the event planted its roots  in 2008, in the leme pontal challenge, which was a race from leme beach to pontal beach- a distance of approximately 35 km the length is not for the faint of heart - Luiz Lima was the victor of the competition and is still referred to as the King of the Sea, despite other competitors winning later editions.

by 2009 the rei & rainha do mar started getting national attention, and shortly after two levels were introduced, including Travessia (crossing) and Desafio (challenge) - travessia is designed for amateur athletes and desafio for professionals. notably, swimming World magazine has recognized the event as one of the best swimming competitions in the world.

In 2010, the competition added female participants and adopted a three-phase structure - this current structure includes the Desafio Elite, which is a relay race that includes swimming and running in the sand.