Hailing from Miami, Florida, twenty-six year old Cynthia Aguilar is known for her determination both in and out of the water. The life-long swimmer works as an ocean lifeguard in South Beach and discovered paddle boarding eight years ago, which led to an addiction of the sport.
Describing herself as ‘laid-back, goofy, and shy’, Cynthia strives to inspire and motivate others by completing long distance open ocean paddles, while raising money for charity.
On April 9th 2007, she left Cat Cay, Bimini (Bahamas) on her paddleboard, and had a small support boat follow her for nutrition and safety. Her departure was just before 10pm, and she paddled through the darkness of the night. ‘The only sound you could hear was the sound of my hands meeting the water’s surface and the crew in the boat cheering me on’, said Cynthia.
Nineteen hours and 33 minutes later, exhausted and sunburned, Cynthia stepped ashore in Florida, at Dania Beach Pier. In addition to breaking the previous record for that same distance (58 miles) by eleven minutes, her incredible effort raised almost $2,000 for AIDS Walk/Care Research, and earned her the Key to the City of Miami Beach.
With the desire to continue pushing herself, Cynthia is currently training to attempt the 100 mile paddle from Cuba to Key West in September 2010. She hopes to raise money for the ‘Make a Wish Foundation’ in order to keep true to her belief of ‘Using your abilities to do small things, with great love’.
Cynthia Aguilar
Hailing from Miami, Florida, twenty-six year old Cynthia Aguilar is known for her determination both in and out of the water. The life-long swimmer works as an ocean lifeguard in South Beach and discovered paddle boarding eight years ago, which led to an addiction of the sport.
Describing herself as ‘laid-back, goofy, and shy’, Cynthia strives to inspire and motivate others by completing long distance open ocean paddles, while raising money for charity.
On April 9th 2007, she left Cat Cay, Bimini (Bahamas) on her paddleboard, and had a small support boat follow her for nutrition and safety. Her departure was just before 10pm, and she paddled through the darkness of the night. ‘The only sound you could hear was the sound of my hands meeting the water’s surface and the crew in the boat cheering me on’, said Cynthia.
Nineteen hours and 33 minutes later, exhausted and sunburned, Cynthia stepped ashore in Florida, at Dania Beach Pier. In addition to breaking the previous record for that same distance (58 miles) by eleven minutes, her incredible effort raised almost $2,000 for AIDS Walk/Care Research, and earned her the Key to the City of Miami Beach.
With the desire to continue pushing herself, Cynthia is currently training to attempt the 100 mile paddle from Cuba to Key West in September 2010. She hopes to raise money for the ‘Make a Wish Foundation’ in order to keep true to her belief of ‘Using your abilities to do small things, with great love’.
For information on Cynthia’s paddling adventures, visit: http://keeppaddlin.org