Shark
Photo: Christi Barli
The picture you see here is of an Oceanic White Tip which came within just a few feet of me during this last attempt from Cuba to Florida. They are aggressive. And highly curious. And they don’t seem to mind one bit the electronic current we put out from the devices called the Shark Shields which emanate electric fields under and around me from the kayaks that travel close to my right and behind me. Other species of dangerous sharks, such as the Tiger Sharks and Great White Sharks, do seem to writhe and display discomfort when approaching the field. Not the Oceanic White Tip. They come right through.
Photo: Christi Barli
I have every reason to fear a possible shark attack way out there in these animals’ territory. For protection, along with the Shields, I also gathered a Team of Shark Experts, led by Luke Tipple, one of our planet’s leading shark specialists….who actually lives his life in the dedication to shark conservation.
We almost lost Luke and his Team in the middle of preparing the expedition this summer. That’s because every media entity that did a story on the Xtreme Dream chose to sensationalize the shark dangers. Example: ABC News with Diane Sawyer did a story. I was standing on a pier in Key West. They asked me how I felt about the upcoming, daunting challenge. I said “One one hand, I stand here prepared, confident. On the other hand, I admit I’m very afraid.” Well, they took the words “I’m very afraid”, to which I was referring to swimming this long, long distance and put those words over a picture of menacing sharks, so many of them they filled the entire screen, a picture entirely unrepresentative of the perhaps occasional, lone, curious shark I might encounter out there. A few more of such media reports and Luke was uncomfortable about his position of protecting sharks at the same time as protecting me becoming compromised.
Photo: Christi Barli
I wrote a couple of CNN blogs, stating categorically that NO SHARK would be killed during our crossing. This is their ocean, their territory. I am simply, respectfully asking them to let me pass through for a couple of days. Luke was back in.
Well, during the final prep for the voyage, I was scanning the television channels one night. I come upon this man, close up, standing on a ship’s deck. He’s talking about the cruel practice of shark fin slicing, now an activity of epidemic numbers around the globe. Holding a fin in his hand, he dramatically describes that the animal is caught, has both his fins sliced off, and then is released, alive, back to the sea, forcing him to plunge to the bottom where he lies helpless and dies, not able to move. I found myself choking up. Then the camera widens and you see this reporter is standing among thousands and thousands of shark fins on this deck. And he tells you the numbers. Some 70 million sharks are being killed worldwide each year. Many of them in this unconscionably vicious, murderous way.
Just as we can’t upset the land ecosystem by going out and slaughtering all the predators, the eagles and the crocodiles, we can’t be ridding the oceans of a predator that serves to balance that ecosystem.
Photo: Christi Barli
Well, in California, Governor Jerry Brown just signed Assembly Bill 376 into law. At least in this state, the sale, distribution or possession of shark fins is now against the law. Just because we may fear sharks doesn’t mean we can’t appreciate them…..and defend their existence. As a matter of fact, my understanding is that the rather alarming proliferation of deadly venomous jellyfish in warm oceans around the world is in part because of the rapid decrease in the shark population. There’s further reason to let the sharks be. Let’s get educated about these magnificent beings. How is it that we tend to view the big cats of the world, the jaguar and the tiger and the lion, as symbols of big fluffy stuffed toys, even though they are savage hunters, whereas the shark to us has become a villain?
-Diana
Roz Savage Part 4
Roz Savage and Diana Nyad in conversation, Part 4
On October 4, 2011, Roz Savage became the first woman to row across the “Big Three” oceans of the world — the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian. Upon reaching dry land, she made a call to Diana to reflect on her experience pursuing her “Xtreme Dream.”
Click on the image below to watch Part 1.
Roz Savage Part 3
Roz Savage and Diana Nyad in conversation, Part 3
On October 4, 2011, Roz Savage became the first woman to row across the “Big Three” oceans of the world — the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian. Upon reaching dry land, she made a call to Diana to reflect on her experience pursuing her “Xtreme Dream.”
Click on the image below to watch Part 1.
Roz Savage Part 2
Roz Savage and Diana Nyad in conversation, Part 2
On October 4, 2011, Roz Savage became the first woman to row across the “Big Three” oceans of the world — the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian. Upon reaching dry land, she made a call to Diana to reflect on her experience pursuing her “Xtreme Dream.”
Click on the image below to watch Part 1.
