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Conquering the swim between Florida and Cuba is Diana Nyad’s Holy Grail. She first attempted the swim decades ago as a 28-year-old. In August, at the age of 62 she tried again, but shoulder pain and an asthma attack forced her to give up. Rather than wait another 34 years, Nyad has announced she’s going to try again.
“I knew getting almost half across like a dying floundering fish … to go that far, I thought, ‘If I had my body healthy, I can do this. I know I can do it and I don’t want to train another year,'” she tells Reuters.
Nyad is no stranger to long-distance swimming. She holds several records, including the distance world record for longest swim without a wet suit, an achievement she met by swimming from Bimini to Florida.
The 103-mile swim from Cuba to Florida would be about half a mile longer.
Nyad will be protected by an anti-shark device, and a small team of boats will monitor her progress. This time she’ll have a medic on hand in case of another asthma attack, and she plans to eat and drink more during her periodic stops.
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