Diana Nyad
You may recall the story of Diana Nyad, the 61-year-old who set out last month to swim from Cuba to Florida. To prepare for the 103-mile swim, Nyad trained for a year and enlisted a posse of experts to help her with nutrition, endurance, weather-tracking, and shark management. With her background as a record-setting open ocean swimmer, Nyad was probably the best-qualified person in her age group to attempt the daunting journey. She had estimated it would take her about 60 hours to complete, but about 30 hours into it, she succumbed to agonizing shoulder pain, an asthma attack, and severe vomiting. Speaking to reporters afterward, Nyad said “I wasn’t the best swimmer I could be — the asthma and the shoulder made sure of that.” Nyad told the New York Times that she hoped her quest would inspire more people her age to take up exercise and live vital, energetic lives.
Laura Dekker
Meanwhile, teen sailor Laura Dekker made it to the halfway point of her global circumnavigation when she sailed into Darwin, Australia late last month. The crossing from Bora Bora was mostly smooth, although her vessel, the Guppy, took a beating from high winds in the last few days and limped into Darwin with shredded sails. Dekker is now resting up in Darwin, fixing equipment, fundraising, and looking forward to celebrating her 16th birthday. Check out her
blog — Dekker’s journal captures her upbeat and courageous personality and shares great anecdotes of high-seas adventure.
Roz Savage
Over in the Indian Ocean, rower Roz Savage is contending with high winds that have capsized her boat several times, even causing it to roll 360 degrees. She is spending her time cleaning up the detritus that results from capsizing and trying to find ways to ease the boredom that comes with downtime. Now 135 days into her journey from Australia to India, Savage must wait for the winds to calm before she attempts to row again. In the meantime, she is playing solitaire and blogging about plastic pollution in our oceans (check out the trailer for Bag It, a documentary in the style of Supersize Me about the serious problems posed by single-use plastic bags).
Photo courtesy www.diananyad.com
Diana Nyad, 61, made headlines in 1975 when she swam around Manhattan. She attempted to swim from Cuba to Florida in 1978 but gave up after nearly 42 hours in the water. In 1979, she swam from the Bahamas to Florida, a feat that earned her the still-unbroken world record for longest open ocean swim. Then she stopped swimming for 30 years.
Two years ago, needing a new challenge in her life, Nyad re-entered the water. She began training for another attempt to cross from Cuba to Florida, a journey of 103 miles through shark-infested waters. Today, Nyad is in Key West, Florida, waiting on optimal weather conditions and a green light from her team of expert advisors. The dangers are many: open water marathoners aren’t allowed to wear wetsuits, so water temperatures must be in the high 80s for her to make the swim without succumbing to hypothermia. Unlike most open water marathoners, Nyad will swim the 60-hour distance without a shark cage. She plans to rely instead on spotters who will kayak alongside her with electronic shark shields. Dehydration will be a big concern, so every few hours Nyad will stop for a drink of water and liquid goop packed with electrolytes and nutrients. Her support team will motor alongside her in a boat equipped with a white streamer that will dangle parallel to the craft and serve as a visual guide for Nyad. Watch for updates on her blog.
