The First National Lake Argyle Swim recorded its biggest event to date, drawing more than 750 visitors to the East Kimberley and 400 swimmers to the water for the open-water race.

Held on Saturday May 2, the event went ahead despite a rare freshwater crocodile incident the previous day, with organisers modifying the course as a precaution.

Event manager Glenn Taylor said the swim continued to grow in popularity every year, selling out within minutes when tickets were released late last year.

“It’s pretty close to the quickest we have sold out, especially since we increase capacity a little bit every year.

“The demand is always outstripping our supply.”

Mr Taylor said the event, which featured 10km and 20km swims, attracted more interstate and intrastate competitors than ever before, with residents making up just 13 per cent of entrants.

“We’ve only got 13 per cent locals, which is our lowest-ever local turnout. The rest is a pretty even split between intrastate and interstate visitors,” he said.

A new three-person team category was introduced this year, and quickly sold out.

“It works out to be just under 7km per competitor, so it’s an in-between distance for the swimmers but it’s proving to be as popular as any of the other categories,” Mr Taylor said.

On Friday, May 1, a man in his 60s was injured after being bitten by a suspected freshwater crocodile while swimming in the lake.

Three others were also bitten while trying to assist.

None of the injuries were life-threatening.

Authorities confirmed no further incidents on Saturday.

Despite the scare, competitors described ideal conditions and a strong atmosphere on race day.

Australian marathon swimmer Andrew Donaldson, who set a world record in Kununurra just a week earlier, swimming 55km in 11hr. 51min. said the race conditions and competition made for an unforgettable experience.

“That was unreal — we had a great team of four out there on the water,” he said.

“Beautiful conditions like glass, and lots of pumping tunes to get the boys all really up and pumped and fired for that swim.

“It was a pretty tough field. We had a young team from Darwin, they were neck-and-neck with us right through the 10K.

“Another team from Perth filled with Olympians and Rottnest Channel Swim winners — so we knew it was going to be tough, tight right down to the wire, down to the finish . . . but I think the real win was having a great day out there in the Lake Argyle Swim.”

Long-time participant Ben Brodie called it his best experience yet.

“I’ve been swimming in the Lake Argo swim since 2011 … by a country mile, that was my favourite day on the world,” he said.

First-time solo swimmer and Broome resident Jackie Sjogren praised the conditions.

“Really, really fun. It was beautiful conditions, which was gorgeous. By the end, I was very tired, though,” she said.