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September 2nd, 2013 
Peter Nolan At 64-years old, Diana Nyad is making her fifth and final attempt to swim at the 103-mile swim from Havana to Key West. She’s contended with sharks, jellyfish and strong weather conditions in the past, but says she’s going to make it this time. NBC’s Kerry Sanders reports.
American long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad was closer than ever to completing her goal of swimming from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage on Monday, less than five miles from the U.S. shoreline.
The 64-year-old was cold and suffering from a swollen mouth 47 hours after she after she set off from Havana but was breathing better than during the night, according to blog updates on her website and her Twitter feed.
Her assistants noted that she was still calling the shots. When a handler suggested she swim breast stroke until it’s safe to remove her anti-jellyfish suit, she balked.
“I don’t want to do it,” she said, and returned to swimming the crawl, according to her website.
Her handlers said she is having some trouble talking but managed to ask them, “How far is it?”
If she keeps up her pace, she could reach Key West between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. Monday.
It is her fifth and final attempt at the crossing, and by Monday morning she was as close as she has ever come to success.
She is using a protective silicone mask to better protect her from the poisonous jellyfish that forced her to end one of two attempted crossings last year.
Nyad said at the outset that the custom-made mask slows her and makes it more difficult to breathe, Reuters reported. Officials initially estimated it could take up to three days to complete the swim, but Nyad was benefitting from a favorable current, her crew members said.
The treacherous Florida Straits has been conquered only once, by Australian Susie Maroney, who used a protective cage at age 22 during a 1997 swim. The cage glided on ocean currents and enabled Maroney to make the journey in just 25 hours.
Roberto Leon / NBC News
Diana Nyad jumps into the water in Havana on Saturday before beginning her attempt to swim to Florida.
Australian endurance swimmer Chloe McCardel abandoned her quest in June to make the crossing after she was severely stung by a jellyfish 11 hours into her attempt.
Nyad departed on Saturday morning accompanied by five support boats that also provide her with food and water.
Her long-distance accomplishments include swimming around the island of Manhattan in 1975 and a swim from the Bahamas to Florida in 1979.
NBC News’ Christopher Nelson, David Wyllie of BreakingNews.com and Reuters contributed to this report.
This story was originally published on Mon Sep 2, 2013 4:42 AM EDT
Source Article from http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/09/02/20288819-us-swimmer-nyad-less-than-10-miles-from-florida-in-cuba-crossing-bid?lite&ocid=msnhp&pos=3
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