It was 2013 when long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad swam a miraculous 110 miles from Cuba to Florida. The swim was a goal that Nyad committed herself to starting in her 20s. She made her first attempt at the swim in 1978.  She had spent 42 hours in the water before her team pulled her out of the water due to unprecedented currents. After the failed, but still admirable, attempt, Nyad decided to commit herself to a slightly less challenging feat; she swam from the Bahamas to Florida, setting a record spanning 102 miles.  

The swim from Cuba to Florida is one that has been completed by swimming athletes before Nyad. Walter Poenisch completed the swim in 1978, and Susie Maroney in 1997. The difference with Nyad, however, is that she wanted to complete this swim with higher stakes, without the use of a shark cage. However, after her swim from the Bahamas to Florida, Nyad retired from swimming, and spent the next three decades away from the sport. 

However, once Nyad reached 60 years old, a newfound desire was sparked within her; she did not want to accept her 1978 defeat. With the help of her lifelong friend, Bonnie Stoll, Nyad trained strenuously. It was Aug. of 2011 when Nyad reattempted the swim, making it for almost 30 hours before her team pulled her from the water. It had been barely a month before she tried again, this time getting stung by a box jellyfish that almost took her life.   

Still, Nyad refused to take no for an answer. Aug. of 2012 was Nyad’s fourth attempt at making the swim. The jellyfish were still an obstacle this time around, and violent storms threw Nyad off track, also flooding her team’s boat and almost throwing Nyad entirely off course. Aug. of 2013 was when Nyad made her fifth and final attempt. Swimming away from the shores of Havana, Nyad knew far too well the route that was to come. She was 64 years old now, but her stubborn determination had stayed steadfast through the years.   

With a compressive bodysuit and thick mask secured on her face, Nyad swam for 53 hours. Again, she refused to use a shark cage, instead utilizing shark repellent and having shark divers on the boat to protect her from a chance of an attack. Through day and night, even as hallucinations overtook her, Nyad continued forward. Spending over two days in the sea, she stumbled onto the shores of Florida, her face discolored from saltwater, her body barely able to hold her weight. Crowds of people gathered in the sand, cheering and holding up signs. With arms outstretched, Bonnie Stoll ran to the shores and pushed back the crowd, ready to welcome Nyad to Florida.   

Directors Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin have received praise for their work on athlete documentaries. However, it was Nov. 3rd of 2023 that their debut narrative film was released to Netflix, “NYAD.” Actresses Annette Bening and Jodie Foster deliver powerful performances, Bening as Diana Nyad and Foster as Bonnie Stoll. Bening’s performance was nominated for Best Actress and Jodie Foster for Best Actress in a Supporting Role at this year’s Oscars. The film has been defined by critics as “a celebration of perseverance and self-belief” by journalist Ann Hornaday.   

Years after Nyad’s feat, the swimming community seems to be divided over the swim’s legitimacy. Many argue that the swim should not be formally recognized, as she had occasional assistance from her team throughout her arduous journey to Florida. It is argued that a swim is illegitimate if the swimmer is touched by another person while in the water. For Nyad, team members had to zip her compression suit to keep her protected, and she also had ointment applied to a wound on her back, in fear that the blood might attract sharks. To this day, Nyad stands firm in her belief that these acts of assistance were justified. The New York Times critic Amy Nicholson says of “NYAD,” “Diana doesn’t pity herself, so neither does the film… Diana wants our respect – and by the end of the movie, she’s earned it.” Even amidst decades-long controversy, Nyad’s story still reigns true as an awe-inspiring narrative that stresses the importance of lifelong friendship and self-efficacy.   

Sources:  

A&E Television Networks. (n.d.). Diana Nyad, 64, makes record swim from Cuba to Florida | September 2, 2013. History.com. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/diana-nyad-64-makes-record-swim-from-cuba-to-florida   

Nicholson, A. (2023, November 2). “nyad” review: Neptune’s (estranged) daughter. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/02/movies/nyad-review.html   

Park, A. (2023, November 3). The true story behind Diana Nyad’s Incredible swim. Time. https://time.com/6330894/nyad-movie-true-story-netflix/   

‘nyad’ is a celebration of perseverance and self-belief. (n.d.). https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/movies/2023/10/18/nyad-movie-review/  

Ava Stockstad is a Dakota Student General Reporter. She can be reached at [email protected].