West

Grandma braves sharks, jellyfish in 17-hour swim to remote island

Published

2 years ago

May 24, 2024

Grandma braves sharks, jellyfish in 17-hour swim to remote island

A grandmother recently completed a historic, 17-hour-long swim through shark-inhabited waters off the Northern California coast – all without a wetsuit.

Swimmer extraordinaire Amy Appelhans Gubser, 55, completed the aquatic journey on May 11. She began at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge at around 3:27 a.m. and ended up at the Farallon Islands at around 8:30 p.m. that night.

According to the Marathon Swimmers Foundation, Gubser is the only swimmer to complete that specific route without a wetsuit. Two men successfully completed the swim in 2014, and there were also three documented failures between 2012 and 2015.

The Pacifica, California, resident told Fox News Digital that she swam along intense fog in the Pacific Ocean, which she described as a “sensory deprivation bubble.”

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Amy Appelhans Gubser, 55, completed the 17-hour swimming journey on May 11. (John Chapman)

“I had a thought bubble around me that only allowed us to see 100 meters in any direction,” she explained. “And then the water had red tide, so I couldn’t see past my fingertips.”

“⁠For 17 hours, I had no idea where I was, what was going on…I went into a meditative state.,” she explained. “There were some 30 minute time intervals that passed very quickly. Others seemed like they were 300 hours.”

The swimmer was not allowed to touch the boat on the journey, but had teammates who periodically fed her hot chocolate, chicken broth and canned peaches to keep her energy up.

Gubser also confirmed that the waters were shark-inhabited, but she kept a cool head during the trek. She suffered a few jellyfish stings, but her helpers watched out for sharks and seals.

“I really had to be very thoughtful and careful about how I approached this swim because of the sharks,” she explained. “And April, May, June is when a very big migration of great white sharks takes place away from the Farallon Islands. That’s why the swim has to take place during that timeframe.”

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Gubser told Fox News Digital that she swam competitively in college, but took a 24-year break before picking the hobby up again. (John Chapman)

Gubser, who works as a fetal cardiology nurse at the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital in San Francisco, told Fox News Digital that she swam competitively in college. But she didn’t pick up the hobby again until five years ago.

“I swam through college right after college, hung up my suit, and I did not touch the water for 24 years,” she said. “Ten years ago, I went back in the water with a friend of mine who challenged me to go in…it was 52 degrees, no wetsuit, in February.”

“I thought it was the craziest thing I could possibly do. I cried, I had a panic attack…[but] within 15 minutes, my body got this warmth that you generate from moving. And every cell in my body became alive.”

Gubser sacrificed warmth and the ability to easily float by not having a wetsuit. The waters got as cold as 46 degrees Fahrenheit.

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“Wetsuits are a great piece of equipment, especially for people that are starting out in open water,” Gubser explained. “But I follow the Marathon Swim Federation rules and the open water swim world rules that, for the last 150 years, have been the same. Which is a swimsuit, a cap, some form of goggles, earplugs and a nose clip.”

Amy Gubser (second to right) had a team of helpers to feed her and watch out for sharks. (John Chapman)

“When you wear a wetsuit your skin rubs against the material,” Gubser added. “And the last thing that I really wanted was for my skin to bleed near a shark island.”

Gubser also told Fox that her newfound fame came unexpectedly. Her family is thankful that the swim is over.

“My whole family is so relieved, because I have been talking about this thing for five years, and my husband will be the first to tell you he’s just grateful it’s done,” she said.

Gubser’s grandchildren are too young to grasp the magnitude of her historic swim, but she predicts her achievement will become a piece of family lore down the line.

“My grandkids are so young…My two-year-old, she just swims in the bathtub with her goggles on and thinks she swam as far. Which is lovely, I love that,” she laughed.

The historic May 11 swim began at around 3 a.m. and ended past 8 p.m. that night. (John Chapman)

“I’m just grateful that I can give them a good legacy in the future of, you know, ‘Your grandma did that’.”

The nurse also said she is overjoyed at the positive response she has received, and hopes her story inspires others to achieve their fitness goals – regardless of age or physical condition.

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“I hope this story inspires somebody to not be challenged by a number [like] their age or their weight. I mean, all of my body got me across that. That’s pretty impressive,” she said.

For more Lifestyle articles, visit www.foxnews.com/lifestyle.

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San Francisco, CA

Floats for San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade get finishing touches

Published

2 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Floats for San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade get finishing touches

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — ABC7 Eyewitness News got a sneak peak as crews put the finishing touches on the floats you’ll see at Saturday’s San Francisco Chinese New Year Festival and Parade.

Since it’s the year of the fire horse, you’ll see a lot of horses and fire symbolism on the floats, housed at Pier 19.

“So Year of the Horse, it’s energy, it’s passion, it’s momentum so a lot of things that we’re really hoping to embody in the new year,” said Stephanie Mufson, owner of San Francisco-based The Parade Guys, which designs and constructs the floats.

She said they’ve been building them for about three months, with the designs starting in November.

MORE: Bay Area artist brings Year of the Horse statue to life for Golden State Warriors

“We’re in the home stretch,” she said. “We’ve got a couple of days left and we’ve got a nice little team that’s cranking out all the finishing work that needs to go into it.”

Derrick Shavers was sanding some wood that will be painted and become cherry blossom trees on a float.

“It’s exciting,” Shavers said. “I look forward to coming every year and just creating and making things shine and sparkle.”

Bon was painting mountains for a float, making sure everything is perfect in time for the parade.

MORE: Meet the 2026 San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade mascot, Maverick

“It’s one of the few parades that actually happens at night still,” Bon said. “So we got to make sure all the lighting is in check, and people are safe on the float. It’s all in the details, just for it to walk by you for 10 seconds.”

