Nyad 1st to Swim to Florida From Cuba Without Cage Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau, via Associated Press Diana Nyad, positioned about two miles from the coast of Key West, Fla. as she nears the completion of her 110 mile swim from Cuba on Monday. Alejandro Ernesto/European Pressphoto Agency Diana Nyad's journey began Saturday morning. KEY WEST, Fla. - U.S. endurance swimmer Diana Nyad told supporters on a Key West beach that they should never ever give up. Nyad made the comment Monday shortly after she became the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida without the help of a shark cage. Nyad looked dazed and sunburned and her lips were swollen. She arrived at the beach just before 2 p.m. EDT, about 53 hours after she began her swim in Havana on Saturday. She is being taken by ambulance to a hospital. As she approached the beach, spectators surrounded her in the water, taking pictures and cheering her on.