Travesía a Nado Bahía de Playa Blanca

Event information

About the swim

The Travesía a Nado Bahía de Playa Blanca closes the open water year in Lanzarote: it is the fifth and final stage of the 12th Lanzarote Open Water Swimming Cup 2026, on Saturday 7 November in the bay of Playa Blanca, Yaiza. It is organised by the Asociación de Aguas Abiertas within the series coordinated by the island sports service of the Cabildo, and the official Cup listing has it as the 16th edition.

Being the last stage changes how it is swum. Anyone fighting for the overall standings arrives with the maths done, and anyone just looking for one crossing gets the end of season swim, with water colder than in the August stages.

The Cup: five crossings

The 2026 series is made up of these five stages:

1. 1 August: II Travesía a Nado La Tiñosa El Poril, Puerto del Carmen, Tías
2. 22 August: XXXI Travesía a Nado San Ginés RCNA, Arrecife
3. 29 August: XXIV Travesía a Nado Emmax, Playa Honda, San Bartolomé
4. 17 October: VIII Travesía a Nado Alejandro Candela, Costa Teguise
5. 7 November: Travesía a Nado Bahía de Playa Blanca, Yaiza

The first 16 in each category score, with 19, 16, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1 points. To make the standings you have to swim at least three of the five, and the best four count, or the best three if one is cancelled. The closing gala and trophy ceremony is planned for late November 2026.

Distances and categories

The Cup rules set bands by category: benjamín up to 400 metres, alevín up to 800, and 1,200 to 3,000 metres for infantil, junior, senior and master. The exact distances for this crossing and the start time have not been published yet, so wait for the Asociación de Aguas Abiertas to issue the details.

Entry and prices

Cup fees are 20 EUR for the senior category, 12 EUR for alevín and 8 EUR for benjamín. Each crossing is capped at 450 places and entries close on the Wednesday of race week at 23:59, Canary Islands time. There are no refunds. The rules do not name the entry platform: the route in is the series website or the address c_aguasabiertas@lanzarotedeportes.com.

Kit and water rules

The organisers’ official cap is compulsory and is the same one across every crossing in the series; if you lose it, a replacement costs 2 EUR at the Ciudad Deportiva Lanzarote. The chip is compulsory too: not returning it costs 20 EUR and blocks your next entry.

Wetsuits depend on the thermometer. They are compulsory below 18 ºC and banned from 18 ºC upwards, with referee discretion up to 20 ºC. Outside the range of 16 to 31 ºC the swim is called off. Judges come from the Canary Islands Swimming Federation, alongside the single judge appointed by the Lanzarote swimming delegation.

Planning your race

November is what sets this date apart from the rest of the series: the water has been cooling for weeks and the wetsuit rule matters more here than in the August crossings. Bring the suit even if you do not expect to use it, because the call is made on the day with a measured temperature.

Playa Blanca sits at the southern tip of the island, a good hour’s drive from the north, and the bay is right inside the town, with a promenade and parking around it. It is easy to watch from dry land and easy to combine with lunch afterwards.