
Diana Nyad wading ashore after a 110-mile swim.
It was impressive when, at age 61, Diana Nyad attempted to swim from Florida to Cuba. She didn’t make it, having to be pulled aboard her rescue boat with dehydration and vomiting, but she went far enough to attract a lot of attention. Three years later, at age 64, Diana Nyad gave it a try again, setting off from Cuba to Florida. There was one difference this time around, aside from her age. Diana Nyad successfully swam the 110 miles from Cuba to Key West, Florida.
Her fifth try–her first was in 1978–was her most successful. She avoided most of the stinging jellyfish that fill out the route, and she avoided sharks as well; fortunately for her, as she did not wear a shark cage. The currents were on her side, and after nearly 53 hours in the water, she successfully completed the distance. She’s the first person to ever swim from Florida to Cuba without a shark cage, and only the second person overall to complete the swim.
“This is a lifelong dream of mine and I’m very very glad to be with you,” said Nyad as she approached the final stretch of her swim to her support boat. “So let’s get going so we can have a whopping party.”
Tags: records, world records, record swims, diana nyad, woman swims from florida to cuba, diana nyad swims from florida to cuba, 110 mile swim, woman swims from florida to cuba without a shark cage, 64-year-old woman swims from florida to cuba, endurance swims, athletes