This story is free to read because readers choose to support LAist. If you find value in independent local reporting, make a donation to power our newsroom today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
61-Year-Old Diana Nyad Will Attempt Swim From Cuba to Florida
Photo by Dan Wuh via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr
Local radio personality Diana Nyad, 61, is getting ready to finish something she started 30 years ago: a swim from Cuba to the Florida Keys, reports the Washington Post. Nyad, who hosts sports show "The Score" on KCRW, has been a long-distance endurance athlete for most of her life. In 1978, when she was 29, she attempted to swim the distance between a point on the shore in Cuba all the way to Florida. Because of high winds, she couldn't finish after completing nearly 50 hours.
Facing the end of middle age, Nyad told the Post that she found herself regretting not being able to finish that swim. That's when she decided to go for it a second time.
Since making that decision, Nyad has been training vigorously, completing a 24-hour swim in 2010. She's also enlisted the assistance of a team of experts, including husband and wife team Jenifer and Dane Clark, experts on Gulf Stream weather conditions, to help her along the way. A pair of kayakers will swim alongside her, emitting electronic signals that will keep sharks at bay.
All told, the trip will take about 60 hours. More details about her trip and her journey so far are available on Nyad's website.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
