San Nicolas Island

San Nicolas Island among the California Channel Islands

Santa Barbara Channel Islands

The Deep Enders included Jim McConica, Tom Ball, John Chung, Zach Jirkovsky, Tamie Stewart, and Stacey Warmuth who swam 70.1 miles (112.8 km) in 33 hours 37 minutes on 12-13 October 2015 from San Nicholas Island to the California mainland

The Deep Enders channel crossing is nominated for the 2015 World Open Water Swimming Performance of the Year for its crossing from San Nicolas Island to the California mainland

San Nicolas Island, one of the Channel Islands, is 61.2 miles (53.2 nm or 98.4 km) to Laguna Point, or 69.3 miles (111.5 km) to Point Vicente on the California coast.

San Nicolas Island is the most remote of California's Channel Islands. The uninhabited island is currently military-owned and controlled by the United States Navy and is used as a weapons testing and training facility.

The Nicoleño Native American tribe inhabited the island until 1835. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the island has since remained officially uninhabited, though the census estimates that at least 200 military and civilian personnel live on the island at any given time. The island has a small airport and several buildings, including telemetry reception antennas.

History[edit]

San Nicolas was originally the home of the Nicoleño people, who were probably related to the Tongva of the mainland and Santa Catalina Island. It was named for Saint Nicholas by Spanish explorer Sebastián Vizcaíno after he sighted the island on the saint's feast day (6 December 1602). The Nicoleños were evacuated in the early 19th century by the padres of the California mission system. Within a few years of their removal from the island, the Nicoleño people and their unique language became extinct.

Lone Woman of San Nicolas Island[edit]

The most famous resident of San Nicolas Island was the "Lone Woman of San Nicolas Island", christened Juana Maria; her birth name was never known to anyone on the mainland. She was left behind when the rest of the Nicoleños were moved to the mainland. She resided on the island alone for 18 years before she was found by Captain George Nidever and his crew in 1853 and brought back to Santa Barbara. She died seven weeks later. Her story was the basis for Scott O'Dell's Newbery Medal-winning 1960 novel Island of the Blue Dolphins.

Marathon Swimming[edit]

A swim from San Nicolas Island to the California coast has never been attempted. Anthony McCarley attempted a swim of 28 miles (45.1 km) from San Nicolas Island to Santa Barbara Island on 30 September 2015. The Santa Barbara Channel Swimming Association (SBCSA) supported and sanctioned open water swims in this channel and the other 7 of the 8 Channel Islands.

The Deep Enders including Jim McConica, Tom Ball, John Chung, Zach Jirkovsky, Tamie Stewart, and Stacey Warmuth swam from San Nicholas Island in the California Channel Islands to Point Vicente on the California mainland, a distance is 70.1 miles (112.8 km) under the auspices of the Santa Barbara Channel Swimming Association on 12 October 2015 in 33 hours 37 minutes.