Circuito TH5 Travessia 2026 — Etapa 1 (Bertioga)

The current pushes gently as you sight the stone walls of the Forte de São João, a silent witness to centuries of coastal navigation. As you draw closer to the shoreline of Bertioga, the water feels thick with the weight of history. It was precisely here, in these quiet, churning waters, that the fugitive Josef Mengele met his end in 1979, far from the reach of those seeking justice for his crimes at Auschwitz. Swimming past the fort, you are following the same currents that once dictated the movements of the German mercenary Hans Staden, who in 1552 was captured nearby by the Tupinambá people before surviving to write one of the most widely read accounts of colonial Brazil. The landscape remains a blend of heavy history and untamed nature, with the dense mangroves of the Restinga de Bertioga State Park lining the northern edges of your route.

Race day logistics

The Circuito TH5 Travessia 2026 kicks off its first stage on February 1st at Praia do Indiá. The event offers a wide range of distances, from a 150m sprint to a challenging 4,750m long-distance swim, allowing participants to choose their level of engagement with these historically charged waters. Wetsuit rules are determined closer to the event date, so keep a close watch on the official updates regarding the use of wetsuits. Organized by TH5 Eventos, this stage serves as the season opener, attracting a dedicated community of swimmers familiar with the local maritime challenges. For those building their calendar, you might look toward the Travessia Aquática Gaivotas or the Travessia 14 Bis later in the year, which offer different perspectives on the São Paulo coastline. The race environment is professional and safety-focused, with support craft monitoring the course as you navigate the entrance to the canal, much like the colonial expeditions that once used this fortification as a base to map the southern coast.