Chloë McCardel Defeated By Jellies
Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California. Chloë McCardel’s attempt to be the first person to complete a non-stop swim from Cuba to the US without a shark cage has ended prematurely after 11 hours due to a severe debilitating jellyfish sting.
She is now on one of the support vessels heading to Key West, Florida. She will spend the next 24 hours recuperating before deciding on her plans going forward.
When the sun goes down in the Florida Straits between Cuba and Florida, the photophobic box jellyfish (that live in the depths during the day) come up to the surface of the ocean – in gigantic blooms – so it was not surprising that the most venomous creature on Earth was too much for even the most determined athlete.
The distance, the conditions, the giant eddies, the currents, the sharks had not created challenges for the Australia marathon swimmer over the first 9 hours of her adventure. For 15 km, she was swimming smoothly in generally calm weather conditions in warm seas. Even with a slight current hitting her, it was the dreaded box jellyfish that ended her adventure.
Copyright © 2013 by World Open Water Swimming Association
Southern California native, born 1962, is the creator of the WOWSA Awards, Oceans Seven, Openwaterpedia, Citrus Corps, World Open Water Swimming Association, Daily News of Open Water Swimming, Global Open Water Swimming Conference. He is Chief Executive Officer of KAATSU Global and KAATSU Research Institute. Inductee in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Swimmer, Class of 2001) and Ice Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Contributor - Media, Class of 2019), recipient of the International Swimming Hall of Fame's Poseidon Award (2016), International Swimming Hall of Fame's Irving Davids-Captain Roger Wheeler Memorial Award (2010), USA Swimming's Glen S. Hummer Award (2007, 2010) and Harvard University's John B. Imrie Award (1984). Served on the FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee and as Technical Delegate with the 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games, and 9-time USA Swimming coaching staff. Note: WOWSA only recommends products or services used or recommended by the community. WOWSA does not receive compensation for links or products mentioned on this site or in blog posts. If it does, it will be indicated clearly on that specific post. See WOWSA's privacy policy for more information.
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