ABC News: U.S.: Diana Nyad Pulled From the Water

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Diana Nyad Pulled From the Water Aug 21st 2012, 11:48 Endurance swimmer Diana Nyad was pulled from the water Tuesday morning ending her historic Cuba-to-Florida swim. Nyad was attempting to become the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage. Her 63rd birthday is Wednesday. Support crews pulled Nyad out of the water while they were giving a phone interview to "Good Morning America." "We pulled her out of the water," Steve Munatones told Robin Roberts. "The dangers were so great that we couldn't risk anyone's life, including her own." Munatones is the official observer of the swim and the editor in chief of the Daily News of Open Water Swimming. Support crews monitoring Nyad told "GMA" that Nyad had severe sun burn, a strained bicep muscle and could barely walk. Nyad and her crew are currently on their way to Oceanside Marina in Stock Island, Key West. So she can receive medical care for non life-threatening injuries. Christi Barli/Florida Keys News Bureau/AP Photo Diana Nyad swims in the Florida Straits... View Full Size Diana Nyad Attempts Cuba-Florida Swim Once More Watch Video Diana Nyad Ends Cuba-to-Miami Swim in Defeat Watch Video Diana Nyad's Daring Ocean Swim Watch Video Overnight, Nyad's lips and tongue became increasingly swollen, puffing up because of salt water. Members of her support crew of 63, which included multiple boats, slathered her face and full body wetsuit with black-tinted lanolin to keep the stings and the cold at bay. Team members said she has been struck at least four times by jellyfish during her voyage. Jellyfish stings cut short her attempt to make the crossing last year. This was Nyad's third attempt to complete the swim in less than a year. Nyad was not allowed to touch or be touched by any of the support crews or vessels. Nyad began the arduous journey late Saturday night. At a pace of 50 strokes a minute, the journey was expected to take 60 hours. On Sunday, a squall with winds of 14 knots hit the flotilla and stayed "nearly stationary over" Nyad, forcing her to move northwest in order to try to find a way out of the storm. Nyad ended her last attempt in September 2011 after more than 40 hours, 67 nautical miles of swimming, and two Portuguese Man-of-War stings.

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