In 1978, Diana Nyad, then 29, decided to swim from Havana to Key West, Florida. Like everything else this endurance athlete does, she made the challenge seem like no biggie: a natural progression, even, for someone whose surname is derived from the word “naiad” (water nymph) and who has been accused of having a “superiority complex”. At about 110 miles, the journey would dwarf her previous accomplishments, such as circling the island of Manhattan in just under eight hours. But it wasn’t to be. Violent storms put paid to her attempt after she had covered nearly 80 miles in 42 hours and been blown far off course.
Nevertheless, the Havana-to-Florida dream endured. As her 60th birthday loomed, and with three decades behind her as a sports broadcaster, Nyad set out to have another crack at it. Unlike the previous time, she would not be swimming inside a shark cage; instead, there would be shark divers and electronic “shark shields” to deter any Jaws wannabes in the vicinity. And there was another weapon, every bit as vital to her success: Nyad’s devoted, tough-cookie BFF Bonnie Stoll, whom she enlisted as her coach. Stoll watched over her from the accompanying boat throughout the various abortive attempts during which Nyad was thwarted by bad weather, deadly box jellyfish and a severe asthma attack. Her eventual triumph came in 2013 at the age of 64.
