After swimming 24 miles, encountering everything from jellyfish to sharks and nearing dehydration in the waters off Little Cayman, Sydne Didier said the experience was all worth it.

Didier, 53, from Massachusetts, pushed her body to its limits with the desire to spread awareness on climate change.

“I’ve seen coral change, rising sea temperatures, and I think we can try to draw more attention to those issues, to fight climate change,” Didier told the Compass.

She commenced her journey at 5:30am on Wednesday, 11 Sept., with hopes of finishing by 6pm the same day, but the swim took longer than expected.

A small crew steered her to finish the 23.88 miles just after 8pm, totalling 14 hours and 15 minutes in calm, though at times rough, waters.

Her swim from dawn till dusk made her the first woman to complete the route around Little Cayman – an island she says she has come to appreciate.

“What I saw with Little Cayman is the emphasis on the natural environment, and it certainly didn’t only meet but surpassed my expectations,” she said. “One of the things that is important with these swims, especially in warm water, it will become more challenging in the years to come because of climate change.”