Diana Nyad has her permission from the Cuban and United States governments to start her 103-mile (165K) Extreme Dream swim.

She has done the training, including a 24-hour non-stop swim in the Caribbean Sea, and has organized the largest flotilla of support crews to escort and protect her across the wide expanse of sea affected by the Caribbean Current and Gulf Stream.

But Mother Nature remains and is determined to make her attempt challenging to say the least. Hurricane Danielle is shown off the East Coast of the United States which is pushing Tropical Storm Earl in a more westerly direction towards Cuba because of the pressure system from Danielle. There is currently a high pressure area to the north of southern Florida is causing the easternly winds over the Straits of Florida

Eastern winds make the waves in the Gulf Stream pile up which can be no fun at all for the 50-60 hour swim to be broadcast on CNN.

Copyright © 2010 by Steven Munatones