USA: DIFFICULT CONDITIONS FORCE MARATHON SWIMMERS DIANA NYAD AND STELLA TAYLOR TO GIVE UP THEIR ATTEMPTS TO SWIM TO FLORIDA FROM CUBA AND THE BAHAMAS.

Record ID: 1058301

  • Title: USA: DIFFICULT CONDITIONS FORCE MARATHON SWIMMERS DIANA NYAD AND STELLA TAYLOR TO GIVE UP THEIR ATTEMPTS TO SWIM TO FLORIDA FROM CUBA AND THE BAHAMAS.
  • Date: 16th August 1978
  • Summary: 1. SCU Diana Nyad swimming, in the sea between Cuba and Florida. 0.06 2. LV Nyad swimming in shark cage. 0.19 3. AERIAL VIEW Shark cage moving slowly through sea. 0.24 4. CU Nyad vomiting in water.ZOOM OUT TO supporters on edge of shark cage. 0.40 5. AERIAL VIEW Shark cage. 0.42 6. SCU Nyad in water continuing to swim. 0.54 7. SV Rubber raft carrying photographers. 0.56 8. SV Shark cage with Nyad continuing swim. 1.01 9. AERIAL VIEW Stella Taylor's accompanying boats. 1.05 10. SV Stella Taylor swimming with surf board and another swimmer nearby. ZOOM OUT TO accompanying launch. 1.18 11. AERIAL VIEW Taylor, boats, and helicopter. 1.28 FRANCIS: "Diana Nyad's marathon swim has been in trouble from the moment she left the coast of Cuba. Everyone of her 42 hours in the water brought an unexpected struggle with high seas. her navigators constantly changed the direction of her shark cage to make it easier for her to swim with the waves, but nothing helped. The 28-year-old marathoner suffered continually from sea sickness and sea water. The first day she vomited every hour. But she kept to swimming. Then more severe problems. Diana was repeatedly stormed by Portuguese man-of-war. The poisonous strings made her groan with pain, but she kept swimming. Then late yesterday and early today the sea water began to seriously affect her. Large blisters formed inside her mouth, her face, lips and tongue became very swollen. But she insisted on continuing. Her crew cheered her on. What she did not know was that she was off course with no hope of making it. Meanwhile earlier in the day and a couple of hundred miles north Stella Taylor swam strongly. Seventy strokes to the minute on her way from the Bahamas to Palm Beach. But just a couple of miles short of her goal she had to be pulled out. 'All I know', said a friend, 'is apparently the tides turned on Stella and she just quit fighting and had to give it up. ??? Francis, NBC News, Key West." Diana Nyad swan in a 60,000 dollar specially made shark cage, but Stella Taylor was repeatedly forced to seek refuge in her escort boat because of prowling sharks. In 1975 Miss Nyad became the first person to swim the 28 miles (25 km) around Now York's Manhattan Island. Miss Taylor, a former nun said she sang and prayed as she swam. Initials JS/2110 SPORT: SWIMMING TELERECORDING REPORTER: FRED FRANCIS Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 30th August 1978 13:00
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  • Location: OFF THE FLORIDA COAST, UNITED STATES
  • City:
  • Country: USA
  • Reuters ID: LVALI00KVAYXWWLWVGI9EEMI4OB
  • Story Text:Marathon swimmers Diana Nyad and Stella Taylor were reported to be in good spirits on Wednesday (16 August) despite failing in separate attempts to swim to Florida from Cuba and the Bahamas. Miss Nyad was pulled out of the water after 42 hours, exhausted from battling with choppy seas and swollen from jellyfish bites. Miss Taylor was in the water for 33 hours before strong currents which continually pushed her off course forced her to abandon her swim. NBC's Fred Francis reports.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS - SOURCE TO BE VERIFIED
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
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