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| Skeptics debate the conditions of Diana Nyad's record swim from Cuba | Skeptics debate the conditions of Diana Nyad's record swim from Cuba |
| (8 days later) | |
| Diana Nyad's claim to be the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida without the protection of a shark cage has inspired doubt in the small, but vocal, online open-water swimming community. On Tuesday, she plans to meet some of them. | Diana Nyad's claim to be the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida without the protection of a shark cage has inspired doubt in the small, but vocal, online open-water swimming community. On Tuesday, she plans to meet some of them. |
| While most are confident that Nyad, 64, entered the water in Havana and came out of the water in Key West, some who doubt what happened in between have assembled on the online Marathon Swimmers Forum to question whether she completed the swim "unassisted" and demand to see the data from the swim. http://www.marathonswimmers.org/forum/discussion/606/110-miles-53-hours-questions-for-diana-nyad | While most are confident that Nyad, 64, entered the water in Havana and came out of the water in Key West, some who doubt what happened in between have assembled on the online Marathon Swimmers Forum to question whether she completed the swim "unassisted" and demand to see the data from the swim. http://www.marathonswimmers.org/forum/discussion/606/110-miles-53-hours-questions-for-diana-nyad |
| A Nyad spokesperson said on Monday that Nyad is "committed to complete transparency", and will meet "her peers in the swimming community" to address these criticisms, according to the AP. | A Nyad spokesperson said on Monday that Nyad is "committed to complete transparency", and will meet "her peers in the swimming community" to address these criticisms, according to the AP. |
| Open-water swimming is subject to myriad variables including water temperatures, tides, wave height, wildlife, equipment and the presence of watercraft nearby. Routes and speeds change as a result, demanding diligence from the team's data collectors. | Open-water swimming is subject to myriad variables including water temperatures, tides, wave height, wildlife, equipment and the presence of watercraft nearby. Routes and speeds change as a result, demanding diligence from the team's data collectors. |
| To compete in the Olympics for an open-water swim, courses are regulated by referees and other officials who create as controlled an environment as possible. Nyad's swim was about a specific route, for which no regulatory body holds standards. | To compete in the Olympics for an open-water swim, courses are regulated by referees and other officials who create as controlled an environment as possible. Nyad's swim was about a specific route, for which no regulatory body holds standards. |
| Nyad explained at a press conference following the swim that the record is not official until her team's data is reviewed by record-keepers. Her navigator John Bartlett told the AP the data will be submitted to three open-water swimming associations and the Guinness Book of World Records. Nyad's publicity team did not respond to requests for details and confirmation of this information. | Nyad explained at a press conference following the swim that the record is not official until her team's data is reviewed by record-keepers. Her navigator John Bartlett told the AP the data will be submitted to three open-water swimming associations and the Guinness Book of World Records. Nyad's publicity team did not respond to requests for details and confirmation of this information. |
| Some critics claim she violated the English Channel crossing rules, which have been held as a standard for some open-water swims since the Channel Swimming Association adopted them in 1927. However, these standards are used only as a model for other swims because the English Channel water and wildlife conditions differ significantly from those in other areas. Nyad never claimed that she would hold to those rules. | Some critics claim she violated the English Channel crossing rules, which have been held as a standard for some open-water swims since the Channel Swimming Association adopted them in 1927. However, these standards are used only as a model for other swims because the English Channel water and wildlife conditions differ significantly from those in other areas. Nyad never claimed that she would hold to those rules. |
| Forum participants' primary doubts surround a doctor's claim, posted on Nyad's website, that she was able to swim seven-and-a-half hours without eating, whether her independent observers were actually acting independently, and how quickly she swam in some parts of the race. | Forum participants' primary doubts surround a doctor's claim, posted on Nyad's website, that she was able to swim seven-and-a-half hours without eating, whether her independent observers were actually acting independently, and how quickly she swam in some parts of the race. |
| While video recordings exist for portions of the swim, there is not a complete recording, creating more questions about whether she swam the entire time under the murky definition of "unassisted". | While video recordings exist for portions of the swim, there is not a complete recording, creating more questions about whether she swam the entire time under the murky definition of "unassisted". |
| "I'm an absolutely above-board person who never cheated on anything in my whole life," Nyad told the New York Times. "When someone does something they've been trying to do for a long time and you know how difficult it is, it's only logical. I hope they're not questioning if I'm an honest person." http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/09/sports/questions-and-doubt-after-a-record-swim-from-cuba-to-florida.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 | "I'm an absolutely above-board person who never cheated on anything in my whole life," Nyad told the New York Times. "When someone does something they've been trying to do for a long time and you know how difficult it is, it's only logical. I hope they're not questioning if I'm an honest person." http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/09/sports/questions-and-doubt-after-a-record-swim-from-cuba-to-florida.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 |
| Nyad is an accomplished open-water swimmer who completed a swim around Manhattan in 1975 and from The Bahamas to Florida in 1979. It was her fifth attempt to make the Havana to Key West trek after succumbing to jellyfish stings, lightning storms and an asthma flare-up in previous years. | Nyad is an accomplished open-water swimmer who completed a swim around Manhattan in 1975 and from The Bahamas to Florida in 1979. It was her fifth attempt to make the Havana to Key West trek after succumbing to jellyfish stings, lightning storms and an asthma flare-up in previous years. |
| "I'm of the general opinion that she did it," said Don Henshaw, head coach of the Gulf Coast Swim Team. Henshaw's team has organized multiple open-water races including Olympic Trial selection meets and other competitions sanctioned by USA Swimming. | "I'm of the general opinion that she did it," said Don Henshaw, head coach of the Gulf Coast Swim Team. Henshaw's team has organized multiple open-water races including Olympic Trial selection meets and other competitions sanctioned by USA Swimming. |
| Henshoaw, 56, said that there is always room for doubt, but as someone who has lived in Florida his entire life, he believes that she benefited from excellent water conditions and the unusually mild tropical hurricane season. | Henshoaw, 56, said that there is always room for doubt, but as someone who has lived in Florida his entire life, he believes that she benefited from excellent water conditions and the unusually mild tropical hurricane season. |
| "I think she was probably in just about the calmest water you could ever be in for this time of year that I've ever seen," said Henshaw. | "I think she was probably in just about the calmest water you could ever be in for this time of year that I've ever seen," said Henshaw. |
| Gregg Cross, who also coaches at Gulf Coast Swim Team and serves as its open-water swimming director, said he assumed she completed the race within the legal parameters. "It would be pretty stupid to cheat with that many eyes on you," Cross said. | Gregg Cross, who also coaches at Gulf Coast Swim Team and serves as its open-water swimming director, said he assumed she completed the race within the legal parameters. "It would be pretty stupid to cheat with that many eyes on you," Cross said. |
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