Updated: September 03, 2013, 12:00 AM
In pictures: Diana Nyad's epic swim from Cuba to US
Diana Nyad receives medical treatment after completing a 111-mile swim from Cuba to Key West, Florida, on September 2, 2013. Nyad, 64, is the first swimmer to cross the Florida Straits without the security of a shark cage. The swim took Nyad 52 hours and 54 minutes, according to a support team member. AFP PHOTO / Florida Keys News Bureau / Andy NEWMAN == RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE / MANDATORY CREDIT: "AFP PHOTO / FLORIDA KEYS NEWS BUREAU / Andy NEWMAN"/ NO SALES / NO MARKETING / NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS / DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS == *** Local Caption *** 857776-01-08.jpg
Looking dazed and sunburned, US endurance swimmer Diana Nyad walked ashore yesterday, becoming the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida without the help of a shark cage. J Pat Carter / AP Photo
Ms Nyad, 64, swam up to the beach just before 2pm EDT (9pm UAE), about 53 hours after starting her journey from Havana on Saturday. J Pat Carter / AP Photo
It was Ms Nyad’s fifth attempt and what she had said would be her last try to complete the approximately 180-kilometre swim. She tried three times in 2011 and 2012. Her first attempt was in 1978. Florida Keys Bureau, Andy Newman / AP Photo
“I have three messages. One is, we should never, ever give up. Two is, you’re never too old to chase your dream. Three is, it looks like a solitary sport, but it is a team,� she said on the beach. Andrew Innerarity / Reuters
Ms Nyad’s previous try was cut short amid boat trouble, storms, unfavourable currents and jellyfish stings that left her face puffy and swollen. This time, she wore a full bodysuit, gloves, boots and a mask at night, when jellyfish rise to the surface. ???