Kathy Loretta
Photo by Christi Barli
Our Cuban Ops Team Member in Havana was a dear friend from Mexico named Kathy Loretta. On the radio, Kathy was for many years the “Barbara Walters” of Mexico, a top-notch journalist who interviewed every major news figure who came from around the world to Mexico City for some 20 years, from Henry Kissinger to the Shah of Iran. Kathy now lives in Cancun, is editor of the Caribbean edition of USA Today and operates a fleet of fishing vessels out of charming little town called Puerto Morelos. Along with St Maarten, PM was my other training ground over the past two years. As we began to need help with all kinds of arrangements and negotiations in Cuba, kathy would scoot over to Havana from Cancun, make friends, take meetings, scout locations. She was absolutely invaluable to our bond with the wonderful, sporting Cuban people and I count Kathy as one of our essential crew.
Photo by Christi Barli
Today, Kathy writes me the below letter….which touches my heart. I stand tall. I lived life fiercely over the past two years. And my two attempts this year were fierce as well. But when you want the big highs in life, you by definition put yourself at risk of suffering the depths of lows. Kathy, in her wisdom, understands this.
Photo by Christi Barli
Regarding you, I cannot express in words how I feel. Nor do I pretend to say I know how you feel, because I don’t. I don’t believe there are many people on this earth that can empathize with you. The level of frustration and disappointment is way off the scales. I can sympathize, but never, ever reach the state you are in today. I just want you to know one thing. In me, this person in PM, you will ALWAYS have a friend. Whatever you need, whenever, just let me know. In you I have found truth, beauty, simplicity and complexity. You are a wonderful person that I will treasure forever. I can only hope that your strength and superior intelligence help you in overcoming this turmoil you are going through.
Con todo el amor en mi corazón,
-Kathy
Roz Savage Interview Part 1
Roz Savage and Diana Nyad in conversation
On October 4, 2011, Roz Savage became the first woman to row across the “Big Three” oceans of the world — the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian. Upon reaching dry land, she made a call to Diana to reflect on her experience pursuing her “Xtreme Dream.”
Steve Jobs
With millions of others today, I am both burdened with sadness and lifted with inspiration as we stand in awe and applaud the uniqueness of Steve Jobs. Like the other geniuses and visionaries of various eras….Aristotle, Einstein….Jobs was a Thinker of grand magnitude who could then impart that magic to us, the lay public.
As a non-techie, I surprised myself by tuning into every Steve Jobs keynote that was web-broadcast. His sense of delight, his boyish twinkle of the eye, as he lovingly handled and introduced the first i-phone was the stuff of Walt Disney many decades ago, mesmerizing us with the fairy dust of his new animation technology.
I sat spellbound to hear Jobs explain so simply how remedial the homo sapien is, as an athlete moving on the Earth….until he got onto a bicycle. With a bicycle, the human evolves into an efficient specimen. Then Jobs takes a beat, grins that boyish grin, and you can feel the palpable joy within him when he says “the computer is the bicycle for our minds”.
Steve Jobs will be associated forever with the cultural icons who stepped outside the establishment. The “Think Different” Apple ads feature Dylan and Hitchcock and Picasso and Ghandi and Ali but the understated message is that Steve Jobs lives on that same unique pedestal. The words of that ad could well serve as today’s eulogy to Mr. Jobs:
Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes. They’re not fond of rules and they hold no respect for the status quo…..They push the human race forward….The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.
The beloved, iconic, captivating symbol of the Apple, tiny bite taken, will remind us every day for the rest of our lives, and then through many generations beyond us, that a gentle genius created technology that went so far as to beguile us. Steve Jobs’ mind has blown our collective mind. Rest in peace, Steve, as we fondly and passionately remember your urging us all to “Think Different”.
-Diana
Kayaker Katie Leigh
Photo by Christi Barli
As a kayaker on the Xtreme Dream Team, I got to see Diana up close and personal for three hours out of every nine, so about one-third of the time. During the hours I was “on,” I got to be in the presence of greatness. But you may be surprised to learn that greatness doesn’t look like it does in the movies.
From a mere 100 feet away, on the deck of Becky Bad Girl, the swim appeared to be over numerous times. The sound of screams and dry heaves across the water, the frantic calls over the marine radio for oxygen, doctors and meds, the stopping and slow progress of the escort boats. These were all indications of a swim going badly. But as soon as I arrived in the presence of Diana, I never doubted the final destination would be the shores of Florida.
