Diana Nyad

Who is Diana Nyad?

Diana Nyad is an American author, journalist, motivational speaker, and world record long-distance swimmer. Nyad gained national attention in 1975 when she swam around Manhattan and in 1979 when she swam from North Bimini, The Bahamas, to Juno Beach, Florida. In 2013, on her fifth attempt and at age 64, she became the first person confirmed to swim from Cuba to Florida without the aid of a shark cage, swimming from Havana to Key West. Nyad was once ranked thirteenth among U.S. women squash players.