Diana Nyad, a 64-year-old American, has become the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida without the help of a shark cage, on her fifth try.

She arrived at the beach some 53 hours after she began her swim in Havana on Saturday.

As she approached, spectators surrounded her in the water, taking pictures and cheering her on.

Once on the beach, she was put on a stretcher and received medical treatment, including an IV.

It was Nyad's fifth try to complete the approximately 110-mile swim. She tried three times in 2011 and 2012. She had also tried in 1978.

Her last attempt was cut short amid boat trouble, storms, unfavourable currents and jellyfish stings that left her face puffy and swollen.

This time she wore a full bodysuit, gloves, boots and a mask at night, when jellyfish rise to the surface. Before the swim, she said the kit would slow her down, but she believed it would be effective.

Nyad told supporters a silicone mask she wore to protect her face from jellyfish stings caused bruises inside her mouth, making it difficult for her to talk.

The support team accompanying her had equipment that generated a faint electrical field around her, which was designed to keep sharks at bay. A boat also dragged a line in the water to help keep her on course.

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