One of the two missing in Gran Canaria has been found
A young man who disappeared while trying to recover a jet ski has been found alive after surviving three days at sea in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Gran Canaria. Salvamento Marítimo, Spain’s national maritime rescue service, confirmed that the rescue took place at around 11:30 am this morning (Wednesday), when their search plane spotted the man signalling for help around 15 nautical miles southwest of Arguineguín.
He had vanished late on Monday night near the Juan Grande power station after setting out to retrieve a drifting jet ski. Following the sighting, the Las Palmas Coordination Centre deployed the Guardamar Urania rescue vessel and the Helimer 215 helicopter to the area.
The man was pulled from the sea just after 12:30 pm and taken to Arguineguín port, reportedly in good health apart from minor chest discomfort caused by lying across the hull of the jet ski.
The alert was first raised on Monday evening when the 1-1-2 emergency centre reported that a group of friends, travelling in a motorboat, had been towing a jet ski. As they approached the Juan Grande area, the jet ski came loose. One of the group jumped in and climbed aboard, intending to steer it back towards the coast near Salinas del Matorral. When his companions returned to shore, however, neither the man nor the jet ski could be found, prompting a large-scale search that lasted almost three days.
Thanks to the coordinated efforts of Salvamento Marítimo and the Canary Islands emergency services, the incident ended with a rare positive outcome: the safe recovery of a young man who had been feared lost at sea.
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