Papagayo Beaches Crossing

Event information

About the event

The Papagayo Beaches Crossing is swum along the Los Ajaches coastline, in the municipality of Yaiza, and B15 Active organises it. It is the only swim on the island held inside a protected natural area, and that shapes the logistics far more than the swimming itself.

Where the 18 October date comes from

Worth stating plainly, because it is the question that brings most people here. Sunday 18 October 2026 appears inside the rules of the XII Lanzarote Open Water Swimming Cup 2026, published by the island council, in the list of swims on the island that are not part of that series. So the reference comes from the Cabildo, not from the organiser: B15 Active has not confirmed it publicly.

On that basis, the date is good enough to pencil into your season, not to book flights around. Before you travel for this race, confirm it with B15 Active on their website or social channels.

The fact that it does not score for the Cup has practical consequences: the island series entry fees do not apply here, nor the official cap shared by the five Cup stages, nor the points system. What applies is B15 Active’s own race rules, and those have not been published for 2026 yet.

Distances used in previous editions

In previous years B15 Active has offered a wide range, unusual on the island:

• 7,000 m
• 5,000 m
• 1,200 m
• 800 m
• 400 m
• Inclusive and children’s races

These are distances from past editions, not the 2026 rules. They tell you whether the event fits your level; cut-offs, start times and the exact categories will come with the organiser’s race circular.

Getting to Papagayo

This is the part that really needs planning. Papagayo is not a town beach with a promenade and a tarmac car park: access from Playa Blanca is along an unsurfaced dirt track, driven slowly, and it punishes anyone in a hurry or in a very low car.

Parking beside the coves is limited and fills early, so arriving with time to spare is not generic advice here: it is the difference between a calm warm-up and a long walk from wherever you ended up. There is no public transport down to the coves.

And there is no shade. Not at the start, not at the finish. In October the sun in southern Lanzarote is still strong by mid-morning, so a parasol, water, sunscreen and something to eat go into the bag before anything else. Anyone coming to watch should plan on several hours in the open.

Two swims in one weekend

The day before, on Saturday 17 October, the Alejandro Candela Open Water Swim is held in Costa Teguise, the fourth stage of the island Cup. There is close to an hour of driving between the two points. Anyone who wants to link them gets a full open water weekend, provided the Papagayo date is confirmed.