Athletes to Swim From Islamorada to Alligator Lighthouse and Back Sept. 7

SLAMORADA, Florida Keys — Nearly 500 solo and relay-team open-ocean swimmers are to attempt to complete the 11th annual Swim for Alligator Lighthouse, a unique endurance challenge slated for Saturday, Sept. 7, in Atlantic Ocean waters off Islamorada.

Individuals and two-, three- and four-person teams must conquer the 8-mile roundtrip course to the historic lighthouse and back in less than eight hours. To compete as an individual, a participant must first show proof of completing a prior 1,650-meter or 1-mile swim in 45 minutes or less. All swimmers must have a support kayaker. 

Sanctioned by the World Open Water Swimming Association, the event features an in-water start and beach finish at the host hotel, Amara Cay Resort at mile marker 80.5 oceanside in Islamorada.

First- through fifth-place solo and relay team finishers are to receive awards in male, female and mixed divisions. All successful participants get a finisher medal and souvenir towel.

Early-bird check-in and packet pickup is set for 4-7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 5, at Amara Cay. An informal meet-up social is planned for 6-9 p.m. at Florida Keys Brewing Co., 81611 Old Highway. Participants also can check in Friday, Sept. 6, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Amara Cay.

Saturday’s wave starts for swimmers are to begin by 7:45 a.m. All swimmers must exit the water by 3:30 p.m. An awards ceremony with dinner is scheduled at 7 p.m. 

Entry fee is $250 per person for solo swimmers. Fees are $240 per person for two-person teams, $230 per person for three-person teams and $220 per swimmer on four-person relay teams. All swimmers must provide their safety kayaker information to race officials. Online registration is available and the field is to be capped at 490 swimmers, according to race officials.

The annual challenge is a fundraising effort for the Islamorada-based Friends of the Pool Inc., a nonprofit group that in 2021 was granted ownership of Alligator Reef Lighthouse under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act. The group intends to restore the 151-year-old beacon — a project anticipated to be a 6-year undertaking with a cost of $5 million to $6 million. 

Alligator Reef Lighthouse is named after the USS Alligator, a U.S. Navy schooner that ran aground and sank on the reef in 1822.

Event information and registration: swimalligatorlight.com

Lighthouse restoration and donation information: savealligatorlighthouse.org