Diana Nyad__ is just one week away from her 63rd birthday, but she isn't letting that stop her from making history. As a matter of fact, she is attempting to swim from Cuba to Florida–for the third time, in one year!
She says that the swim has been a lifelong dream and clearly, she is neither faint of heart or short on determination, so I wouldn't bet against her. She's already tried twice before but had to stop due to jelly fish stings and an asthma attack. She's expecting the swim to take at lest 60 hours, but that's not even the craziest part…
Nyad is doing the entire 103 mile swim WITHOUT a shark cage! She has a crew of about 50 accompanying her in boats and one shark diver who will shoo any of the ferocious predators away if they get too close.
"Instead of staying on the couch for a lifetime and letting this precious time go by, why not be bold?" she said when asked about her motivation. "Be fiercely bold, and go out and chase your dreams."
If When she finished, she will have beater her OWN previous record. In 1979, when she swam 102.5 miles from the Bahamas to Florida. I'm not sure it get's any more inspiring than that! Nyad said she helps the swim will bring attention to U.S./Cuba relations, but even if it doesn't make a huge difference on global/political scale, she will have set an amazing example for women all over the world.
When calling it quits during her last attempt, she called out to her crew: "This journey has always been about reaching your own other shore no matter what it is, and that dream continues."
Thanks to Nyad, it certainly does. Watch her take off for her epic voyage below:
Embedded content: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kF6nlpouryw
