A young man attempting to reach Spain from Morocco using only a rubber ring and flippers was rescued by a family on a yacht off the Costa del Sol. The incident occurred on 16 July, 13 nautical miles south of Benalmádena, when the family spotted something moving in the water while manoeuvring around an oil tanker.
Initially assuming it was a bird, the family used binoculars to realise it was a person. Video footage shared by the Spanish Royal Assembly of Yacht Captains shows the exhausted man swimming towards the yacht as a rope is thrown to him. After bringing him aboard, the family provided water, clothes, and soup.
The man, wearing a wetsuit, was equipped only with the rubber ring and flippers. According to sources, he barely spoke. The family headed to Estepona but were met by a maritime rescue vessel, which took the man to Málaga port and handed him over to police and the Red Cross.
Migration correspondent María Martín noted that dozens of migrants attempt such crossings using basic means, often young men trying to reach the Spanish enclave of Ceuta. However, crossing the wider Alborán Sea in this manner is less common. Guardia Civil sources said such incidents can be regular depending on the time of year.
According to the International Organisation for Migration, 572 people died last year trying to reach Spain from north Africa, with 151 deaths so far this year.
