Diana Nyad Successful in Cuba to US Swim
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Ernesto Mastrascusa/LatinContent/Getty Images(KEY WEST, Fla.) — Long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad completed a record-breaking swim from Cuba to Key West, Fla. Monday afternoon.
As Nyad swam through cheering crowds of swimmers, boaters, and paddlers and reached the shores of Key West, she became the first person to ever swim from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage.
At 1:59 p.m. Monday her team tweeted: “Our #FearlessNyad has at long last achieved her #XtremeDream and reached #TheOtherShore. An historic moment that proves #DreamsDoComeTrue.”
Just before reaching the two-mile mark, Nyad paused from her 50-hour swim and circled up the five boats carrying her support team members for a final chat. She told team members that she had abrasions in her mouth from her mask but wanted to say a few words, according to an update her team posted to her website.
“I am about to swim my last two miles in the ocean,” Nyad said, treading water. “This is a lifelong dream of mine and I’m very very glad to be with you. Some on the team are the most intimate friends of my life and some of you I’ve just met. But I’ll tell you something, you’re a special group. You pulled through; you are pros and have a great heart. So let’s get going so we can have a whopping party.”
Doctors traveling with Nyad during her swim reported Monday that the 64-year-old endurance swimmer was suffering from swollen lips and a swollen tongue, causing her speech to be slurred, but they did not intervene with the swim.
Joining Nyad on this quest was a 35-member crew that monitored her health and supplied her with food and water during the swim. Nyad was not allowed to touch or be touched by any of the support crews or vessels.
For Nyad, the Cuba-to-Florida swim had been an elusive dream for her over the last 35 years. Her first attempt was in 1978 at age 28. Nyad tried again in 2010, 2011 and 2012.
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