Raised on the waters around Angel Island, she grew up sailing, surfing, and diving, forming a lifelong bond with the ocean. Through Swim California, she pushes her physical and mental limits while shining a light on the fragile ecosystems she calls home. Along the way, Catherine will make intentional stops in key coastal communities, meeting scientists, fishermen, tribal leaders, youth groups, and local advocates. She’ll also work with local girls and young women, empowering the next generation to build confidence in the ocean and connect with its power and beauty.

Swim California is both a personal odyssey and a celebration of the coast—a story of endurance, connection, and the urgent need to care for the wild waters that sustain us.

The documentary will be captured by a specialized film crew utilizing drone footage, underwater cameras and video from the journey, alongside an interview-style approach that engages with various stories and captures crew and people interactions, adding a "drama factor" to the narrative.

Sharks play a crucial role in maintaining California’s ocean balance, yet many species are declining due to bycatch, habitat loss, warming waters, pollution, and demand for shark products. As slow-growing, long-lived animals, they are especially vulnerable—making conservation efforts urgent to ensure their survival and the health of the ecosystems they help sustain.

Collisions with commercial vessels, entanglement in fishing gear, noise pollution, and shifting prey due to climate change all pose growing dangers to California’s whales—injuring or killing these vital marine mammals and disrupting the balance of ocean ecosystems.

California’s vital kelp forests—critical habitat and breeding grounds for countless species—have suffered drastic declines, with some North Coast areas losing up to 95% of their kelp. Warming ocean temperatures, marine heatwaves, and ecological imbalances have driven this collapse, threatening biodiversity and coastal resilience.

Warming oceans, acidification, rising seas, and the continued presence of aging offshore oil rigs all threaten California’s coasts—polluting waters, harming wildlife, disrupting fisheries and ecosystems, and slowing the transition to a cleaner, more resilient ocean future.

Climate change is driving rising seas, stronger storms, and larger waves that are accelerating coastal erosion along California’s shoreline. This erosion threatens beaches putting coastal communities, infrastructure, and wildlife habitats at increasing risk. Without action, many iconic coastal areas and the ecosystems they support could be permanently altered or lost.

California’s coasts are impacted by plastic debris and polluted runoff from cities, farms, and roadways. Microplastics, pesticides, fertilizers, and other contaminants flow into the ocean through storm drains and rivers—fueling harmful algal blooms, degrading water quality, harming wildlife, and posing growing risks to human health.