How Diana Nyad’s Epic Florida Swim Redefined What’s Possible

Many of us fall into the trap of believing that as we grow older, the best years of our lives are already behind us, leaving us with little to look forward to or strive for in the future. Diana Nyad was no different. Once a successful long-distance swimmer, Nyad said goodbye to competitive swimming on her 30th birthday in 1979 to pursue a career in broadcast journalism, thinking that her latest record-breaking 89-mile-long swim from the Bahamas to Florida would be her last. And for 30 years, it was.

That all changed around Nyad’s 60th birthday, in 2009, when a wave of existential crisis hit her so hard she decided to give her unfulfilled lifelong dream – swimming from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage – another chance. The reason? To show everyone (including herself) that it’s never too late to chase your dreams. “…there was a true, existential anxiety about how much time is left,” Nyad said for All Things Considered. “My mom had just died; she was 82. And at age 60, I thought, ‘Uh-uh, I’m not going into that good night. I am going to fire up and live this thing as large as I can live it until I can’t live it that large anymore.'”

Shortly after this epiphany, after 30 years of not even stepping a single foot in a swimming pool, Nyad began training for what turned out to be a historic event in long-distance swimming.

Cuba to Florida and why it was special

Cuba to Florida had a special place in Nyad’s heart. In 1973, at the age of 28, she made her first attempt to swim the route using a shark cage but was forced to abandon the effort when strong winds pushed her off course. It was this unfinished business that lingered in the back of her mind for decades, until finally, 30 years later, Nyad decided to answer.

This time, however, Nyad made the courageous decision not to use a shark cage. As she explains in her memoir Find a Way: The Inspiring Story of One Woman’s Pursuit of a Lifelong Dream, the last thing she wanted was to have an asterisk next to her name. And swimming with a shark cage inevitably came with one.

More importantly, even three decades after her first attempt, no one had come close to completing the Cuba-to-Florida swim. If she managed to successfully reach Key West this time, it would make her the first (and to this date, the only!) person to swim from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage. 110 miles of freezing-cold ocean, dangerous jellyfish, sharks, strong water currents, and her own mind – that’s what stood between Diana Nyad and her historic triumph.

The path to success

On August 8, 2011, 33 years after her first attempt, Nyad made her second try at crossing the Strait. But after 29 excruciating hours, she was forced to abandon the mission due to an asthma attack and strong currents, which took her off course.

On September 25, 2011, Nyad attempted the swim for the third time, but was once again forced to concede after 41 hours, after being badly stung by the box jellyfish. Had she chosen to continue her swim and risk being stung again, the stings could have had a long-term cumulative effect on her body and led to her death.

On August 21, 2012, Nyad’s fourth attempt ended prematurely just short of 50 miles from the Florida shore. After being lacerated by multiple jellyfish stings, circled by sharks, severely sunburned, and threatened by nearby thunderstorms, Nyad’s crew decided that the risk of staying in the water was simply too high. Needless to say, at this point, even playing at online casinos in USA would offer better odds of winning – but Nyad didn’t let that stop her.

Bruised but not broken, the 64-year-old Diana Nyad embarked on her fifth and final attempt on August 31, 2013. After 110 miles, 52 hours, and 54 minutes at sea, she successfully touched down on the beach in Key West, securing her place in history as the first swimmer to swim from Cuba to Florida without the protection and propulsion that came from using a shark cage.

The aftermath

In the weeks following the swim, Nyad was invited to multiple high-profile shows to discuss her achievement, including Oprah, The Ellen Show, and even Dancing With the Stars. Former President Barack Obama was also among the thousands of individuals who congratulated Nyad on her historic achievement, writing the following on his official Twitter account: “Congratulations to @DianaNyad. Never give up on your dreams.” A month later, Nyad met with Obama in the Oval Office, where he personally congratulated her and asked her to accompany him to his peace visit in Havana, Cuba.

With her lifelong dream finally fulfilled, Nyad is currently enjoying retirement and doing multiple philanthropy projects at a time to give back to the community. She founded a non-profit organisation, EverWalk, to promote walking, and became an author and motivational speaker – taking part in various conferences to this very day.

She recently had her own biopic made by Netflix (NYAD), featuring one of Hollywood’s most respected actors, Jodie Foster. Even two years after its release, it continues to score positive reviews. To this date, NYADreceived a total of 10 award wins and 37 nominations, including 2 Academy Choice nominations – for Best Leading Role (Annette Bening) and Best Supporting Role (Jodie Foster) – as well as a Critics Choice Award nomination for Jodie Foster in the Best Supporting Role category.

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