Competitors in this year's cross-harbour swim will be in for a shorter, straighter course so that more swimmers can take part.
The New World Harbour Race is to be held on October 6, and those who want to swim in the event will have to join next month's time trials.
Organiser the Amateur Swimming Association said this year's course - from Lei Yue Mun to Quarry Bay Park - was 300 metres shorter than last year's 1.5 kilometres. Association secretary Ronnie Wong Man-chiu said the course had been shortened to ensure that all 2,000 swimmers - up from 1,800 last year - would be able to finish the race before the area was reopened to marine traffic. Participants would be swimming along the current throughout the race, he said.
Also new this year is a category for leisure swimmers. Its 1,500 participants would not be ranked but given a finish time. First, they need to prove in a time trial that they can swim 1.5 kilometres in 45 minutes.
Other categories include international, youth and open.
Wong said a raft would be set up near the shore so that swimmers could step onto it before they came onshore. This came after swimmers last year complained of cuts from shells near the shoreline.