Panama Canal Swim
Distance: 78.13 km
13 Nov 2025 - 31 Mar 2026
Progress
Challenge
Audience: Joinable Challenge
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Ranked by: Days to Complete
The Panama Canal was first discussed as a potential route for ships in the 16th Century, but it wasn't until 1881 that building started on the project. After losing a number of ships that were trying to navigate Cape Horn on the Southern Tip of South America, the French government started building the canal, but had to stop after workers were plagued by tropical diseases and attacked by venomous snakes and insects. The project was finally completed in 1914 with the help of the United States and today over 14,000 ships pass through it each year.
Your swim starts at the Pacific side of the canal by the Flamenco Island Lighthouse. You'll navigate a series of locks which will elevate you around 25m above sea level. From there, you'll cross Lake Gatun which was created to make the canal construction project a lot easier to build. Once you're through the Lake, you'll once again traverse a series of locks which will take you back out to the Atlantic Ocean where your swim ends by the breakwater at Fort Sherman.
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