By Associated Press Reporter PUBLISHED: 22:34 EST, 18 August 2012 | UPDATED: 05:53 EST, 21 August 2012 Endurance athlete Diana Nyad launched another bid on Saturday to set an open-water record by swimming 103 miles (166 kilometers) from Havana to the Florida Keys without a protective shark cage. Under a blazing afternoon sun at the Hemingway Marina in the Cuban capital, Nyad adjusted her cap and goggles, pointed to the open water, blew a bugle and cried: 'Adios amigos! Courage!' Then she leaped in feet first and stroked out toward her supportboat. Less than a week before she turns 63-years-old, the Los Angeles woman is attempting a feat that even the fittest of human beings would find daunting. It's a dream that has taken three years of marathon open-water training swims and seen multiple aborted attempts at the crossing.
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Diana Nyad hopes to set a record by swimming the Florida strait without any protection from sharks
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The journey, from Havana to the Florida Keys, is 103 miles (166 kilometers) and Nyad expects it will take 60 hours
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A 50-person support team including navigators, weather gurus and a shark handler will accompanying Nyad on five vessels
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