Maya Merhige, a 17-year-old American swimmer, told CNN she was stung thousands of times by jellyfish during her recent swim across the Cook Strait.

At this point, Merhige was already several hours into her 14-hour swim across the Cook Strait in New Zealand and had slowly become immune to the small, burning sensations that covered her body.

Maya Merhige recently completed a 14-hour swim across the 13.67-mile Cook Strait in New Zealand, battling through strong currents and jellyfish stings.

By George Ramsay, CNN (CNN) — Maya Merhige eventually stopped counting her jellyfish stings, such was the frequency with which they were getting scorched against her skin. At this point, Merhige was ...

At this point, Merhige was already several hours into her 27-mile swim across the Cook Strait in New Zealand and had slowly become immune to the small, burning sensations that covered her body.

American teenager Maya Merhige withstood thousands of jellyfish stings during a 14-hour swim across the Cook Strait ...