She's No Nyad...!

And yet - CNN gives this synchronized swimmer 

- hailing from Espanâ of all places - 

almost as much importance as the age-defying, 

currents-challenging and 

all-around stunning seawoman 

that the one, the only 

legendary open-water endurance swimmer 

Diana Nyad unquestionably is...! 

That is simply OUTRAGEOUS! 

But that's another story - 

check out Barcelona's Barracuda first...

CNN likes this water-logged creature a hell of a whole lot; 

still, ''Siren from Spain'' eluded them completely 

when it came time to affix her a catchy title...  

Perhaps they feared the negative connotation 

attached to that sobriquet? 

Me, I would have welcomed the sincerity 

and disarming honesty, 

since we are talking about an ambitious grrl here 

and one who hails from Barcelona at that...

Speaking of Barracuda though - 

here's a freebie for the seas; 

the wild wild web's dangerous seas, that is!

Don't mention it... *B*!  

Now back to our subject here - our true subject being... 

Diana! Diana Nyad - yes! 

She who dove in three times - three times!!! - 

in a determined attempt to be the first 

to successfully cover the distance between 

Cuba and Florida 

swimming in the sea, past all manners 

of predators - and jellyfish, too! 

Alas, all three times, she had failed. 

Yet she would try again...

But wait a minute now - 

Diana Nyad may have been 

the most obsessive about accomplishing it 

but she is not, by no means, the only granny 

who tried to do it: 

British-Australian swimmer Penny Palfrey 

also gave it the good ol' college try; 

to no avail, probably, 

since Diana (not Naida, as some newspapers reversed) 

was still in line for the title of 

''first person to successfully swim the distance 

between Havana harbor and the Florida Keys!''

The picture above, for some unfathomable reason, 

which was taken by one Ramon Espinosa, AP, 

makes one think of those daring dames 

that tried to go through Niagara Falls 

inside a barrel...! 

Don't know why...!

Diana Nyad's pics don't have that same effect; 

see for yourselves...!

An Aquawoman true and true - 

she evokes only TIMELESSNESS and AWESOMENESS 

as she finally crossed the distance 

at the age of 64...!

Nyad, the one true Naiad, bar none,

finally achieved what she strove to be the best at 

for the longest time; 

be the first one, the only one 

(bar the existence of an actual Aquaman) 

to swim this incredible distance 

without the insurance of a shark cage 

covering one's, ah, assets! 

She tried three times, 

and failed. 

Finally, this September, 

on what was her fourth attempt, 

she made it through!

Nyad Triumphant! 

It took her 53 HOURS to do it - 

and she wasn't in such great shape when she arrived 

(seawater does that to you, y'know) 

but she became, officially, the first one to bridge that divide 

without the benefit of a shark cage indeed!

courtesy: Associated Press 

She was so sure she would succeed in 2010 -

and, again, last year, at age 62, she was convinced that 

the third time would be the charm and that she would be 

celebrating her 63rd birthday in the Keys 

with a victory party as well... 

But she was destined to be crowned 

queen of this particular neck of the seas 

at 64 - and in 2013 - not before!

Here we see the legendary endurance swimmer 

Diana Nyad once again 

with her trainer, Bonnie Stoll, hugging (but not kissing)

(this isn't a kiss-n-tell after all) 

mer-moments after Nyad finally came ashore 

in Key West, Florida 

after swimming for 53 hours from Cuba. 

Nyad thus became the first person 

to swim from Cuba to Florida 

without the help of a shark cage - 

a record that should never be equaled. 

Picture: AP Source: AP

When she first attempted this, back in 1978, 

Nyad was only 28 years of age, 

coming of age and coming out, too...! 

The 103-mile journey in the unforgiving seas 

didn't scare her then, though; 

it wouldn't scare her now, 

given that she matured so very well...

Younger Nyad would fail only due to 

unpredictable heavy waves 

and strong naval winds; 

older Nyad prevailed 

against all odds!

Undeterred at each and all of her attempts  

as by the daunting task that laid ahead, 

Diana Nyad's fiercest obstacle remained 

those pesky Portuguese Man-O-Wars - 

and not the sharks at all! 

Figures that a Mitylenian Nymph would have 

trouble with man-o-wars and not fins, though...

As a matter of fact, it was after being stung 

repeatedly by these fiercest of sea creatures 

that Nyad had given up her previous two attempts 

before finally succeeding, at last, now.

courtesy: GETTY. 

When not so drenched, and even a tad parched, 

Diana Nyad is quite the Luminous Lady, I would say!

Diana Nyad has become an inspiration to all -

through this single most impressive exploit, 

she proves that anyone, anywhere, can accomplish 

whatever one wants to set out to accomplish; 

all you have to do is display tenacity 

and perseverance - as she has done.

If you fail once, twice or thrice -

you just keep on trying 

and you will succeed, eventually!

(Maybe not on the fourth try as she did, though; 

but eventually, surely!)

Diana Nyad in full aqua regalia!

Diana Nyad's exploits have been immortalized 

in many ways now: 

among them, this special documentary 

courtesy of the Legacy Boutique -

check it out! 

Her overall look has been emulated 

across the globe, too...

All aqua-tics admit it: they've got NYAD-ennvy! 

She is an AQUAFICIONADA like no other! 

Still... There are many skeptics out there, lost at sea...  

So many under-the-weather (or under the water) doubters! 

Among them, the hardcore fans of one Lynne Cox: 

imagine that these peeps would say to thee 

that she is greater than Diana Nyad...!

HA! 

Lynne has got Sally The Seal's vote though, 

or so it would appear here...

And to them, we shall say here and now: 

HERESY - or hearsay? 

One or the other...! 

Lynne Cox's another fine 

AQUAFICIONADA though -

that is for sure!

More on her... some other aqua time!

Same aqua channel! 

;-)