Diana Nyad

Diana Nyad
Nyad in 2016
Born
Diana Sneed

(1949-08-22) August 22, 1949 (age 75)
New York City, New York, U.S.[1]
EducationLake Forest College (BA)
New York University
Occupation(s)Author, journalist, swimmer
Known forChampionship swimming; endurance swimming; journalism; motivational speaking
Websitewww.diananyad.com

Diana Nyad /ˈnaɪˌæd/ (née Sneed; born August 22, 1949) is an American author, journalist, motivational speaker, and long-distance swimmer.[2] Nyad gained national attention in 1975 when she swam around Manhattan (28 mi or 45 km) in record time, and in 1979 when she swam from Bimini, The Bahamas, to Juno Beach, Florida (102 mi or 164 km).[3]

She has written four books and articles for various publications, hosted the public radio program The Savvy Traveler, appeared on the television shows CBS News Sunday Morning and Dancing with the Stars, and been a long-time contributor to the public radio programs All Things Considered and Marketplace.

In 2013, on her fifth attempt and at age 64, she swam from Havana, Cuba, to Key West, Florida, a journey of 110 mi (180 km), allegedly completing the third known swim crossing of the Florida Straits after Walter Poenisch in 1978 and Susie Maroney in 1997. Both of those earlier efforts involved a shark cage and, in Poenisch's case, fins and several short rests on his escort craft.[4] Nyad used a protective jellyfish suit, shark divers, and electronic shark repellent devices, and achieved an "unassisted" swim.[5][6] Her crossing from Cuba to Florida was not conducted under the supervision of an organized sporting association, and ratification of the accomplishment was later denied by the World Open Water Swimming Association (WOWSA) for various reasons including incomplete observer logs with a 9-hour undocumented gap in observations, conflicting crew reports, nearly a decade of delay in providing documentation to seek formal ratification, dubious claims about the rules followed for the swim, and "backdated and falsified documentation".[6][7] Guinness World Records initially certified Nyad's achievement, but revoked its certification after considering the findings by WOWSA.[8]

Her 2013 swim and partnership with athlete and businesswoman Bonnie Stoll were dramatized in the 2023 film Nyad, based on her 2015 memoir Find a Way.[8][9]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference BioDictionaryDuncan was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Garcia, Anne-Marie (September 2, 2013). "Diana Nyad completes Cuba-Florida swim". USA Today. Associated Press.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference NYTimes20130902 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Lost at Sea: Walter Poenisch, his Cuba-to-Florida swim, and his stolen honor
  5. ^ Alvarez, Lizette (September 2, 2013). "Nyad Completes Cuba-to-Florida Swim". The New York Times.
  6. ^ a b Vlasto, Tima (2022). "The Diana Nyad Cuba-Florida Swim 2013 Report". World Open Water Swimming Association. Retrieved September 9, 2023. (with addendum dated September 2023)
  7. ^ "WOWSA Advisory Board's Decision on Diana Nyad's 2013 Cuba to Florida Swim". World Open Water Swimming Association. September 9, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
  8. ^ a b "'Nyad' on Netflix: The Swim, The Scandal, The Silence". World Open Water Swimming Association (Press release). August 21, 2023.
  9. ^ Nyad at IMDb