Diana Nyad Ends 3rd Attempt On Cuba To Florida Swim

Diana Nyad Ends 3rd Attempt On Cuba To Florida Swim

Ultimately it wasn't sharks which sank Diana Nyad's 3rd attempt to swim 103 miles from Cuba to Florida.  It was Man-of-War stings.

Diana was stung along both arms of the side of her body and her face on Saturday.  After being treated by physicians, changing suits and re-hydrating she decided to continue with the journey.

Ultimately the 62 year old long distance swimmer decided to end her journey this morning (Sunday - September 25, 2011) after more than 40 hours and 67 nautical miles of swimming.  The endurance swimmer from Los Angeles began the estimated 60-hour journey on Friday night.

The swimmer's assistants have been updating her journey on twitter account and her website.  Ultimately Nyad called out to her flotilla of four escort boats this morning to let them know she wanted to stop the journey.

Nyad said "The medical team said I should not go another two nights in the water and risk additional likely Man-of-War stings which could have a long term cumulative effect on my body. But for each of us, isn't life about determining your own finish line? This journey has always been about reaching your own other shore no matter what it is, and that dream continues."

Before beginning the swim this round, Nyad said, "I'm prepared and even saying that though, how many times do you get to do something of this big an adventure? You know, how many times do you get to feel this alive? This awake and alive?"

Nyad hoped to break her own world record for open-water swimming without a shark cage.   If she had completed the swim, she would have broken her 1979 record, when she swam 102.5 miles from the Bahamas to Florida.  Her second attempt failed in August of this year due to an asthma attack.