Some 350 participants donned swim caps, goggles and sunscreen for the 8-mile roundtrip around Alligator Reef Lighthouse on Sept. 12. The annual Swim for Alligator Lighthouse saw solo swimmers and relay teams, as well as their kayaking assistants, setting out from Amara Cay Resort around 7:30 a.m. to the historical beacon.
Three hours and 4 minutes later, the first swimmer, 30-year-old Maximiliano Paccot, emerged from the Atlantic Ocean to the finish line at the beach. This is his third consecutive first-place finish in the swim to Alligator Lighthouse. Key West’s Tabitha Pearigen was the first female swimmer to finish, with a time of 3 hours and 49 minutes.
Swim for Alligator Lighthouse was founded after Florida Keys artist Larry Herlth, known locally as “Lighthouse Larry,” made the swim to the lighthouse in 2012, to bring awareness to its crumbling condition. Between his swim and artistry, he inspired the launch of the annual lighthouse swim in 2013 — an event that both celebrates open water swimming and supports restoration and scholarships.
