Chloe McCardel Ends Havana Florida Swim [Update]

Chloe McCardel, 28, had to call an end to her attempt to the Havana Florida challenge after 11 hours of progress.

The update from McCardel’s support team read that she had to stop her challenge to become the first person to swim the Straits of Florida without a shark cage “due to a sever debilitating jellyfish sting.”

The Washington Press reported Bob Olin, skipper of the primary support boat, told the Associated Press that McCardel “got nailed all over her body — back, legs and arms. Nailed multiple times, all at the same time.”

Her crew tried to treat her wounds while she was still in the water, but the pain got to be too much for McCardel, and she had to be removed from the water, therefore ending her the challenge for her.

The Australian endurance athlete was determined to complete the Havana Florida swim without the protection of a shark cage, and had told CBS News,

“As confident as I can be. I think it’s all going to work out well. It’ll be tough, though. It’s not going to be an easy ride, but we’ll get through it as a team.”

McCardel had been hoping to take about 60 hours to complete the 100 or so mile swim between Cuba and the Florida Keys.

McCardel and her attempt was an inspiration to many, and even though she couldn’t complete the challenge, she remains an inspiration as can be seen by the comments left on the update on the Facebook update McCardel’s team had posted:

According to the Washington Press:

“It was the fifth failure involving three women swimmers who have tried to make the marathon swim since 2011. Jellyfish stings and strong currents have been the main impediments.”

Even though Chloe McCardel had to End her Havana Florida swim, as many of the comments read on the Facebook and Twitter updates, McCardel’s efforts where inspirational, and many can’t wait to see if she’ll attempt it again.