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    September 24, 2011

US Swimmer Begins Cuba-Florida Trek

   VOA News
   U.S. long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad starts her attempt to swim to
   Florida from Havana September 23, 2011. Nyad jumped feet first into
   Cuba's azure waters on Friday in her latest attempt to become the first
   person to swim from the communist island to Flo
   Photo: Reuters
   U.S. long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad starts her attempt to swim to
   Florida from Havana September 23, 2011.

   U.S. endurance swimmer Diana Nyad appeared "to be gaining strength," as
   she recovered from multiple Man o' War stings while making her second
   attempt in two months to swim from Havana, Cuba to the Florida Keys.
   "Her rest times per hour are less and less," according to a [1]post on
   her blog.
   The 62-year-old swimmer began her journey Friday evening from Havana's
   Hemingway Marina. The 166-kilometer swim is expected to take Nyad 60
   hours to complete.

   IFRAME: [2]http://www.youtube.com/embed/bzNHGxowYTw

   If successful, she will set a new record for open-water swimming
   without a shark cage. Nyad is protected in the shark-infested waters by
   an anti-shark device that uses an electrical current to shield her from
   predators.
   She is accompanied by a small flotilla of watercraft manned by members
   of her team who pass her food, water, medicine and swimsuits.
   Nyad insists her age was not a factor in her failed attempt in August.
   She said a crippling asthma attack forced her to retreat.
   Nyad tried the same feat in 1978 when she was 28 years old, but ended
   it because of high winds and rough seas.
   Australian swimmer Susan Maroney completed the swim in 1997 with the
   help of a shark cage. Maroney was 22 years old at the time.

References

   1. http://diananyad.com/blog/
   2. http://www.youtube.com/embed/bzNHGxowYTw

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