Nyad tells the true story of Diana Nyad and her incredible long-distance swim from Havana, Cuba, to Key West, Florida, in 2013. The biographical sports drama film had its streaming premiere on November 3, 2023, on Netflix (it was previously shown for the first time at the 50th Telluride Film Festival on September 1), and many subscribers are tuning in to learn about Nyad’s triumph. The movie, directed by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin and written by Julia Cox, is based on Nyad’s 2015 autobiography Find a Way.
Annette Bening stars as Diana Nyad in Netflix’s Nyad, and the rest of the cast of the 2023 film includes Jodie Foster as Bonnie Stoll, Rhys Ifans as John Bartlett, Karly Rothenberg as Dee Brady, Jeena Yi as Angel Yanagihara, Luke Cosgrove as Luke Tipple, Eric T. Miller as Jack Nelson, and Garland Scott as Jon Rose. As mentioned above, the movie chronicles Nyad’s impressive feat of swimming from Cuba to Florida, but the long-distance swimmer has many other accomplishments under her belt. Of course, her 2013 swim is the one that most focus on, especially since there is some controversy surrounding it.
Diana Nyad Swam From Cuba To Florida When She Was 64
On August 31, 2013, Diana Nyad began her trek across the Straits of Florida from Havana, Cuba, to Key West, Florida. The distance between the two cities is around 110 miles, so it took Nyad some time to reach Florida. The swimmer was accompanied by her 35-person team, as seen in the Netflix film, to ensure that she did not run into any trouble (like sharks).
Nyad swam without a shark cage and with only a protective jellyfish suit, a silicone mask, and gloves. According to Time Magazine, the swim took Nyad more than 53 hours, and she washed up on the shores of Key West on September 2, 2013, at around 1:55 pm ET. A large crowd was waiting for the swimmer, and they cheered her on as she walked onto the beach and celebrated. She was 64 years old at the time of her triumph.
How Many Attempts It Took Diana Nyad To Complete Her Swim
Diana Nyad’s first attempt to swim from Cuba to Florida happened when she was 28 years old in 1978, and it would not be until 32 years later that she would finally accomplish her goal. She used a shark cage during her first try at the feat, but Nyad had to be pulled from her swim 42 hours and 76 miles in because of swells in the water and strong winds, which were pushing her off-course. Nyad abandoned this specific goal and focused on other records — in August 1979, she swam for 102 miles without a shark cage from North Bimini Island, Bahamas, to Juno Beach, Florida, in a little more than 27 hours.
Nyad stopped swimming competitively after she turned 30 years old, but her failure to complete the journey from Cuba to Florida continued to haunt her. So, in 2010, at the age of 60, Nyad decided that she would finish the swim she started in 1978 (and, this time, without a shark cage). She began preparing for the trek that same year, and her second attempt at the swim occurred on August 7, 2011. After spending 29 hours in the water, though, Nyad, once again, encountered environmental issues and had to stop. Plus, she was suffering from shoulder pain, and her asthma complicated things.
Nyad’s third attempt transpired a little more than a month later, on September 23, but she had to stop after 41 hours because of jellyfish in the water. She returned to Havana on August 18, 2012, for her fourth attempt, which resulted in her ending the swim after almost 42 hours because of nasty jellyfish stings, storms, and the threat of sharks. One year later, on August 31, 2013, Nyad began her fifth attempt and was finally successful when she made it to Key West on September 2 after 53 hours in the water, as showcased at the end of Nyad on Netflix.
Why Diana Nyad’s Cuba-Florida Swim Was Controversial
Unfortunately, Diana Nyad’s swim from Havana, Cuba, to Key West, Florida, became a source of controversy because it was never formally ratified, despite Nyad claiming to be the first person to accomplish the feat. As a result, the Guinness Book of World Records removed it from its archive. Plus, per Time Magazine, some in the swimming community do not believe that Nyad’s swim was unassisted and that she might have received help from her team.
Nyad requested that the World Open Water Swimming Association (WOWSA) ratify her swim from Cuba to Florida five years afterward. It took WOWSA four years, but they reached a conclusion in 2022. WOWSA explained there was insufficient evidence to prove that Nyad never exited the water during her journey, so it could not recognize the accomplishment. WOWSA reopened its investigation in September 2023 due to anticipation building around Netflix’s Nyad, but it declined to ratify the swim again.
The Biggest Changes To The Real Swim In The Nyad Movie Explained
Given that Nyad is based on Diana Nyad’s autobiography, Find a Way, the 2023 Netflix movie appears to be as accurate as any film adaption can. Of course, though, some changes had to be made to the swimmer’s story for the sake of drama and conflict. The most significant changes are the timeline for Nyad’s numerous attempts at completing the trek from Havana, Cuba, to Key West, Florida, and the reasons behind her stopping some of her swims.
The movie explains that Nyad stopped during her second attempt because she had an allergic reaction to some medicine. But in reality, she got out of the water due to shoulder pain and asthma. Plus, Nyad focused on a small group of people from the swimmer’s team in real life. She actually had around 40 people helping her accomplish her goal. Related: Nyad Ending Explained
Where Is Diana Nyad Now?
Following her swim from Cuba to Florida in 2013, Diana Nyad became the source of media attention and even appeared on Dancing with the Stars season 18. Today (in 2023), Nyad continues to swim in open waters, gives motivational speeches, and conducts interviews with other athletes. She also wrote another book, The Swimmer: The Diana Nyad Story, published in 2020. Now, those who weren’t familiar with Nyad’s story are learning about her via Nyad on Netflix.
