Bosphorus Cross-continental Swimming Race is organized under the auspices of the International Olympic Committee under large social and corporate support.

The Alcatraz Invitational Swim is an open water swimming competition hosted by the South End Rowing Club in San Francisco, California. Its record is held by Bob Placak, set in 1989 in 1 hour 5 minutes.

6-person relay that brings in many accomplished pool and open water swimmers including world open water swimming champions, FINA World Cup and FINA Grand Prix pro swimmers, and NCAA and Olympic Trial qualifiers and top masters swimmers from dozens of states and countries

Swimmers compete as an individual or as part of a 3-person team. Some swimmers also compete in the "assisted" category using snorkel and/or fins.