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61-Year-Old Begins 103-Mile Swim

Endurance swimmer Diana Nyad sets off from Havana for Key West

By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff

Posted Aug 8, 2011 8:18 AM CDT

(Newser) – And she's off: 61-year-old Diana Nyad began her Cuba-to-Florida endurance swim attempt last night, a 103-mile trip that will take an estimated 60 hours. "The adrenaline's flowing now," she said before setting off from Havana, while taking in the still air and flat water. "This is what I dreamed of: a silver platter. I think this is my day." Nyad is wearing only a swimsuit, swim cap, and goggles. She will stop every 45 minutes for hydration and every 90 minutes for nourishment, but she cannot touch the boat or be held until she finishes if she wants to set a record.

Nyad first attempted the swim through the Florida Straits at 28 inside a shark cage, but was forced to stop 42 hours in. An Australian swimmer has since completed the trek, also using a shark cage. If Nyad completes her swim, she will be the first person to make the journey without a cage, the AP reports. Instead, technology and divers will help protect her from sharks. "I'm under no delusion that my swim is going to make any new political ramifications," Nyad says of US-Cuba relations. "But it is a human moment between the two countries."

American endurance swimmer Diana Nyad , 61, swims in Cuban waters, offshore Havana, Cuba, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2011.
American endurance swimmer Diana Nyad , 61, swims in Cuban waters, offshore Havana, Cuba, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2011.   (AP Photo/Franklin Reyes)
American endurance swimmer Diana Nyad , 61, swims in Cuban waters, offshore Havana, Cuba, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2011.
American endurance swimmer Diana Nyad , 61, swims in Cuban waters, offshore Havana, Cuba, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2011.   (AP Photo/Franklin Reyes)
Followed by Stuart Nex, a member of her team, top, American endurance swimmer Diana Nyad swims in Cuban waters, offshore Havana, Cuba, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2011.
Followed by Stuart Nex, a member of her team, top, American endurance swimmer Diana Nyad swims in Cuban waters, offshore Havana, Cuba, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2011.   (AP Photo/Franklin Reyes)
American endurance swimmer Diana Nyad, right, speaks to media members before jumping into Cuban waters, in Havana, Cuba, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2011.
American endurance swimmer Diana Nyad, right, speaks to media members before jumping into Cuban waters, in Havana, Cuba, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2011.   (AP Photo/Franklin Reyes)
American endurance swimmer Diana Nyad is about to jump into Cuban waters, offshore Havana, Cuba, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2011.
American endurance swimmer Diana Nyad is about to jump into Cuban waters, offshore Havana, Cuba, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2011.   (AP Photo/Franklin Reyes)
US swimmer Diana Nyad jumps into the water at Ernest Hemingway Nautical Club, in Havana on August 7, 2011.
US swimmer Diana Nyad jumps into the water at Ernest Hemingway Nautical Club, in Havana on August 7, 2011.   (Getty Images)
US swimmer Diana Nyad jumps into the water at Ernest Hemingway Nautical Club, in Havana on August 7, 2011.
US swimmer Diana Nyad jumps into the water at Ernest Hemingway Nautical Club, in Havana on August 7, 2011.   (Getty Images)
US swimmer Diana Nyad prepares to jump into the water at Ernest Hemingway Nautical Club, in Havana on August 7, 2011.
US swimmer Diana Nyad prepares to jump into the water at Ernest Hemingway Nautical Club, in Havana on August 7, 2011.   (Getty Images)
US swimmer Diana Nyad delivers a speech at Ernest Hemingway Nautical Club, in Havana on August 7, 2011.
US swimmer Diana Nyad delivers a speech at Ernest Hemingway Nautical Club, in Havana on August 7, 2011.   (Getty Images)
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Thirty-three years ago I stood on a beach close by here and looked out at a giant sea. ... Now I'm almost 62 years old and I'm standing here at the prime of my life. I think this is my day. - Diana Nyad

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Cuba • swimming • Key West • Florida Keys • endurance sports • swimmer • Diana Nyad

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