swimming news stories on Newser

EPA Budget Cuts Could Imperil ... Beachgoers?

Kate Schwartz — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 10:59:20 CST

Swimmers, beware: You may want to stick with sand, not surf, this summer. The EPA is feeling the financial squeeze, and this week submitted a budget request that eliminates $10 million in grants that are used to test for polluted water and post warning signs. The EPA says the burden...

Nyad Quits Epic Swim Attempt

Sun, 25 Sep 2011 11:16:33 CDT

Endurance athlete Diana Nyad has decided to end her swimming ultramarathon from Cuba to Florida about halfway through, as her face and body grew swollen from painful man o' war stings. Medics warned another sting could be life-threatening. Nyad team member Vanessa Linsley said the swimmer was disappointed and emotional....

Two Jellyfish Stings, But Nyad Keeps Swimming

Mark Russell — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 06:29:47 CDT

Despite enduring a second jellyfish sting, 62-year-old swimmer Diana Nyad is continuing her 103-mile swim from Cuba to Florida , and has reached the halfway point, reports the AP . Despite getting out of the water last night to receive treatment for the stings, Nyad is still allowed to continue her record...

Brain-Eating Amoeba Kills Second Child

Rob Quinn — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 09:04:05 CDT

The waterborne parasite known as the "brain-eating amoeba" is as bad as it sounds and it has caused the deaths of at least two young people this month. The rare but extremely deadly parasite that causes amoebic meningoencephalitis, an infection that attacks the brain and spine, can be found in...

61-Year-Old Begins 103-Mile Swim

Evann Gastaldo — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 08:18:05 CDT

And she's off: 61-year-old Diana Nyad began her Cuba-to-Florida endurance swim attempt last night, a 103-mile trip that will take an estimated 60 hours. "The adrenaline's flowing now," she said before setting off from Havana, while taking in the still air and flat water. "This is what I dreamed of:...

61-Year-Old to Swim From Cuba to Florida

Matt Cantor — Thu, 26 May 2011 17:43:05 CDT

She managed to swim all the way around Manhattan, but when Diana Nyad tried to swim from Cuba to Florida in 1978, she didn’t finish the job. Now, she’s preparing to try again—at age 61, the Washington Post reports. “I have no idea what age I am,” she says....

US Swim Champ Dies During Race

Kate Schwartz — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 14:15:20 CDT

"Overexertion" led to the death of a US national team swimmer during a race in the United Arab Emirates yesterday, according to swimming officials. Fran Crippen died while competing in the FINA Open Water 10K World Cup; he failed to finish and was discovered in the water two hours later....

Obama on Gulf: The Water's Great

Polly Davis Doig — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 10:23:07 CDT

After President Obama waded into the controversy yesterday over whether to build a mosque near Ground Zero, he then waded into the Gulf of Mexico during his quick family trip to the Florida Panhandle. Taking a dip yesterday at Panama City Beach with daughter Sasha, Obama told a wary public...

Half of US Kids Can't Swim

Nick McMaster — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 15:27:54 CDT

The tragic drowning of 6 teens in Louisiana happened because the victims and a handful of bystanders all lacked the ability to swim. They're not alone: a full 37% of adult Americans told a CDC study that they couldn't swim the standard lap of 24 yards. A separate University of...