Some 2,000 keen swimmers goggled-up and dove into the Pearl River on July 25, in what has become an annual tradition in Guangzhou for the past 12 years.

Most of the swimmers came from Guangzhou, Foshan, Dongguan or Zhongshan.

The event, where swimmers cross an 800-meter stretch of the river, has become one of the major annual sports events held in the Guangdong province capital and a good example, promoting fitness nationwide.

Swimmers from Zhaoqing city take a group photo before swimming across the Pearl River. [Photo/news.dayoo.com]

This year's swim started from Zhongda Wharf and finished at Xinghai Concert Hall. It was covered extensively in the media outlets by Guangzhou Daily, Sina and Toutiao which streamed live video from the event, attracting more than 1 million viewers.

"I recently swam across the Yangtze River and I'm excited to swim across the Pearl River," said a female swimmer surnamed Zhang who finished the 800-meter distance within half an hour.

Many people who take part in the swim, do so with their friends and family.

Swimmers form into teams and swim across the Pearl River on July 25. [Photo/southcn.com]

Zeng Jian, 50, a swimming coach and leader of the Haizhu district team, said it was his 12th time to swim across the river. He learned to swim when he was only three years old and first swam across the Pearl River with his father when he was just six years old.

"This year, I swam with my son who has participated in the annual event for three years and is working hard to become a swimming athlete," Zeng said.

Chen Youzi, who swam in the Pearl River for the first time, said it felt great to swim in the natural, calm water.

"It felt better to swim in the Pearl River than to swim in a pool because pools often smell strongly of chlorine," said Chen. She added that the whole journey was very exciting, with many people carrying buoys and stopping to take photos in the middle of the river. 

A swimmer poses for a photo while swimming across the Pearl River. [Photo/news.dayoo.com]