Diana Nyad passes halfway mark of 48-hour charity swim in Manhattan

Diana Nyad just can’t stay out of the water.

Less than two months after completing her historic swim from Havana to Key West, the 64-year-old is already well into her next marathon swim -- only this time she doesn’t have to deal with pesky creatures like sharks or jellyfish.

As a fundraiser for victims of Hurricane Sandy on the one-year anniversary of the devastating storm, Nyad started a 48-hour swim Tuesday morning in a 40-yard pool set up in front of Macy’s in Manhattan’s Herald Square.

“It’s natural to show support and compassion for victims of natural disasters during the moment of tragedy. It’s equally important to show solidarity for those who are still working to repair their lives almost a year later,” Nyad wrote on her website. “This swim is about demonstrating that we continue to stand by their side supporting them as passionately now as we did then.”

She told the Associated Press on Monday that a Sandy-surviving dog named Roscoe would be one of her swimming companions. Others who have joined her in the two-lane pool have included Olympic gold-medal swimmer Ryan Lochte, fitness guru Richard Simmons, “Good Morning America” anchor Lara Spencer and members of the New York Fire Department.

More than 24 hours into her swim Wednesday morning, Nyad had raised more than $56,000.

On Sept. 2, Nyad completed her 110.4-mile swim after nearly 53 hours in the water, becoming the first person confirmed to have made the swim from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage.

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