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| Diana Nyad abandons Cuba-Florida swim attempt | Diana Nyad abandons Cuba-Florida swim attempt |
| (8 months later) | |
| A woman attempting to swim from Cuba to Florida has abandoned the crossing after a second night of storms. | A woman attempting to swim from Cuba to Florida has abandoned the crossing after a second night of storms. |
| Diana Nyad was pulled from the water early on Tuesday after encountering bad weather, jellyfish and sharks. A post on her blog said: "In a long discussion with her core team, she realised that the obstacles against this swim were too great and agreed at dawn to return to Key West by boat, for the sake of the safety of her team and herself." | Diana Nyad was pulled from the water early on Tuesday after encountering bad weather, jellyfish and sharks. A post on her blog said: "In a long discussion with her core team, she realised that the obstacles against this swim were too great and agreed at dawn to return to Key West by boat, for the sake of the safety of her team and herself." |
| Earlier a member of Nyad's team, Vanessa Linsley, said: "Instead of getting hit with one doozy they got hit with three. They got hit with the weather, they got hit with the jellyfish and they got hit with the sharks all at the same time." | Earlier a member of Nyad's team, Vanessa Linsley, said: "Instead of getting hit with one doozy they got hit with three. They got hit with the weather, they got hit with the jellyfish and they got hit with the sharks all at the same time." |
| Nyad, who turns 63 on Wednesday, was making her third attempt since last summer to become the first swimmer to complete the 103-mile crossing of the Florida Straits without a shark cage. She failed in an attempt with a cage in 1978. Her blog said she had swum further and for longer this time than in any of her previous attempts. | Nyad, who turns 63 on Wednesday, was making her third attempt since last summer to become the first swimmer to complete the 103-mile crossing of the Florida Straits without a shark cage. She failed in an attempt with a cage in 1978. Her blog said she had swum further and for longer this time than in any of her previous attempts. |
| Australian Susie Maroney successfully swam the straits in a shark cage in 1997. In June another Australian, Penny Palfrey, made it 79 miles towards Florida without a cage before strong currents forced her to abandon the attempt. | Australian Susie Maroney successfully swam the straits in a shark cage in 1997. In June another Australian, Penny Palfrey, made it 79 miles towards Florida without a cage before strong currents forced her to abandon the attempt. |
| Jellyfish stings forced Nyad to cut short her second of two attempts last year as toxins built up in her system, and in her latest attempt she was stung nine times on Monday night alone, according to her blog. Her crew had to improvise to prevent hypothermia in the 29.5C waters and to fend off further swelling of her lips and tongue. | Jellyfish stings forced Nyad to cut short her second of two attempts last year as toxins built up in her system, and in her latest attempt she was stung nine times on Monday night alone, according to her blog. Her crew had to improvise to prevent hypothermia in the 29.5C waters and to fend off further swelling of her lips and tongue. |
| She had been training for the feat for three years and was accompanied by a support team in boats and a kayak-borne apparatus designed to help keep sharks at bay with a faint electric field not noticeable to humans. A team of handlers were on alert to dive in and distract any sharks that approached, and Nyad took periodic short breaks to rest, hydrate and eat high-energy foods such as peanut butter. | She had been training for the feat for three years and was accompanied by a support team in boats and a kayak-borne apparatus designed to help keep sharks at bay with a faint electric field not noticeable to humans. A team of handlers were on alert to dive in and distract any sharks that approached, and Nyad took periodic short breaks to rest, hydrate and eat high-energy foods such as peanut butter. |
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