Ten seconds that bring so much joy to those watching the parade.

Here’s how you can watch the parade on ABC7 Eyewitness News on Saturday, March 7.

Coverage starts at 5 p.m. wherever you stream ABC7.

SF Chinese New Year Parade 2026: How to watch ABC7 Eyewitness News live coverage

If you’re on the ABC7 News app, click here to watch live

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Denver, CO

Grand Junction, Palisade reach Great Eight in Denver

Published

2 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Grand Junction, Palisade reach Great Eight in Denver

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KREX) — The Class 5A Sweet 16 has arrived, and both Grand Junction and Palisade are still standing with trips to the Great Eight in Denver on the line.

At The Jungle, the No. 2 seed Grand Junction Tigers set the tone early against No. 18 Golden. Defense carried the Tigers from the opening tip as they held the Demons to nine first quarter points while scoring 16 of their own.

Grand Junction added eight points in the second quarter while Golden managed six, sending the Tigers into halftime with a nine point lead.

Golden responded in the third quarter, outscoring Grand Junction 16 to 11 to cut the deficit to five entering the fourth. The Tigers answered in the final period, attacking the rim and converting key shots to win the quarter 19 to 10. Grand Junction secured a 54 to 41 victory to protect its home court and advance to the Great Eight in Denver.

Top seeded Palisade also defended its home floor with a trip to Denver at stake. The Bulldogs opened with nine straight points to energize a packed gym, but Frederick settled in and closed the first quarter on a run to tie the game at nine.

Frederick continued to respond in the second quarter and took an eight point lead into halftime.

Palisade shifted momentum after the break. The Bulldogs tightened defensively, holding Frederick to 21 points in the second half while scoring 39 of their own. Palisade completed the comeback to advance to the Great Eight.

Colorado Mesa University Women Deliver Historic RMAC Tournament Win

In collegiate action, the top seeded Colorado Mesa University women’s basketball team defeated Colorado School of Mines 96 to 51 in the RMAC Tournament, marking the largest margin of victory in the tournament this century.

Olivia Reed-Thyne led the Mavericks with 34 points on 11 of 15 shooting, her third 30 point performance this season. Mason Rowland added 22 points and Hallie Clark contributed 10 as Colorado Mesa matched a program record with its 31st win. The Mavericks will host the semifinals Friday with a berth in the championship game at stake.

Colorado Mesa University Men Survive Overtime Thriller

The Colorado Mesa University men’s basketball team faced New Mexico Highlands University for the third time this season. The Mavericks scored 36 first half points and led by four at the break.

New Mexico Highlands shot 50 percent in the second half, received 21 bench points and outscored Colorado Mesa 43 to 39 to force a late push. With the season in the balance, Ty Allred hit a game tying 3 pointer to make it 75 and send the game to overtime. Allred scored seven points in the extra period as Colorado Mesa earned a 91 to 90 victory to advance to the next round.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WesternSlopeNow.com.

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Seattle, WA

Seattle leaders mark 100 days until FIFA World Cup with artwork, security plans

Published

2 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Seattle leaders mark 100 days until FIFA World Cup with artwork, security plans

The countdown to the FIFA World Cup hit a milestone Tuesday, approximately 100 days from the start of the global soccer tournament, which is being played this time in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

Seattle is one of 16 host cities for the tournament, with the first game at Lumen Field scheduled for June 15.

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City leaders at a press conference on Tuesday described specific changes underway to welcome an estimated 750,000 people during the six matches, from adding new artwork in downtown to bolstering security.

“Our aim is actually to revitalize, reinvigorate, rejuvenate the downtown core,” Seattle World Cup Organizing Committee CEO Peter Tomozawa stated.

People who take a trip through downtown Seattle will see that part of that work has started in anticipation of the World Cup, with 53 colorful paintings on the columns of the monorail, showcasing the flags of the countries of the competing teams.

“In just 100 days, people will come back to Seattle and will be using the system to travel back and forth to various events related to [the] FIFA World Cup,” Seattle Monorail Services Megan Ching said.

“The visitors who are coming here for the World Cup are already booking their trips: where to stay, how to get around and what to explore,” added Jorge Gotuzzo with Visit Seattle.

Darkalinos restaurant hopes the events planned for Pioneer Square will convince new customers to return beyond the tournament.

“The summer season is what keeps us going,” General Manager Crystal Hernandez told KOMO News. “We’re going to have a beer garden in the plaza. There will be some live music outside.”

Behind the scenes, work continues to plan for crowd control and security. That means round table meetings and partnerships at the international, federal, state and local levels.

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“We’ve been working on the security plan for over three years,” Tomozawa explained. “We hired former SPD Chief John Diaz to design the plan and I have to say this is one of our highest priorities, for sure.”

Downtown Seattle Association President and CEO Jon Scholes adds that businesses are eager to build on the success of the recent Seahawks Super Bowl parade. He said there will be watch parties for the matches at Westlake, Pacific Place and along the waterfront.

“Seattle’s a big event town, and we can do it well and produce a lot of joy for hundreds of thousands of people,” Scholes stated.

The World Cup Organizing Committee mentioned Seattle’s walkability makes it a great location for the tournament. It’s why they also announced a new walking path to connect multiple neighborhoods that will stay beyond the summer.

Seattle to host 4 free FIFA World Cup 2026 fan celebration venues starting June 11

It’s called the Unity Loop, runs about four-and-a-quarter miles and will connect the stadiums, waterfront, Seattle Center, Westlake and the CID, but no specifics were provided.

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