Drownings in Tenerife in 2024 is a summary so far of the number of people who have lost their lives to drowning on the island.
Tenerife evokes romance and allure, tranquillity and atmosphere, beaches and water, holidays and relaxation. But not everything is rosy; danger can sometimes lurk just around the corner. Occasionally, people unwittingly seek it out and find themselves closer to a precarious situation than they realise.
Water Everywhere
An island is surrounded by water—naturally—and, as a result, it boasts an extensive coastline dotted with beaches, rocky formations, and embankments that invite water activities. And where there’s water, there’s the risk of drowning.
Accidents are always linked to the three I’s: indifference, imprudence, and ignorance. One of these factors is nearly always responsible, 99% of the time, when someone ends up in trouble or can no longer stay afloat. Drowning occurs when a person dies from a lack of oxygen due to water exposure, typically caused by an excess of fluid in the lungs or asphyxiation through submersion.
1,500 km of Coastline
In the first eleven months of 2024, 67 people died from drowning in the Canary Islands. This is one fewer than in the same period in 2023.
November, the month just concluded, has been the deadliest of the year, with a total of 11 fatalities. This is more than November 2022, which recorded 16 victims, and November 2021, which saw 12 deaths.
On 26 November 2024, three drownings were registered across three different islands in less than three hours. Additionally, two swimmers were reported in critical condition, four suffered moderate injuries, and two others were rescued without injury.
In the Canary Islands, drowning accounts for twice as many deaths as traffic accidents. This is perhaps unsurprising, given that the archipelago boasts over 1,500 kilometres of coastline.
Nationality and Age
The prevention platform Canarias, 1500 km de Costa reported a total of 174 water-related incidents on beaches, natural pools, swimming pools, and coastal areas across the islands in the first eleven months of 2024. This marks a 22% decrease compared to the same period in 2023, which saw a total of 224 victims.
So far this year, there have been 67 fatalities, alongside nine people in critical condition, 15 with severe injuries, 50 with moderate injuries, 13 with minor injuries, and 20 individuals rescued without injury.
In total, 19 minors have been involved in water accidents this year. Of these, two have died, one is in critical condition, two have sustained severe injuries, 11 have moderate injuries, and three suffered minor injuries.
The prevention platform highlighted that 78% of the drowning victims were men (52), while 22% were women (15). Based on the activities they were engaged in, 69% of the victims were swimmers (46), 15% fell into the “other” category (falls, slips, etc.) (10), 7% were divers (5), 6% were fishermen (4), and 3% (2) were engaged in water sports.
By Island
Tenerife stands out with the highest number of fatalities, totalling 23, followed by Gran Canaria with 16, Fuerteventura with 12, Lanzarote with 9, La Palma with 5, and La Gomera with 2. Thankfully, there were no fatalities reported on El Hierro or La Graciosa.
The area with the highest number of incidents remains the beach (53%), followed by harbours and coastal zones (22%), natural pools (15%), and swimming pools (10%).
Drownings in Tenerife in 2024 will be regularly updated. At the beginning of 2025, the final sombre balance will be drawn.
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Drownings in Tenerife in 2024 ©
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