Some of Diana Nyad’s words about breaks during a swim:
So, you stop very quick. And you’ve got a Gulf Stream, and it’s going that way, east, and you’re going north. So, anytime you stop, you’re getting dragged east, east, east.
— New Yorker Festival 2017
Every time I stopped for that little sip of fuel for three minutes, get myself together, I’m being dragged due east, and this whole swim is about north, north, north, north, north.
— SafetyCulture Global Summit, 2021
So you can stop anytime you want. You can stop for three minutes, you can stretch out your back, move your shoulders around, take a look at the sky, take down your drink as slowly as you want. But the more time you take, you are not going north, you’re being dragged east.
— American Osteopathic Association, 2020, 29:07
Nyad’s actions tell a different story. According to the logs from her Cuba-Florida crossing, Nyad’s average stop lasted approximately 14 minutes — even longer if we factor in the storm.
Nyad’s GPS tracking data shows no significant periods of easterly movement. Yet, according to the observer logs, Nyad’s breaks — at least the ones [observers Janet Hinkle and Roger McVeigh] recorded — lasted far longer than three minutes.
I’d wager that no one attempting a legitimate swim ever spent as much time not swimming as Diana Nyad.
Please see the “Take a Break” spreadsheet for the version with active links.
