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The Swimmer  By  cover art

The Swimmer

By: Diana Nyad
Narrated by: Diana Nyad, Bonnie Stoll
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Publisher's summary

At the age of 64, legendary athlete Diana Nyad inspired the world when she walked onto the shores of Key West after "crossing the Mt. Everest of the earth's oceans", becoming the first person in history to make the 111-mile swim from Cuba to Florida without the assistance of a shark cage. In her riveting new play The Swimmer, recorded live at the Minetta Lane Theatre, Nyad shares the heartbreaking setbacks, brushes with death, and the victories that kept her going, plunging the audience into the depths of her extraordinary journey. Written by Nyad, directed by Emmy Award winner Jane Anderson, and featuring her longtime friend and coach Bonnie Stoll, Nyad makes her New York stage debut in this powerful true story of passion and resilience. 

©2020 Diana Nyad (P)2020 AO Media LLC

Our favorite moments from The Swimmer

Diana and her coach and friend Bonnie describe her disciplined swims.
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Diana suffers agonizing, debilitating box jellyfish stings.
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Diana reminisces about her father describing her name and destiny.
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  • The Swimmer
  • Diana and her coach and friend Bonnie describe her disciplined swims.
  • The Swimmer
  • Diana suffers agonizing, debilitating box jellyfish stings.
  • The Swimmer
  • Diana reminisces about her father describing her name and destiny.

About the Creator and Performer

25 million people worldwide rooted for Diana Nyad as she reached the Florida shore, at long last achieving her 35-year-old quest of becoming the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida. Speaking the words "Never Ever Give Up" to the wildly cheering crowd on a Key West beach on September 2, 2013, Diana demonstrated to the world the power of the human spirit. Diana’s amazing record: 110.86 miles in 52 hours, 54 minutes, 18 seconds. A prominent sports journalist, filing more than thirty years for National Public Radio, The New York Times, and others, Diana has earned her place as one of our compelling storytellers. Her memoir, Find a Way, has earned worldwide praise. Also a uniquely entertaining and inspiring public speaker, Diana now fulfills another lifelong dream, bringing her performance of her play The Swimmer to the storied off-Broadway Minetta Lane Theatre, the show produced and recorded by Audible. Nyad’s best friend and Cuba Swim Head Handler, Bonnie Stoll, also plays a key role onstage in The Swimmer. Nyad and Stoll further collaborate in their nationwide walking initiative, EverWalk.

What listeners say about The Swimmer

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inspiring

Diana really took you through the events and made you feel her struggles to become the first swimmer to cross such a tough region of ocean. At the same time that it was heart warming it was also comical.

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Amazing!

Amazing feat! Congratulations Diana! Such a great story of determination and perseverance! The body achieves what the mind believes.

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You'll Be Cheering

Diana Nyad's one-woman, actually two-women, play is thrilling, inspiring and heartfelt.

Most of us are at least slightly aware of Diana Nyad's 2013 long-distance swim from Cuba to Florida. She was sixty-four. She'd already failed another attempt. And no one else had ever completed this tempestuous, trouble-laden 111-mile slog from Havana to Key West without the aid of a shark cage. (An Australian, Susie Maroney, completed it with a shark cage in 1997 and she was 22.)

This is the story behind that record-making swim. A very personal story that digs back into her past but spends a lot of its time in the water with Diana as she deals with jellyfish, sharks and bodily fatigue and keeps time by playing Roy Orbison tunes in her head. All the while, her trainer Bonnie Stoll rides in a nearby boat, shouting encouragement and course corrections and interjecting a dose of humor.

There's a lot of humor in this story. Some tragic moments, But the overall tone is uplift. It's amazing what one person can accomplish when she decides the impossible is possible. And Diana was 64. Which makes this story even more mind-altering because it runs contrary to the notion that you have to accomplish the big dream of your life before forty or forget it.

As far as I know Diana Nyad and Bonnie Stoll have no acting experience. And, yeah, they're playing themselves on stage--but that's really hard to do without coming off wooden or overly dramatic. They hit all the right emotional keys with their performance so you can just jump in the water and swim along with the story.

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Brilliant!

I thoroughly enjoyed this. It’s funny and full of heart. Fascinating to hear some details of what goes on during the long and challenging ordeal. Congratulations team Diana!

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A wild and crazy dream

I’m a 71 year old swimmer. But not like Diana. I swim a mile in a pool. Right now I’m on a break because my husband just died a month ago after a long illness. But I’ll get back there. I remember following Diana’s story in the newspaper and cheering her from afar. This was a wonderful true story, told by Diane and Bonnie. What courage!

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simply amazing

I loved it from beginning until end. I wish there was a video of it. Great writing and the narration was incomparable

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Inspirational!

What a great story of inspiration and dedication on following your dreams! Congratulations to you and loved listen to you narrating your own story!

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I am a swimmer but now I need to walk

This was just what I needed to hear! I just finished 10 months in rehab centers due to a series of unfortunate events. I have to remind myself to be grateful for making it home but I need to get back in the water! I need to put safety first but thanks for the inspiration.

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Wonderful, in every way!

Absolutely loved this book! Lately I can't even finish some of the audible originals, but this was a surprise exception. Intriguing, funny, suspenseful, educational, heartwarming, entertaining and motivational all describe this book.

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Worth the listen.

Excellent!!! Diana told her fascinating story so well that it kept you on pins and needles the whole time.

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