History of the Catalina Channel
In 2007, the long-standing club, known as the Catalina Channel Swimming Federation (CCSF), evolved into a non-profit 501(c)(3).
The CCSF began providing CPR and safety training for the organization’s Observers and any crew interested in supporting channel swimmers. By 2008, the CCSF was in a position to staff swims with a minimum of two Observers, created training manuals, and established training criteria.
In 2009, Observer training was expanded to multiple locations, Automatic External Defibrillators (AED) were provided to the two primary escort vessels, and starting in 2010 the Dottie York Scholarship Fund began granting scholarships to qualifying swimmers.
The CCSF continues to strive to improve safety in open water swimming.