By Britta Elsbernd
Few people take the phrase “never give up” literally, but Diana Nyad is one of them. Her perseverance demonstrates what can be accomplished when this advice is taken to the extreme. Nyad is a record-breaking long-distance swimmer and Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Lake Forest College. At the age of 64, she completed her life’s goal of swimming from Cuba to Florida. She attempted this swim for the first time at 28, but rough seas forced her to abandon the effort after 41 hours. Following this defeat, Nyad seemed to leave her swimming career behind. She built a successful career in broadcast and print journalism, working for NPR and ABC’s Wide World of Sports. However, at 60, her dream of swimming from Cuba to Florida resurfaced and she started training once again. Jellyfish attacks, allergic reactions, and sea storms thwarted three attempts throughout 2011 and 2012, but Nyad finally completed her swim in 2013. She spent a total of 52 hours and 54 minutes in the water and swam from Havana, Cuba to Key West, Florida.
The 2023 film Nyad is based on Nyad’s 2015 memoir, Find A Way. Beginning with Nyad’s (Annette Bening) 60th birthday, the film recounts Nyad’s journey to accomplishing her lifelong goal despite what some would call “old age.” Discontent with the societal norm of taking an easy retirement, Nyad finds a newfound determination to complete the swim that had evaded her before. She convinces her best friend, Bonnie Stoll (Jodie Foster) to be her coach and their friendship is a highlight of the movie. Due to her stubbornness, Nyad is not easy to befriend or coach. She never wants to give up, which frequently forces Bonnie to choose between endangering her life or her chances of accomplishing her dream. Although Nyad seems ungrateful at times, she learns to appreciate Bonnie and her team, including navigator John Bartlett (Rhys Ifans). Ultimately Nyad is a story of group sacrifice and collective pride. Briefly touching on the sexual abuse Nyad endured as a child, this film also shows how childhood trauma can influence the rest of a person’s life.
Nyad has been well received as an inspirational film driven by female friendship, with both Bening and Foster receiving Oscar nominations for their performances. In The New York Times, Amy Nicholson praises Bening’s depiction of Nyad, writing, “While she’s one of the prickliest protagonists you’ll see this year, she’s so raw and earnest and unapologetically herself that you adore her anyway — from the safe distance of the screen.” The film received broad acclaim, including from the Critics Choice Awards and the Golden Globes, resulting in 9 awards won and a total of 38 nominations.
To Nyad’s dismay, the World Open Water Swimming Association has not officially ratified her swim. However, the story of grit told through Nyad is enough to certify that Diana Nyad should be regarded as one of the world’s most determined athletes. Her story will make you dream bigger, dig deeper, and rethink the meaning of “never give up.”
Nyad, directed by Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, is available for streaming on Netflix.
Britta Elsbernd is a senior at Luther College majoring in music and visual communications. She was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa there in May 2024. Luther College is home to the Eta of Iowa chapter of Phi Beta Kappa.