Crowds gather for 98th annual Pony Swim

CHINCOTEAGUE, Va. - Crowds from across Delmarva and beyond gather in Chincoteague Wednesday for the 98th annual Pony Swim.

Take Noel Cruz, who often attended the event with his father, who recently passed away. 

"It's like a pilgrimage in honor of my dad…I lost him last year and he always loved this event," said Cruz. "He loved the fact that all the people that attended came from all over the world. A lot of people with different skin colors and everything."

Others stressed the importance of arriving at the event early. 

"Everybody told us -- get there early That people get lined up at 5 or 4," said Pony Swim viewer Yvonne Zebrowski. "So we thought -- we are going to be there -- we are going to do this." 

People travel from far and wide to see the Pony Swim. "Mom has been wanting to come down to see this her whole life," said viewer Josh Farrell. "It was on her bucket list and so we made it happen."

The event brought people of all kinds, from all places, to Delmarva.