After over 40 hours and over 67 nautical miles in the water, Diana Nyad has quit for the third time disproving the theory that third time’s a charm.
Nyad embarked on another attempt to swim to Florida from Cuba this past week. At about 6 p.m. Friday, the Los Angeles woman left the Hemingway Marina in Havana, and headed for Florida.
She had made it further than ever before, well over 50 miles but called it quits Sunday at around 11 a.m. She called it quits after two stings from a Portuguese Man o’ War lead medics to warn Nyad that another sting could be life threatening.
She explained in a series of Tweets that included, “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…” and “This journey has always been about reaching your own other shore no matter what it is, and that dream continues.”
Only halfway through her 103 mile journey, Nyad, who was swimming without a cage in shark infested waters, experienced the excruciating sting of a Portuguese Man o’ War. According to reports, she received treatment for the stings and soon went back to swimming. According to the Associated Press, by the morning, medics warned that toxins from the stings were building up and if she sustained one more sting it could be serious.
“After more than 40 hours of swimming and two Portuguese Man-of-War stings, Diana Nyad decided to end her swim today at 11am. From the water, she called out to her flotilla of four escort boats and addressed each of them in a strong voice. “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,” read her latest blog posting that also displayed a photo of Nyad.
The 62-year-old failed make the journey back in August too. She pulled out due to an asthma attack, not even making it to 30 hours. Nyad had also attempted the record-breaking swim back in 1978 when she swam inside of a shark cage but only made it a little over 40 hours before calling it quits.
