ok, Diana Nyad is a badass...

[nostatic]

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/03/sports/nyad-completes-cuba-to-florida-swim.html?_r=0

[BGCarrera32]

Yup, I've biked that distance, can't image swimming it, or doing anything for 53 hours straight for that matter...tough chick indeed.

[lonewolf]

Never say die.
Good for her

[bell]

We watched her hit land on CNN...
2 minutes after the fact the CNN reporters were asking if she finished yet? They didn't see it on their own feed.......then they made a big production to see of she actually did it by asking the people who were walking away from the large crowd....

You could clearly see her swimming all the way to the beach......CNN.....what a joke....

[weseeeee]

Congrats to her. That was an amazing show of mental and physical strength.

[HardDrive]

Very tough human being. Kudos.

[Don Ro]

Isn't she pushin' 60 by now?

.
Edit: Gee Don, read the damn article...64.

[livi]

Incredible.

[URY914]

Not so fast all you Nyad worshipers......

Diana Nyad's Skeptics Question Integrity Of Swim, Use Of Mask, Possible Assistance By Boat

[john70t]

Regardless, it is still an incredible feat. Especially at her age.

-Jack LaLane once pulled 70 rowboats full of people for 1 mile in ocean current for his 70th bithday.

-Liz Elling supposedly swam the entire Michigan Huron River (Flint->Detroit)


Whatever. She done good. Better than most.

[dad911]

We were at our condo when she landed, right next to the beach, but didn't know. Probably could have seen it from our balcony.

They had a Parade for her down Duval Street.

[1990C4S]

Originally Posted by URY914

Not so fast all you Nyad worshipers......

Diana Nyad's Skeptics Question Integrity Of Swim, Use Of Mask, Possible Assistance By Boat

That was my first thought. Sounds terribly unlikely that she could do that. But if she did, good for her.

Look at the people who have done a swim of Lake Ontario, shorter swim in calmer water.....

I will defer to long distance swimmers and medical experts now. I know what I would be like after watching TV for 53 hours straight...

[Geary]

My old childhood surfing partner Mike Spalding has swum all the channels between the Hawaiian islands. He had to go again on the last channel, as on his first attempt a cookie cutter shark took a golfball-sized chunk out of his leg midway between Hawaii and Maui. Balls like grapefruit.

[BE911SC]

Originally Posted by URY914

Not so fast all you Nyad worshipers......

Diana Nyad's Skeptics Question Integrity Of Swim, Use Of Mask, Possible Assistance By Boat

In the Internet age everything must be attacked and torn apart. Everything. That's just the way it is.

[john70t]

Back in summer camp, we did a 1.5-2 mile swim across chilly Burt Lake. About 15 swimmers total. I remember having to tread water for 1/2 hour to keep the rowboats and other swimmers in sight.

Now in my 40s, that would be a different story.
60 would be a very different story.

[jyl]

Mask, suit - no problem. No one said she was swimming by "Channel rules".

Boat assistance - the only basis for that claim is that her speed was 3 mph for a period. Her team says she was in a current. Gulf current is 4 mph. Seems plausible.

[dad911]

Originally Posted by BE911SC

In the Internet age everything must be attacked and torn apart. Everything. That's just the way it is.

Yup. Maroney was criticized also, 22 years old and did it in 24-1/2 hours with a shark cage. Australian Is the First Woman To Swim From Cuba to Florida - NYTimes.com

Similar records, different rules. Bottom line is not many have done it, but the wannabes complain and criticize.

[Tobra]

Any way you slice it, extremely tough lady

[kach22i]

Box jellyfish, which are especially venomous, have been a constant source of danger; Ms. Nyad was stung so badly on previous swims she had to stop. To break that cycle, she found an expert on box jellyfish this year to help her contain the threat.

In the evenings, Ms. Nyad donned a special suit with long sleeves and pant legs to protect her. She slathered “sting stopper” gel to form a barrier to keep out the venom. On Saturday night, she also wore a special mask that covered her face. But the mask proved uncomfortable, cutting her mouth and tongue so badly, and impeding her breathing, that she discarded it after the first night.

The course was mostly clear of box jellyfish this time. When she finally encountered a cluster, it was on her approach to Key West. The shark divers swam ahead of Ms. Nyad to disperse the swarm.

Heck of a story.

[1990C4S]

Originally Posted by BE911SC

In the Internet age everything must be attacked and torn apart. Everything. That's just the way it is.

Originally Posted by dad911

Bottom line is not many have done it, but the wannabes complain and criticize.

No one is doing either. They are simply questioning/investigating the veracity of her story. That's what reporters do when confronted with highly unlikely stories. It's not an internet thing (neither was Rosie Ruiz), it's a basic reporting obligation, which is why most reputable news sources are asking the same questions.

It is no different than drug cheats, marathon cheats, etc. When people achieve things (or appear to) that are highly unlikely it's human nature to take a second look.

I am impressed by her (even if the boat pulled her half-way). I just find her accomplishment unlikely, and I'm not alone.