Swim for Alligator Lighthouse
About this race
“The 8-mile swim to Alligator Lighthouse is a challenge. It’s not for the faint of heart"
How it started
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. When he then said out loud “every open water swimmer should experience this,” Larry became the anchor to the Swim for Alligator Lighthouse.
The Fighting Manatee Swim Club, the Masters swim club of Islamorada, accepted the challenge to present a world class open water swim event in the Florida Keys to help raise awareness and funds to Save Alligator Lighthouse. The Fighting Manatees presented the Inaugural Swim for Alligator Lighthouse in 2013. It’s here to stay!
Race Overview
The Swim for Alligator Lighthouse is an 8-mile open water swim. Participants swim 4 miles, circle Alligator Lighthouse, and swim 4 miles back. The event is open to solo swimmers, 2 person, 3 person and 4 person teams. 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.
Full Event Details can be found at https://www.swimalligatorlight.com/
Pick your distance
Swimming
Solo Swimmer & Support Kayaker
Solo Swimmers will be required to swim the entire 8 mile distance themselves. Each swimmer will need to recruit a kayaker that will paddle alongside them the entire race. Kayaking out to the Lighthouse is an athletic event in itself, so make sure your kayaker is prepared to train and be ready for the challenge. Kayakers will carry supplies for both themselves and their swimmers in the kayak. When you register, you will be given the option to include your kayaker information, if you do not know your kayaker at time of registration, you can go back and edit this information later. Please note, all solo swimmers must have a kayaker listed in their account by Aug 25, 2026 , and that kayaker must be present with the swimmer in order to check in. Swimmers who do not have a kayaker and a proper kayak will not be allowed to swim in the event.
2 Person Relay
Every team member must register and pay the relay registration fee. 2 person relays will work together to swim the entire 8 mile distance. The team will need to bring or rent an approved kayak and will take turns being the swimmer and paddling alongside the swimmer the entire race. Kayaking out to the Lighthouse is an athletic event in itself, so make sure you are prepared to practice and be ready for the challenge. The kayak will hold supplies for both swimmers. When you register, you will be given the option to include a team name. The first person from the team will need to enter the team name, and the second person to register will need to ensure they select/enter the exact same team name. Please note, all swimmers on a team must be registered before the team is confirmed and all members of the team must be present in order to check in. Swimmers who do not have a complete team and a proper kayak will not be allowed to swim in the event.
3 Person Relay
Every team member must register and pay the relay registration fee. 3 person relays will work together to swim the entire 8 mile distance. The team will need to bring or rent an approved tandem kayak and will take turns being the swimmer and paddling alongside the swimmer the entire race. Kayaking out to the Lighthouse is an athletic event in itself, so make sure everyone is prepared to practice and be ready for the challenge. The tandem kayak will hold supplies for all swimmers. When you register, you will be given the option to include a team name. The first person from the team will need to enter the team name, and the other swimmers to register will need to ensure they select/enter the exact same team name. Please note, all swimmers on a team must be registered before the team is confirmed and all members of the team must be present in order to check in. Swimmers who do not have a complete team and a proper tandem kayak will not be allowed to swim in the event. Three person relays are required to use a tandem kayak, two individual kayaks will not be allowed.
4 Person Relay
Every team member must register and pay the relay registration fee. 4 person relays will work together to swim the entire 8 mile distance. The team will need to bring or rent one (1) approved tandem kayak and one (1) approved single kayak. Swimmers will take turns being the swimmer and paddling alongside the swimmer the entire race. Kayaking out to the Lighthouse is an athletic event in itself, so make sure everyone is prepared to practice and be ready for the challenge. The tandem kayak and individual kayak will hold supplies for all swimmers. When you register, you will be given the option to include a team name. The first person from the team will need to enter the team name, and the other swimmers to register will need to ensure they select/enter the exact same team name. Please note, all swimmers on a team must be registered (and paid) before the team is confirmed and all members of the team must be present in order to check in. Swimmers who do not have a complete team and a proper tandem kayak and single kayak will not be allowed to swim in the event. Please note, only motorized watercraft associated with the water safety team will be allowed on course. Swimmers will not be allowed to have personal motorized watercraft on course as assistance. (IE, no boats, no jetskis, no kayaks with motors)
Typical race-day weather
Based on 8 years of Open-Meteo archive data for this event's race dates in Islamorada, plus the 3 days either side.
The sun rises at 7:07 AM and sets at 7:29 PM local time (EDT) in Islamorada on September 12, 2026 — 12h 22m of daylight.
Course
No course map published yet.
The organizer hasn't released a route for this event, and we don't publish guesses. If you're the organizer, send us a GPX file and we'll draw the profile.
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Results — Swim for Alligator Lighthouse
Other races near Islamorada
Different organizers, within 40 miles, in the next three months
Islamorada Half Marathon & 10k, Rumrunner Run 5K/10K and Beach N' Beer Mile
Chi Sigma's Holiday Bike Walk & Hayride
First State Bank Key Largo Bridge 10k/5k Run/Walk
Duck Key Turkey Trot 5k Run/Walk
Where this page comes from. Race details were last updated on . We re-check listings regularly and again in the week before race day.
- Entries, prices, waves and inclusions — the event's official registration page
- Temperature and humidity — Copernicus ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0)
- Elevation and terrain relief — Copernicus DEM GLO-90, ESA (CC BY 4.0)
- Comparisons and counts — Race Discovery calendar, 5 Islamorada events
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