Endurance swimmer Diana Nyad has
become the first person to swim from Cuba
to the US without a shark cage.
After about 53 hours' non-stop swimming, the
64-year-old American reached Key West,
Florida, escorted by boats and her team of 35
people.
Ms Nyad, who left a Havana yacht club early
on Saturday, had vowed this would be her last
attempt to cross the 110-mile (177km) wide
Florida Straits.
Her four other tries - one in 1978, two in
2011 and one in 2012 - failed.
Ms Nyad walked out of the water on to the
beach just before 14:00 local time (18:00
GMT) on Monday.
'Lifelong dream'
A couple of hundred well-wishers were waiting
to greet her on the beach, cheering and
blowing horns.
The breathless athlete told waiting TV crews: "I
have three messages: one is we should never
ever give up; two is you are never too old to
chase your dreams; and three is it looks like a
solitary sport but it is a team."
"I have to say," Ms Nyad added, "I'm a little
bit out of it right now."
As well as a bodysuit, gloves and booties, she
wore a special silicone mask to protect her
face from the jellyfish stings that plagued her
last attempt.
She acknowledged beforehand that the kit
would slow her down, but believed it would
ultimately prove effective.
Ms Nyad's support team had equipment that
generated a faint electrical field around her,
which was designed to keep sharks at bay.
US President Barack Obama congratulated her,
tweeting : "Never give up on your dreams."
As she prepared for the home stretch, Ms
Nyad stopped swimming briefly to address her
support team, according to a blog post on her website .
"I am about to swim my last two miles in the
ocean," she said. "This is a lifelong dream of
mine and I'm very very glad to be with you."
Medics had concerns about her slurred speech
and breathing but they did not intervene,
according to her website.
Ms Nyad's team guided her through the best
route into Key West to avoid dangerous eddies,
currents, shipping lanes, reefs and swarms of
jellyfish.
The rules of the swim meant she was not
allowed to hold on to the support boat at any
time. Her team helped to keep her on course
and gave her food and water.
During her last attempt in August 2012, Ms
Nyad had to be pulled out of the water after
41 hours when a squall and repeated jellyfish
stings made it impossible for her to continue.
She first tried to complete the crossing in
1978 with a shark cage.
A second attempt - without a cage - in 2011
had to be called off because of shoulder pain
and an asthma attack.
Later the same year, jellyfish stings stopped
Ms Nyad's third bid at the crossing. Her
fourth attempt ended in August 2012.
Australian Susie Maroney, who was 22 at the
time, successfully swam the Straits in 1997
with a shark cage.
Besides the protection it affords from
predators, the structure is said to make the
swim itself easier as it creates a drafting
effect.
Gliding on ocean currents, the cage enabled
Ms Maroney to make the journey in just 25
hours.
In June, Australian endurance swimmer Chloe
McCardel tried to make the crossing without a
shark cage, but had to give up because of
jellyfish stings.
0 100000:
Post a Comment