Yesterday at 7:45 PM, American endurance swimmer Diana Nyad, 61, set off swimming from Havana in an attempt to become the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida without the aid of a shark cage.  The swim, if she succeeds, is expected to take roughly 60 hours. Before departing on the attempt she said, “I’m standing here in the prime of my life … Now I look out at a dead, flat calm, so I think this is my day..” Ms. Nyad attempted the crossing once before when she was 28 but was stopped by winds and rough seas.

American sets off on record 103-mile Cuba to Florida swim

Nyad said her comparatively advanced age is one of the reasons she will try the swim. She hopes the swim will help people her age and older realize they still can accomplish many things.