text: A tired Ben Friberg (L) rests after arriving in Key West, Florida, following an 111-mile paddleboarding voyage from Cuba across the Florida Straits to the Florida Keys August 2, 2013. 
   
   KEY WEST, Florida A Tennessee musician on Friday became the first paddleboarder to cross the Florida Straits between Cuba and the United States, making the 110 mile journey in 28 hours as his father watched from a support boat. 
   
   Ben Friberg, 35, arrived in Key West dehydrated and exhausted but otherwise in good shape. 
   
   Before leaving Cuba on Thursday, Friberg said he was "doing this to promote peace and understanding between Cuba and the United States and to promote a healthy lifestyle." 
   
   The guitarist and band leader from Chattanooga stood on his 14-foot-long board for most of the trip, sitting only for quick snacks. The crew of the support boat that accompanied him on the journey included a medic and a navigator. 
   
   Friberg was decked out with a long-billed cap for protection from the sun, close-fitting long sleeve shirt, open fingered gloves and shorts cut off below the knee. Special socks shielded his feet. 
   
   Last year, Friberg broke the record for the longest distance stand-up paddleboard journey in 24 hours, traveling 238 miles on Canada's Yukon River. 
   
   Friberg is believed to be the first person to cross the entire Straits on a paddleboard. 
   
   At least two Cubans have made the trip by surfboard. In 1992, Cuban-born doctor Ernesto Barral completed the journey on a wind surfing board in 19 hours, navigating by the stars at night. 
   
   In 2011, Miami lifeguard Cynthia Aguilar made the crossing by paddleboard from 14 miles off Cuba's coast. She was unable to set off from dry land because she did not have a Cuban government visa. Unlike Friberg, Aguilar completed the crossing on her knees, using her hands to paddle. 
   
   Several swimmers have attempted the journey but only Australian Susan Maroney has succeeded, making the crossing in 1997 with the help of a shark cage. 
   
   (Writing by David Adams; Additional reporting by Tom Brown and Marc Frank; Editing by Toni Reinhold) ||||| The diver, who could only drink liquids during the six-day dive, lost 30 pounds 
   
   Jerry Hall shows his shriveled hands and feet after he surfaced from South Holston Lake near Bristol, Tenn., Friday, Aug. 2, 2013. Hall set a new world record for the longest fresh water dive of six days, one hour and 42 minutes. (Photo: David Grace, AP) Story Highlights A diver in Tennessee has set a freshwater diving record 
   
   Jerry Hall spent six days submerged in South Hoston Lake 
   
   The previous record of five days was also set by Hall 
   
   NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee scuba diver has set what is believed to be a record freshwater dive of more than six days. 
   
   Jerry Hall emerged from South Holston Lake in Tennessee's northeast corner at 1:42 p.m. EDT on Friday after going under the surface at noon July 27. The dive lasted six days, one hour and 42 minutes. 
   
   His trainer, Ella Helton, described Hall as emotional as he surfaced, especially as he hugged his son. 
   
   "He's in great spirits, very, very weak, very emotional," Helton said by cellphone from the lakeshore. 
   
   Hall, 49, set an earlier record of five days in 2008 that was certified by Guinness World Records, but a Florida diver later said he bested the mark. 
   
   The record was broken at 12:25 p.m. on Thursday. Hall, who is 49, then stayed down another day to extend the mark. 
   
   The dive was also used as a fundraiser for the children's charity of Bristol Motor Speedway. 
   
   The diver had not yet weighed out, but handlers expected him to lose about 30 pounds from lack of food. He was on only liquids during the dive. Hall had intentionally gained about 15 pounds prior to the dive in anticipation of the weight loss. 
   
   Asked to describe Hall as he emerged, the trainer replied, "He's very, very cold, very wrinkled and gray." 
   
   From the dive platform, Hall had told his team he wanted "a hot dog, a beer and a hot shower" as soon as he got out of the lake. 
   
   Other divers took turns staying with Hall on the dive platform around the clock, watching over him as he slept. He was never alone during the event. Medical personnel were nearby and his condition was constantly monitored. 
   
   Hall, who works at Eastman Chemical Company in Kingsport, watched a lot of movies to pass the time while under the surface. 
   
   Helton said Hall wanted the mark to stand for a long time. 
   
   "This will be his last one," she said, noting his age. 
   
   The time of the dive will be submitted to Guinness for certification. 
   
   Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. 
   
   Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/1cx6s81
target: – Ben Friberg is far from the first person to paddle from Cuba to the US. He is, however, the first person to paddleboard from Cuba to the US, a feat he accomplished yesterday via a 28-hour, 110-mile journey. Friberg, a 35-year-old musician from Tennessee, stood up on his 14-foot-long paddleboard for almost the entire trip to Key West, though he sat down for quick snacks, Reuters reports. Friberg says he made the journey "to promote peace and understanding between Cuba and the United States and to promote a healthy lifestyle." Friberg is not the only Tennessean to set a watery record this week: a Gate City man spent more than six days underwater to set a world record for the longest freshwater scuba dive. Jerry Hall, 49, went under South Holston Lake last Saturday, and emerged yesterday afternoon, reports the AP. Hall gained 15 lbs before the dive and subsisted only on liquids while underwater. "He's very, very cold, very wrinkled and gray," says his trainer. Hall says he now wants a hotdog, beer, and a shower.