Queen Of The Cuban Sea

Episode 1236

Endurance swimmer Diana Nyad was 64 years old when she became the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida without the use of a shark cage for protection on 2nd September, 2013.

Nyad completed the 110-mile swim from Havana to Key West in approximately 53 hours. It was her fifth attempt to swim through the jellyfish-and shark-infested waters of the Straits of Florida.

In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explain how Nyad used music and recall to keep her focus; review the conspiracy theories that question if she managed the feat; and consider whether the ‘English Channel Rules’ that govern the sport are in need of an update…

Further Reading:

• ‘Diana Nyad Arrives in Key West After 111-Mile Swim From Cuba’ (FlordaKeysTV, 2013): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcvjiw582G0

• The Diana Nyad Cheating Conspiracy Theory (Business Insider, 2013): https://www.businessinsider.com/diana-nyad-cheating-conspiracy-theory-2013-9?r=US&IR=T

• ‘It’s about having a steel-trap mind’ (The Guardian, 2016): https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/jul/10/endurance-swimmer-diana-nyad-its-about-steel-trap-mind

This episode first aired in 2021

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The Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.

Theme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Ollie Peart

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Published on 5 days, 17 hours ago

Podcast Episode Details

Queen Of The Cuban Sea