When
Saturday, September 12th, 2026
Where
80001 Overseas Hwy, Islamorada FL
Distance
About this race
Event Overview
“The 8-mile swim to Alligator Lighthouse is a challenge. It’s not for the faint of heart.”
How it Started
- Origin: When World Renowned Artist, Lighthouse Larry decided to swim, in his native town of Islamorada, to Alligator Lighthouse and back, alone and self-supported, his friends thought he was crazy.
- Inspiration: When he then said out loud “every open water swimmer should experience this,” Larry became the anchor to the Swim for Alligator Lighthouse.
- Community Effort: The Fighting Manatee Swim Club, the Masters swim club of Islamorada, accepted the challenge to present a world class open water swim event.
- Established: The Fighting Manatees presented the Inaugural Swim for Alligator Lighthouse in 2013. It’s here to stay!
Race Overview
- Distance: The Swim for Alligator Lighthouse is an 8-mile open water swim.
- Course: Participants swim 4 miles, circle Alligator Lighthouse, and swim 4 miles back.
- Team Structure: The event is open to solo swimmers, 2 person, 3 person and 4 person teams.
- Support Requirement: Every solo or relay team requires a support kayak. Solo swimmers will need to enlist a kayaker to accompany them the entire race, while relay groups will alternate kayaking with swimming.
Event Details
Full Event Details can be found at https://www.swimalligatorlight.com/
Course map
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