Bacalar to host new open-water pro swimming competition

Bacalar is preparing to receive athletes from across the country for an open-water swimming championship.
The sporting event is scheduled to kick off Saturday and take place over the weekend.

The distances these swimmers will traverse range from 5 to 10 kilometers.
Aside from the prestige of the event itself, the races will serve as qualifiers for the national championships to be held later this year.
A new “recreational” 250-meter mode is also to be introduced this year, though it is not sanctioned as a qualifying modality.
Earlier: Bacalar tour operators and tourists throw caution to the wind
Open water swimming is a sport that takes place in outdoor bodies of water such as open oceans, lagoons, and rivers — as opposed to pools.
The event comes as tourism to Bacalar has begun to pick up again after two years of much lower-than-average visitor volume.
Excessive activity coupled with the intense rainy season of 2020 robbed Bacalar’s lagoon of some of its splendor, but specialists say that the famous bands of color which give it its name are slowly returning.
The town has also embarked on a redesign of its main plaza which will now feature large open spaces and structures to view the “Seven Color Lagoon.”

day a week. Photo: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht / Yucatán Magazine

Senior Editor Carlos Rosado van der Gracht is a Mexican expedition/Canadian photographer and adventure leader. Born in Mérida, Carlos holds multimedia, philosophy, and translation degrees from universities in Mexico, Canada and Norway.