Nyad Ends 4th Cuba-to-Florida Quest

Swimmer attempted to wait out storms this morning
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 21, 2012 6:31 AM CDT
Updated Aug 21, 2012 9:22 AM CDT
Storms Slow Nyad's Cuba-to-Florida Swim
In this photo provided by Diana Nyad via the Florida Keys News Bureau, boats escorting endurance swimmer Diana Nyad ply the Florida Straits between Cuba and the Florida Keys Monday, Aug. 20, 2012.   (AP Photo/Diana Nyad via the Florida Keys News Bureau, Christi Barli)

Diana Nyad was supposed to finish her fourth attempt at the Cuba-to-Florida swim this morning, and she did, in disappointing fashion. ABC News reports that Nyad has been pulled from the water, following jellyfish stings and two days of disagreeable weather. Writing on Nyad's blog, a crew member noted that Nyad swam "longer and farther" than in any previous attempt, for a total of 41 hours, 45 minutes. "In 1978, her first attempt, when she was not yet 30 years old, Diana swam almost the same number of hours, but she didn’t get as far toward Florida as she did today."

The blog also noted that she weathered nine jellyfish stings last night ... while surrounded by sharks. The AP earlier reported that a storm stopped her in her tracks around 1:45am today; she and her team decided to wait it out, according to Nyad's blog. Overnight storms Sunday also cost her about six hours; as of this morning she was 55 miles off Key West's coast. But she had been shivering, and her crew was looking into ways to fight hypothermia and swelling of the lips and tongue. (More Cuba stories.)

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