That’s not to say she made it look easy. From the first time I accompanied her (midnight on the first night, so post-jellyfish sting), she was struggling. Throughout the swim at various times, I witnessed Diana vomiting, shivering and having difficulty breathing. Her face and lips were swelled, her stomach was upset and she was burned, chaffed and stung all over her body. Having seen Diana previously only in top form, bigger than life, happy, positive and confident, it was difficult to watch her laboring alone through this journey. And despite a team of more than 30 people, the entire burden of The Dream rested heavily and totally on Diana’s shoulders … on her every stroke, word, thought and motion. She could not have done it without her support team, but there would be no support team without Diana’s Dream.
Photo by Christi Barli
The team was composed basically of three shifts of every position – three shark divers, three doctors, three crew on every boat, 6 kayakers working in pairs. This makes total sense until you put into perspective that throughout your personal rest, food and sleep breaks, Diana will be out swimming the entire time! All of the sudden, arriving for a 3 a.m. shift on 1.5 hours of sleep does not warrant any attention and certainly no sympathy. Instead, each team member drew strength from the absolute determination that Diana possessed.
That first night of the swim, we all went through a range of emotions. Questions were left unanswered and whoever slept did so with a heavy heart. After finishing my midnight shift, I crawled into bed in the starboard cabin. Through my porthole, I had a perfect view of Diana swimming alongside Voyager and the kayaks. Muffled voices could be heard and her little red light continued to bob up and down in the water. As long as I could see the light moving, I knew that all was right with the world, and I fell into a deep, yet brief, sleep.
The following night, when I witnessed the second jellyfish sting, I began to doubt. Seeing Diana on the boat, cold, tired and in pain, I doubted she could get back in the water. I doubted anyone could. And I understood for the first time, why it was so important to Diana to continue her journey unassisted, no matter what. That simple act of getting out of the water, even just for medical attention, changed everything. A warm towel, a soft pillow, a friend’s touch. The lack of those amenities allows your mind to deny them. And now, wouldn’t it just be easier to fall asleep and forget? So many times throughout the journey I thought, why? Why is she doing this to herself? Why doesn’t she just get out, go home, turn on the TV and settle into a nice warm, safe and simple life. But I knew the answer to that question. Diana was not interested in easy.
The thought of Diana getting back into the water was impossible, and yet, no one was really surprised when she did. It was these continual and constant oxymorons that defined Diana. Every stroke she took, every inch she progressed defied human possibility. And yet she did it, over and over again. Until you just believed. Anything was possible.
When the decision was made to end the swim, it was not because Diana could not have swum another 10, 20 or 30 hours. We all believed that she could have gone on, despite her injured state. The sheer act of propelling herself forward in the water was not the hurdle, it was the direction of that progress that made the dream impossible. I hurt for Diana all over and I had only been a part of the team for a little over a week. Nobody wants to see a dream die, a hero fall.
And yet, despite its non-perfect ending, this is still an overwhelming positive story for the universe. Over the past week, I have thought a lot about what it took to have an XTreme Dream like this one. And I keep coming back to an excerpt from a quote from Nelson Mandela:
“Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you … And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
Photo by Christi Barli
Diana dared to Dream Big and she put it all out there – every last bit of her, every joy, every tear, every painful moment: open, awake and alive. And her dreaming big has allowed a world of people to do the same, on whatever scale. Her goal may have been to swim from Cuba to Florida, but her legacy will be her leadership, courage, strength, compassion, foresight and total determination. Her light shone brightly on the water that night as I fell asleep somewhere in the Florida Straits and because of it, so many others are able to shine in their own endeavors. That’s the big picture and that’s what I’ll remember.
Katie Leigh
In My Own Words
Tuesday, October 4th, join Open Water Source as they welcome me into their studio to tell everyone about what went into the Xtreme Dream and what I’ve learned along the way. This webinar will be hosted by Steven Munatones and Mike Lewis. To attend you must register here: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/581077614
The webinar begins at 11 am Los Angeles time, 2 pm New York time, 7 pm London time.
Share the event with your friends on Facebook.
Diana reflects on her swim, 1 week later
One week later, Diana reflects on her swim and asks for your help in dealing with the disappointment she’s going through. Share your stories of overcoming disappointments, staying positive and looking back with pride.
-Xtreme Dream Team
Diana's Tweets
- @kikicontessa Your mojo won't come to you on the couch. You must seek it because I guarantee you, its not gonna seek you. #HardWorkPaysOff
- @marisollakeside It was a pleasure and absolutely uplifting for me as well to be surround by such amazing people.
- @purpleraviol The video should be working now
- RT @alicia_dandc: "If your mind is happy and your body is strong, you can do anything in life."- @diananyad.
- RT @roclabornews: #lifespan speaker @diananyad spotted with trumpet pre-luncheon. Fanfare in store?
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