Three people died on Sunday from a wave strike in a natural pool in Los Gigantes, southern Tenerife, according to the Emergency Coordination Center. A woman was recovered from cardiac arrest and airlifted to La Candelaria Hospital, while two others were injured. Authorities continue searching the area as a precaution.
The incident occurred around 4:00 PM on December 7, 2025, in the natural pool at Acantilado de Los Gigantes, in the municipality of Santiago del Teide, Tenerife. At 16:07, the Emergency and Security Coordination Center (CECOES) 112 received an alert about several people swept into the sea by a wave strike. An extensive emergency response was immediately activated, including the Helimer helicopter from Salvamento Marítimo, which rescued one unharmed person and recovered the body of a deceased man. Watercraft, such as beach rescue jet skis, pulled three others from the water: an unharmed woman, a deceased woman, and a deceased man.
The deceased are a 35-year-old man, a 55-year-old woman, and another man of unconfirmed age. A woman was recovered in cardiac arrest; the Canary Islands Emergency Service (SUC) reversed the condition and airlifted her via medicalized helicopter to Nuestra Señora de La Candelaria Hospital in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Additionally, a 39-year-old woman suffered moderate trauma and was transported by SUC ambulance to Hospiten Sur Hospital, while another woman was treated on site. Several people managed to exit the water on their own and received assistance.
The response involved the Tenerife Fire Consortium, Salvamento Marítimo with the Salvamar vessel, five SUC ambulances, a helicopter from the Emergency and Rescue Group (GES), an emergency doctor, and Local Police. Santiago del Teide's mayor, Emilio Navarro, confirmed the area had been cordoned off and fenced since the coastal phenomena pre-alert began on December 5. Salvamento Marítimo keeps a vessel in the area in case of additional victims, though no confirmed missing person is reported.
This event occurs amid a coastal swell alert in the Canary Islands. A month ago, on November 8, three people died and 15 were injured in similar incidents across Tenerife. In the first 11 months of 2025, 60 people drowned in the islands, 10% fewer than in 2024.
