The new Mayan Channel Swim (@mayanchannelswim) is a 27 km channel crossing of the Cozumel Channel between the coast of Playa del Carmen and Isla Cozumel off the eastern coast of Mexico in the Caribbean Sea. The beautiful stretch of water, colorful in its sea greens and azul tones, has an average annual temperature of 22°C to 26ºC with unpredictable currents running 2 knots for up to 8 hours, although In the winter months, the water temperatures can be as low as 18ºC.

The event was envisioned by Mexican marathon swimmers Orlando Iván Mejía Tronco (on left) and Juan Fernando Urrutia Valencia (Mexico, 47, MSF bio here, on right). Their recommendation: “Know it, respect it, master it.” But they also state, “In the case of the crossing from Cozumel to Riviera Maya, swimming speed is essential. Despite the fact that we always avoid the hours of maximum current, we cannot prevent a certain intensity of drift during the crossing, depending on the tidal coefficients, so we advise maintaining at least 3.5 km per hour for several hours.”

Crossings will begin at 6 am and must be completed within a time range of 7 or 8 hours.

For more information in English, visit here. For more information in Spanish, visit here.

Swimmers can register for the following categories:

• solo 27 km crossing
• 2-person duo 27 km tandem crossing
• 3-person trio 27 km tandem crossing
• 4-person quad 27 km tandem crossing
• 2-, 3- or 4-person relay 27 km crossing
• relay pair 27 km crossing (maximum of 3 duos)
• solo 54 km two-way crossing
• duo or trio or quad 54 km two-way crossing
• 2-, 3- or 4-person relay 54 km two-way crossing
• 2-, 3- or 4-person relay pair 54 km two-way crossing

The Riviera Maya is an incredible stretch of Caribbean coastline on Mexico’s northeastern Yucatán Peninsula, known for its numerous all-inclusive resorts, long beaches, and beautiful tropical waters.

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