Argüelles, (Mexico), Nicolene Steynberg (South Africa), Rene Martínez Saenz (Mexico), Ben Enosh (Israel/USA), Ryan Nelson (USA), Melissa King (USA), Kamini Moodley (South Africa), Nora Toledano (Mexico), Neil Macaskill (South Africa), Luc Chetboun (Israel), Mariel Hawley (Mexico) and Dan Simonelli (USA) with escort kayakers Tom Hecker (USA), Kevin Eslinger (USA), Billy Carlson (USA), Matt Donoghue (USA), Haden Ware (USA), Anna Lopez and the Out of the Boat Team (Mexico), and Kala Sherman-Presser (USA).
Kayaking & Escorting
- She kayaked for Susie Dods on her Catalina Channel crossing in 2010.
- She was a crew member for Kimberley Chambers' English Channel crossing, her Farallon Islands swim, her Lake Tahoe crossing, and her Catalina Channel [[crossing].
- She kayaked for another all-female Catalina Channel crossing in 2015.
- She was a support swimmer for Swim Across America in San Francisco 3 times.
- She was an escort kayaker for the 18 hour 4 minute two-way crossing of the Catalina Channel by Abigail Bergman, Rebecca Nevitt, Eliza Cummings, Cathleen Pruden, Gabriela Kovacikova, and Charlotte Samuels on 16 June 2017.
Video
24 Hour Swim Relay Video
Pan-American Colibrí Swim
The Pan-American Colibrí Swim is a cross-border swim by a group of ocean swimmers from five nations with the purpose to raise awareness and funds for the Colibri Center for Human Rights in the Pacific Ocean between Imperial Beach near San Diego, California, USA and finishing at Playas de Tijuana in Tijuana, Mexico on 5 May 2017, starting near the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve. Its members include Kimberley Chambers (New Zealand), Oded Rahav (Israel), Jean Craven (South Africa), Antonio Argüelles, (Mexico), Nicolene Steynberg (South Africa), Rene Martínez Saenz (Mexico), Ben Enosh (Israel), Ryan Nelson (USA), Melissa King (USA), Kamini Moodley (South Africa), Neil Macaskill (South Africa), Luc Chetboun (Israel), Nora Toledano (Mexico), Mariel Hawley (Mexico), and Ben Enosh (USA/Israel). They will be supported and escorted by escort kayakers Dan Simonelli (USA), Billy Carlson (USA), Matt Donoghue (USA), Haden Ware (USA), Anna Lopez and the Out of the Boat Team (Mexico), Kala Sherman-Presser (USA), Tom Hecker (USA), and Kevin Eslinger (USA).
Video
The 10 km Pan-American Colibrí Swim, a cross-border swim and charity swim in the Pacific Ocean from Imperial Beach near San Diego, California, USA to Playas de Tijuana in Tijuana, Mexico on 5 May 2017.
External links
- Cathy Delneo Talks Sharks And Wildlife Protection Policy On WOWSA Live
- Swimming to the Farallons
- Catalina Channel Swimming Federation
- Open Water Swimming
- That Moment Of Exhilaration...And Afterwards
- Marathon Swimming
- Night Train Swimmers
- Kimberly Chambers Going For #5 Of Oceans Seven
- Bits And Pieces From Farallon Islands History
- 24 Hours Of Swimming In 4 Minutes
- World Open Water Swimming Association
- 24 Hour Swim Relay In San Francisco
- The Relative Consistency Of Swimming Around The Clock
- 80 Swimmers From 9 To 9
- Pan-American Colibrí Swim Crosses Borders
- Pan-American Colibri Crossing
- Colibrí Center for Human Rights
- World Open Water Swimming Association
- Madswimmer, Always Swimming For A Cause
- Dan Simonelli On The Pan-American Colibrí Swim
- King From Imperial Beach To Playas De Tijuana
- Swimming Together In Pan-American Colibrí Swim
- Pan-American Colibrí Swim Completed
- 6 Women From 7 Sisters Go 40.4 Across Catalina
