Diana Nyad Forced to End Swim from Cuba to Florida

Sixty-one-year-old Diana Nyad, who yesterday set off to break an open water swimming record from Cuba to Florida was forced to give up her pursuit after 26 hours in the water, CNN reports:

Nyad, who is 61, struggled through ocean swells, shoulder pain and asthma Monday before she was forced to give up the 103-mile swim. Strong winds and less than ideal currents played into her decision, her team said.

"Earlier in the evening, she was surrounded by dolphins and a beautiful Caribbean sunset. But strong currents blew her 15mph off course," her team posted on her Twitter account.

The attempt to swim from Cuba to Florida was the second for the swimmer, who said at a news conference Sunday that she is fitter today than she was in 1978, when she first attempted the crossing but was unable to finish.

Said Nyad: "I am not sad. It was absolutely the right call."

Previously...
Diana Nyad Begins Swim from Cuba to Florida without Shark Cage: VIDEO [tr]

Diana Nyad Begins Swim from Cuba to Florida without Shark Cage: VIDEO

Sixty-one-year-old former world-record holder and out lesbian swimmer Diana Nyad set off on a 103-mile swim today across open water from Cuba to Florida, through the Straits of Florida. Nyad is swimming without a shark cage. If she completes the swim, she'll be the first to do it without the cage.

Nyad played 'Reveille' on a bugle before plunging into the water and beginning her swim.

Said Nyad earlier in the day: "I also want it to be a moment for thousands, and I dare say millions of people my age, who are going to look and say, '60!' The joke is 60 is the new 40, and it's true. We are a younger generation than the 60 that went before us."

The AP adds:

Nyad will be relying on special equipment that surrounds her with an electric current imperceptible to humans but strong enough to keep most sharks at bay. Whitetip sharks are not deterred by the field, so divers will be standing by to gently discourage any of those who get curious - without harming them.

In 1979, Nyad set a world-record for open water swimming without a cage, on a 102.5 mile swim from the Bahamas to Florida.

Watch the beginning of her swim, AFTER THE JUMP....