Above: Diana Nyad

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Diana Nyad became the first person to ever swim from Cuba to Florida without the help of a shark cage on Monday.

The 64-year-old Nyad arrived at Smathers Beach in Key West following a harrowing 103-mile journey through waters full of sharks.

A longtime long-distance swimmer, Nyad had attempted the swim twice before, eventually succumbing to crippling jellyfish stings in 2011 and to lightning storms.

(This trip included both a jellyfish suit and jellyfish mask to prevent stings).

She was accompanied by a five-boat support team that helped feed her and monitor her health along the route.

The team also helped clear away the dangerous box jellyfish that dotted the route.

Nyad arrived in Key West to huge crowds cheering her on, although she appeared, expectedly, a bit delirious following the incredible journey.

All in all, the swim took about 53 hours.