Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California.

El Cruce is one of the world’s most beautiful and unique marathon swims.

Held in the tropically warm and clear waters off Cancún in Mexico, El Cruce was originally started in 1980 with 30 swimmers competing on a 3 km out-and-back course off the Isla Mujeres.

But the 1990s ushered in the start of a 10 km marathon swim from Cancún to the Isla Mujeres where up to 50 swimmers swam over 400 submerged sculptures of the Cancún Museo Subacuático (Cancún Underwater Museum). But with the addition of the 10 km race in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, race director Rafael Hernández organized a sudden spurt of steady growth: from 230 in 2008 to 380 in 2009, 600 in 2010, 780 in 2011, 780 in 2012, 750 in 2013, and 750 in 2014 ages 15 to 70.

For more information on the World Open Water Swimming Series event, visit here.

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