Diana Nyad

Diana Nyad (née Sneed; born August 22, 1949) is an American author, journalist, motivational speaker, and long-distance swimmer. Nyad gained national attention in 1975 when she swam around Manhattan (28 mi or 45 km) in record time. She has written four books and articles for various publications, hosted the public radio program The Savvy Traveler, appeared on the television shows CBS News Sunday Morning and Dancing with the Stars, and been a long-time contributor to the public radio programs All Things Considered and Marketplace. In 2013, on her fifth attempt and at age 64, she claims (it has never been ratified) that she swam from Havana, Cuba, to Key West, Florida, a journey of 110 mi (180 km), completing the third known swim crossing of the Florida Straits after Walter Poenisch in 1978 and Susie Maroney in 1997.