Woman completes 17-hour swim in shark-infested waters (10 photos + 1 video)
A California resident covered 48 km from San Francisco Bay to the Farallon Islands in 17 hours. And while the sharks stayed away, the woman was stung by jellyfish, and curious sea lions and seals followed her. 
Amy Appelhans Gabser, 55, became the sixth person in history to complete the daring swim from the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco Bay to the Farallon Islands in the Pacific Ocean on May 11. The Marathon Swimming Federation (MSF) has listed this course as one of the "13 most challenging" due to cold water, strong tides, unpredictable weather and, of course, great white sharks. 
“I know there are sharks there. I’m glad I didn’t interest them,” Gubser said in an interview.
However, there are a lot of living creatures there. Amy was repeatedly stung by jellyfish. She was also followed by curious seals and sea lions in the waters of the Farallon Islands.
According to the swimmer's support group, as she approached the island, they noticed a pair of "half-eaten" seals. This raised fears that there was a shark nearby. Amy is grateful she wasn't told this.
"When my team signed up for this swim, there was a chance they wouldn't see me come ashore," she added. 
On May 11, before dawn, Gubser dove into the water near the eastern span of the Golden Gate and began her long journey. A support group of 7 people followed her on boats. Every half hour the woman had a snack to replenish her energy. One of the team members used a “shark shield” that repels predators with electrical impulses. 
For 17 hours and three minutes, Gubser faced various conditions: fog, wind and cold water, the temperature of which at times was as low as 6°C. She made part of her journey in pitch darkness. 
"It's a challenge. You have to constantly entertain yourself, but not get too lost in thought, because negative thoughts may arise. Singing to myself helped me. I was just in such a state that I didn't want to notice how time was passing."
Her main enemy was the cold.
“I knew that the temperature would drop, but not to 6 °C. I’m not a fan of winter swimming. I understood that I wouldn’t be able to finish if I had to stay in such water for a long time.” 
Amy, a nurse at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital, had been planning the epic swim for five years but had to postpone it repeatedly due to weather and tides.
Although she swam in college, she became interested in open water marathons 10 years ago when her youngest child graduated from high school and she realized “it was time to do something for myself.”
"When I discovered open water swimming, it was the first time I could really relax. My kids thought I was crazy, but it's healthy crazy." 
She has competed in open water events around the world, including the 33km North Channel swim from Ireland to Scotland in 2018 and crossing the Strait of Gibraltar in 2015. And last year she swam around Manhattan Island, covering 48 km. 
After Saturday's adventure, she felt great and went to work on Tuesday.
According to Amy, anyone can cope with such a difficult task if they put in the effort and practice. 
“I’m an ordinary person, not like all these chiseled, titled athletes. I’m just a mother, you know? And I’m proud of it and I hope I inspire others,” the American summed up. 
