A reader commented on my last two posts ("What makes elite individuals elite?" and "The 40% rule") pointing out the controversy surrounding Diana Nyad's 2013 swim from Cuba to Florida. I certainly knew about this controversy before writing both posts, and after reading some of the reports, I am still not sure who or what to believe. If you are interested, you can read both a Time magazine article and an online post by the World Open Water Swimming Association (WOWSA) that came out around the time of the release of the 2023 Netflix movie Nyad. Of note, Nyad's swim has never been officially recognized by WOWSA.
I used Nyad's swim to highlight peer-reviewed and published research on the biological basis of willpower, suggesting that we can be trained to perform beyond our own self-perceived physiological limits. Whether Diana Nyad completed the entire swim across the Strait of Florida without assistance is a question that will likely be never fully answered. That being said, as a former competitive swimmer, I can still appreciate the extraordinary willpower and perseverance of anyone who swims in open water for more than a few miles. I do not feel that a retraction of either post is warranted, as both posts used Nyad's story as an introduction to a much more important and recognized concept. However, I will in the interest of full transparency point out the controversy surrounding Nyad's swim.
Hi Derek,
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your response to my comment. I appreciate that you took the time to point your readers toward other resources.
You mentioned the Time magazine article. I wrote about that here: “All The Lies She Could Not See: TIME’s ‘Deeper Story’ Behind NYAD.”
https://nyadfactcheck.com/annex/nyad-lies-in-the-deeper-story-behind-netflixs-nyad/.
I bring that up to show how Nyad lies all the time. She has lied and gotten away with it for almost half a century. Most journalists just accept her nonsense. I doubt Nyad has ever gotten through an appearance longer than 15 minutes without telling a demonstrable lie. The most brazen one in her latest interview involved her first publicist, Chuck Jones. Diana Nyad is a compulsive liar.
https://nyadfactcheck.com/annex/on-whats-the-rusch-podcast-marathon-swimmings-master-magician-makes-truth-disappear/
You mentioned that “Nyad's swim has never been officially recognized by WOWSA.” That goes for all governing organizations; none have recognized Nyad’s crossing despite her multiple attempts to receive recognition. Nyad's most ardent supporter in the marathon swimming community once tried to secretly give her crossing WOWSA recognition. The episode shows how far some of her supporters will go to defend her against what she calls “haters.” (As you’ll recall, Lance Armstrong also called skeptics “haters.”) For details, see “Ratification Infestation: Notes on WOWSA’s Retroactive Recognition of Diana Nyad’s Cuba-Florida Crossing.”
https://nyadfactcheck.com/annex/ratification-infestation-notes-on-wowsas-retroactive-recognition-of-diana-nyads-cuba-florida-crossing/
I sense some confusion about the terms “assisted” and “unassisted.” In marathon swimming, an unassisted swim is one that follows English Channel rules: The swimmer can wear one textile suit, a cap, goggles, ear plugs, and nose clip. She can’t touch a person or a boat. Anything else is considered assisted.
You wrote that, “Whether Diana Nyad completed the entire swim across the Strait of Florida without assistance is a question that will likely be never fully answered.” That question has been fully answered: If Diana completed the swim under her own power, she completed an assisted swim. The problem comes with whether or not she completed the swim under her own power. Unfortunately, she didn’t document her swim well enough to prove she did.
Diana Nyad is a fascinating human being, but not for the reasons most people think. She’s not worthy of anyone’s admiration — unless they admire successful con artists.