Diana Nyad

Diana Nyad is an American author, journalist, and long-distance swimmer renowned for her record-breaking swim from Cuba to Florida at the age of sixty-four. This historic feat, along with her other achievements in swimming and her career as a sports broadcaster and journalist, is captured in her bestselling memoir Find a Way (2015).

Nyad's swimming career began to gain national attention in the 1970s. In 1975, she claimed a record swim around Manhattan (28 mi), and in 1979, she swam from Bimini, The Bahamas, to Juno Beach, Florida (102 mi). These achievements established her as a prominent long-distance swimmer.

Her swim from Havana, Cuba, to Key West, Florida, in 2013, on her fifth attempt, made headlines worldwide. It was widely praised Nyad's determination and endurance despite controversy over its legitimacy.

Born Diana Sneed in New York City, her family life changed after her parents' divorce. Her mother remarried Aristotle Z. Nyad, who adopted Diana, and the family moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Here, she began her serious pursuit of swimming in seventh grade. Tragically, Nyad revealed that she suffered abuse at the hands of her swimming coach, which she bravely confronted in her later years.

Nyad's education was as eventful as her swimming career. After attending Pine Crest School, where she excelled in swimming, she went to Emory University but was expelled dramatically. She then moved to Lake Forest College in Illinois, where she resumed her swimming career, focusing on distance events.

Nyad is the author of four books, including her memoir Find a Way, and has written for prestigious publications like The New York Times and Newsweek. Her work in broadcasting as a sports journalist for NPR and ABC's Wide World of Sports has made her a well-known media personality.

In 2019, Nyad took her storytelling to the stage with her off-Broadway show, The Swimmer, and her life story was adapted into the Netflix movie NYAD (2023), featuring Annette Bening and Jodie Foster. The film has received global acclaim, further cementing Nyad's status as a source of inspiration.

Diana Nyad resides in Los Angeles.

Photo credit: FB @DianaNyad