IN PICTURES: HUNDREDS PARTAKE IN ANNUAL SWIM TO ALLIGATOR LIGHTHOUSE

September 18, 2025

a group of people swimming in the ocean — Wave 3 blue caps, made up of three-person teams, begin their swim.

A kaleidoscope of colors came to life in the Florida Keys on Sept. 13 when hundreds of swimmers put their stamina to the ultimate test — all in the name of giving back.

More than 300 swimmers from the United States and other countries began an 8-mile, roundtrip open-water swim to a historic lighthouse.

The solo and relay swimmers were accompanied by kayakers who provided navigation, hydration and real-time support during the race as they swam out four miles from the shoreline in Islamorada to Alligator Lighthouse and turned around to swim four miles back. The event raises funds for the restoration of the nearly 152-year-old lighthouse.

Swim for Alligator Lighthouse was founded after Florida Keys artist Larry Herlth, known locally as “Lighthouse Larry,” made the swim in 2012, to bring awareness to its crumbling condition.

His swim and artistry inspired the launch of the annual lighthouse swim in 2013 — an event that celebrates open water swimming and supports restoration and scholarships.

a group of people standing on top of a sandy beach — Swimmers set their sites on Alligator Reef Lighthouse as they prepare to enter the water at Amara Cay Resort.

a large group of people in the water — Swimmers set their sites on Alligator Reef Lighthouse as they prepare to enter the water at Amara Cay Resort.

For the second year in a row, Maximiliano Paccot, 29, emerged from the Atlantic Ocean as the fastest individual swimmer at the 2025 swim. His winning time of 2 hours, 52 minutes and 18 seconds beat his prior year’s time by 18 minutes and set a new course record. Originally from Uruguay, Paccot came to the United States on a World Aquatics sponsorship and has competed in open-water swims around the world.

The top female finisher was Coral Shores High School swimmer Layne Smith, 17, with a time of 3:39:51.

Alligator Reef takes its name from the USS Alligator, a U.S. Navy schooner that ran aground there in 1822 and was intentionally sunk to prevent capture by pirates. To protect ships from the same fate, the Alligator Reef Light, an iron screw-pile lighthouse, was built in 1873 near Indian Key. Rising 136 feet above the reef, it warned sailors away from the treacherous shallows for more than a century before being deactivated in 2015. Today, its skeletal frame still stands as one of the most iconic structures in the Keys, a symbol of both maritime history and preservation efforts. More information is at swimalligatorlight.com.