It’s not the kind of news anyone wants to wake up to, but sadly the sea has taken another life in the islands. The conditions this week have been brutal, and once again the ocean has proved just how unforgiving it can be.
A 27-year-old fisherman in Lanzarote, rescued in critical condition on Sunday after being swept away by a large wave in Los Charcones (Yaiza), has passed away. He becomes the fifth person to die in the Canary Islands in recent days as a result of the strong sea surge. The other four victims lost their lives here in Tenerife after entering an area that was clearly cordoned off.
A Tragic Afternoon in Los Charcones
Emergency services were called after the young fisherman was dragged into the water by a huge wave. At the time, there was an active pre-alert for waves reaching up to four metres… yet he and another man still approached the coastline. The second man managed to get out on his own, battered and bruised but alive.
The fisherman was spotted by helicopter and rescued in critical condition. Medics performed resuscitation before rushing him to hospital, but he didn’t make it. With this latest death, 61 people have now died in the Canary Islands so far this year due to incidents connected to the sea.
“It Could Have Been Avoided”
Experts keep repeating the same message. The right precautions were in place. The sea warnings were active. In Tenerife, the area where the four earlier victims died had been cordoned off. And still, just hours later, police had to remove more people who crossed the tape in the middle of the storm.
The mayor of Santiago del Teide, Emilio Navarro, says this kind of behaviour is sadly very common. Sometimes they’re even insulted or physically confronted while trying to keep people safe.
As one expert put it bluntly, imprudence is the common denominator.
Tourists Often Don’t Realise the Danger
Sebastián Franquis, from the platform Canarias 1.500 kilómetros de Costa, explains it clearly. Natural pools can look calm and inviting, especially to tourists, but they can become deadly traps. Many assume the walls protect them, but they simply don’t understand how quickly the Atlantic can change in winter.
Vicky Palma, from the regional government’s Risk Analysis Unit, highlighted that wave predictions can vary massively. You might get long stretches of small, harmless waves… then suddenly ten out of every hundred can rise to three, five, or even nine metres. And even the experts can’t predict those spikes with complete certainty.
The coastline can look peaceful one minute and become violently dangerous the next.
Calls for More Authority to Close Danger Zones
Because of all this, the Santiago del Teide council is asking for more power to temporarily close high-risk coastal areas when alerts are active. Navarro says it’s frustrating because beyond issuing fines and posting warnings online, they can’t legally do much more.
Meanwhile, search teams are still looking for the person who has been missing since Sunday in the same municipality here in Tenerife.
It’s a sobering reminder that the sea around the Canaries is beautiful, yes, but it demands respect. And sometimes the bravest thing you can do is simply keep your distance.
