CANC'N, Mexico. February 27. THE Por La Libre Canc'n to Isla Mujeres race is one of the world's top swims. The two-race event, organized by Rafa Hern'ndez, is held between Canc'n Island to the magnificent Isla Mujeres in the Caribbean Sea.
The inter-island ocean course is held in crystal-clear water waters that can occasionally become rough and tidal, but the swimmers are in for a unique treat at the end of the race where they swim over the Cancun Underwater Museum.
Swimmers traverse the blue Caribbean Sea from Isla Mujeres to Punta Cancun over fish-filled reefs, flora, fauna and the unique underwater museum with its <>400 submerged sculptures. "The Museum aims to demonstrate the interaction between art and the environmental sciences, forming a complex reef structure for marine life to colonize and inhabit the sculptures and surrounding area. The location of the sculptures promotes the recovery of the natural reefs and relives pressure on them by drawing visitors away from other coral reef zones that are in need of rehabilitation and to the beautiful sculpture museum."
Canc'n is located in Quintana Roo and is Mexico's most popular tourist destination, well-known for its spectacular beaches, unique beauty and breathtaking waters (see here). Photos from the past events, one of the World's Top 100 Open Water Swims, are here.
With outstanding tropical beauty, the annual race in June fills up quickly…for good reason. To stand on one island and look over gorgeous tropical waters to the finish on another island is, at once, alluring and unnerving. But once the gun goes off and the field hits the water, challenge is mixed in with awe and wonder at the beauty of the marine environment.
The field is limited to 300 swimmers in the 3K race and 450 swimmers in the 10K race which makes it the largest 10-kilometer ocean race in the world. For more information on El cruce 10k Cancun-Isla Mujeres, visit here.
Courtesy of Open Water Source