UltraOceanMan Tabarca

UltraOceanMan Tabarca is an endurance open water swimming race held in the open Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Alicante in the Comunitat Valenciana region of Spain. Organized by OCEANMAN, this marathon crossing challenges swimmers with a demanding continuous distance of 21,000 meters. The marathon course departs directly from the island, requiring competitors to circle three-quarters of Tabarca's perimeter before turning outward across open water toward Santa Pola and on to Alicante. The marathon crossing takes place in late May. Completing such a distance demands steady mental discipline, as staying focused through difficult solitary stretches is essential to maintaining rhythm across hours of continuous swimming.

Tabarca Marine Reserve: Posidonia beds and volcanic reefs

Surrounding the island is a protected marine reserve that encompasses 1,400 hectares of coastal waters. First established in 1986 and officially recognized in 1995, it holds the distinction of being the very first marine reserve created in Spain. In the shallowest rocky sectors, bright green algae carpet the ledges, while dense clusters of red algae take over as the seabed descends into deeper offshore channels. Gliding above this underwater canopy allows you to track shifting bottom contours. Schools of dentex, gilt-head bream, common seabream, salema, and saddled seabream patrol the water column, alongside groupers, dusky groupers, and wreckfish cruising the rocky reefs. Along the deeper bottom terrain, lobsters, vermetid mollusks, pen shells, gorgonians, sea urchins, starfish, and sponges thrive undisturbed across the sanctuary.

Barbary corsairs and Genoese settlers within the Tabarca ramparts

Human presence around the island traces back to antiquity, as evidenced by ancient Roman burials and dumps uncovered near the shoreline. By later centuries, the isolated rocky outcrop had become an infamous refuge and operational base for Barbary corsairs raiding maritime traffic along the coast. King Charles III of Spain ordered the island fortified in 1760 and repopulated it. Construction of the island's stone defensive walls began in 1769 according to plans drawn by military engineer Fernando Méndez de Ras. The perimeter of the fortification was built to adapt to the natural geometry of the coastline. The fortified gate of Puerta de la Trancada opens toward the ancient quarry where stone for the town was cut, while Puerta de Tierra leads to a small cove where a natural rock breakwater marks the old port.

Although certain exposed sections of the stone wall have deteriorated and collapsed into the breakers, maritime safety here has long been secured by dedicated beacons. The stone Tabarca lighthouse was inaugurated in 1854 specifically to warn approaching mariners of the dangerous islets and shallow reefs encircling the island. A concrete tower built adjacent to it in 1971 was later demolished in 1998 to restore and preserve the original nineteenth-century heritage structure.

Cabo de Santa Pola and the ancient Portus Ilicitanus

Looking across the water toward the mainland, swimmers face Cabo de Santa Pola, the closest continental landmark to Tabarca at a distance of 4.5 kilometers. The towering headland represents a rare geological formation: a fossilized coral reef dating from the Mio-Pliocene period. Tracing this high promontory provides an unmistakable geographic reference point while navigating the open crossing. Crowning the high cliff is the Santa Pola lighthouse, constructed in 1858 upon the site of the sixteenth-century Atalayola watchtower. About seven kilometers from the race area on the adjacent mainland lies ancient Portus Ilicitanus, which was once one of the most prominent harbors on the coast alongside Cartago Nova. Roman archaeological remains from the first to fourth centuries reveal extensive shorebound facilities that were used for producing salted fish.

Near the old harbor basin, excavators also uncovered a substantial Roman necropolis dating from the second to fifth centuries. In 460, a major imperial Roman fleet assembling in the harbor to mount an attack on the Vandals was burned at anchor by enemy forces. More than a century later, between 612 and 621, the Visigoths stationed their own fleet here to repel a Byzantine invasion.

The walled village and turquoise coves of Tabarca

The island of Tabarca itself is remarkably compact, stretching only 1,800 meters in length and 400 meters in width, with a highest elevation of just 15 meters. At its narrowest point sits the village port, where small boats rest on transparent water like a watercolor painting. Stepping ashore reveals a network of narrow, cobblestone streets lined by whitewashed houses with red-tiled roofs that preserve an authentic Mediterranean atmosphere. Down on the shoreline, the Central Beach features clear turquoise waters and rocky shores where swimmers often rely on water shoes. Cala del Francés forms a protected rocky cove celebrated for its transparent water and rich snorkeling. As evening arrives and the day boats depart, Tabarca settles into a quiet and serene rhythm.

The historic walled town is illuminated gently by streetlights, accompanied only by the ambient sound of the sea lapping against the shore. Waking up on the island before the 21-kilometer marathon crossing, swimmers step into transparent waters defined by centuries of maritime history.