Diana Nyad | Journalist, motivational speaker, and record breaking long-distance swimmer

Diana Nyad

Journalist, motivational speaker, and record breaking long-distance swimmer

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Diana Nyad
Biography

25 million people worldwide rooted for Diana Nyad as she reached the Florida shore, at long last achieving her 35-year-old quest of becoming the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida.
Speaking the words "Never Ever Give Up" to the wildly cheering crowd on a Key West beach on September 2, 2013, Diana demonstrated to the world the power of the human spirit.

Diana's amazing record: 110.86 miles in 52 hours, 54 minutes, 18 seconds.

A prominent sports journalist, filing over thirty years for National Public Radio, The New York Times and others, Diana has earned her place as one of our compelling storytellers. Her memoir, Find a Way, has earned worldwide praise. Her groundbreaking OpEd piece on her childhood sexual abuse for The New York Times drew a passionate response from around the world.

Also a uniquely entertaining and inspiring public speaker, Diana has now fulfilled another lifelong dream, bringing her performance of her play "The Swimmer" to the storied off-Broadway Minetta Lane Theater. The show played to sold-out crowds September, 2019.

Diana's best friend and Cuba Swim expedition leader Bonnie Stoll have further collaborated with their nationwide walking initiative EverWalk, sparking America to become a nation of walkers.
And EverWalk in turn has recently launched yet another initiative, OceansCommit, hosting walks along our shorelines, asking individuals and businesses to reduce single-use plastic.

Diana has been inducted into the International Women's Sports Hall of Fame, the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame, among other Halls of Fame and awards of distinction.
President Obama invited Diana to congratulate her in the Oval Office and then asked her to accompany him on his peace visit to Havana in 2014.
Oprah Winfrey chose Diana's interview for her SuperSoul Sunday broadcast to be the first to extend to two hours.

Diana has written four books and speaks three foreign languages fluently.
And now "NYAD" is slated for 2022 release as a feature film, the inimitable Annette Bening signed to play Diana.

Current: Virtual Preview

Time 02:24

More Videos From Diana Nyad

Virtual Preview
Time 02:24
Swimming From Cuba To The US
Time 03:33
TED: Never, Ever Give Up
Time 01:50
TED: Extreme Swimming With The World's Most Dangerous Jellyfish
Time 16:58

The Diana Nyad Story
How I Did It.

Get Ready to dive in for an adventure of a life time. Diana gives a detailed account of her accomplishments and what it took for her to become one of the most celebrated athletes in the world. Her ability to overcome challenges will be an inspiration to all.

Diana Nyad
Featured Book

Find a Wayby Diana Nyad

Find a Way

by Diana Nyad

Hillary Clinton said that Find a Way would stay with her through the general election:  “When you’re facing big challenges in your life, you can think about Diana Nyad getting attacked by the lethal sting of box jellyfishes. And nearly anything else seems doable in comparison.”   

On September 2, 2013, at the age of sixty-four, Diana Nyad emerged onto the sands of Key West after swimming 111 miles, nation to nation, Cuba to Florida, in an epic feat of both endurance and human will, in fifty-three hours. Diana carried three poignant messages on her way across this stretch of shark-infested waters, and she spoke them to the crowd in her moment of final triumph:

1.   Never, ever give up.
2.   You’re never too old to chase your dreams.
3.   It looks like a solitary sport, but  it’s a Team. 

Millions of people around the world cheered this maverick on, moved by her undeniable tenacity to be the first to make the historic crossing without the aid of a shark cage. At the end of her magnificent journey, after thirty-five years and four crushing failures, the public found hope in Diana’s perseverance. They were inspired by her mantra—find a way—that led her to realize a dream in her sixties that had eluded her as a young champion in peak form.

In Find a Way, Diana engages us with a unique, passionate story of this heroic adventure and the extraordinary life experiences that have served to carve her unwavering spirit.

Diana was a world champion in her twenties, setting the record for swimming around Manhattan Island, along with other ocean-swim achievements, all of which rendered her a star at the time. Back then, she made the first attempt at the Mount Everest of swims, the Cuba Swim, but after forty-two hours and seventy-nine miles she was blown desperately off course. Her dream unfulfilled, she didn’t swim another stroke for three decades.

Why, at sixty-four, was she able to achieve what she could not at thirty? How did her dramatic failures push her to success? What inner resources did Diana draw on during her long days and nights of training, and how did the power of the human spirit trump both the limitations of the body and the forces of nature across this vast, dangerous wilderness? This is the gripping story of an athlete, of a hero, of a bold mind. This is a galvanizing meditation on facing fears, engaging in our lives full throttle, and living each day with no regrets. 

 

 

Diana Nyad Diving Into Herald Square for 48-Hour Charity Swim

Written by Katie Kindelan It’s been just one month since Diana Nyad completed a 53-hour and 110-mile swim from Cuba to Florida that made her the first person in history to swim...
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Diana Nyad Plans 48-Hour Continuous Swim to Help Victims of Hurricane Sandy

Press Release Fresh off her record-breaking swim from Cuba to Florida, long-distance swim legend Diana Nyad today announced a 48-hour continuous "Swim for Relief" to take place...
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Topics:   Female Motivational

64-year-old American Woman Sets Swim Record From Cuba to Florida

Diana Nyad has become the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida without the help of a shark cage. The 64-year-old Nyad stepped ashore in Key West on Monday just before 2...
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Topics:   Motivation Speaker
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