Incident Report: The drowning of UK citizens in Spain

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A collection of 84 aquatic incidents involving citizens from the UK who were overseas in Spain at the time of the incident. The ONS International Passenger Survey reported that 10,192,000 UK citizens visited Spain in 2019. The FCDO reported that only 21 UK citizens drowned in Spain that year, an incident rate of 4.85 per 100,000. That makes aquatic activity in Spain one of the most high-risk in Europe for UK citizens. However, 2022 reported the highest number of drownings for UK citizens in Spain in more than 25 years. It remains to be seen whether 2022 signals a growing escalation in aquatic safety risk for UK citizens in Spain. 

The risk to UK citizens participating in using Spanish swimming pools is material. The risk of a UK citizen drowning in a Spanish swimming pool is four times greater than that in the UK, based on 2022 figures. 

This article is part of a series on water incidents involving UK citizens whilst overseas. You can find other articles in this series using the search function. 

2022 

We identified twenty-one reported water incidents involving UK citizens. 

• A man, 20, drowned at Can Picafort beach at around 10:30 on Tuesday, 6 December 2022. 
• A girl, 7, survived a water injury whilst using the swimming pool at HYB Eurocalas Hotel at around 15:30 on Monday, 20 June  2022.
• A woman, Nikki Bate, 49, drowned in a rip tide at Famara beach in Lanzarote on Saturday, 20 August 2022. 
• A girl, 2, survived a water incident at a hotel on the Avenida de Los Oceanos at around 16:15 on Saturday, 30 July 2022. 
• A man, Nicholas Desmond, 29, drowned at the Callao Salvaje beach in Tenerife on Friday, 29 July 2022. 
• A boy, 3, survived a water incident at a hotel swimming pool at the Invisa Ereso Hotel in Es Canar on Sunday, 24 July 2022. 
• A boy, 3, survived a water incident at a hotel pool in San Miguel de Abona at 16:18 on Friday, 22 July 2022. 
• A man, 53, drowned in the Globales Palmanova Hotel swimming pool at around 16:30 on Sunday, 17 July 2022.
• A man, 75, drowned at the Playa del Los Nietos beach in Cartegena on Sunday, 17 July 2022. 
• A boy, 3, drowned in a swimming pool at a private villa at Es Canar at around 17:30 on Sunday, 14 July 2022. 
• A woman, 25, survived a water incident at Playa Honda beach, Tenerife, on Wednesday, 22 June 2022. 
• A boy, 7, drowned in a swimming pool at a private villa in Alicante on Wednesday, 15 June 2022. 
• A woman, 65, survived a water incident at Tamarells Beach in Puerto de Pollensa, Mallorca, on Thursday, 9 June 2022.  
• A man, 23, died after standing on a cannon in Barcelona and then falling from a height to land on the rocks below on Tuesday, 7 June 2022.  
• A boy, Corey Aughey, 6, drowned in a swimming pool at the Sa Coma Resort in Mallorca on Thursday, 2 June 2022. 
• A boy, Freddie Joseph Briggs, 1, drowned in a swimming pool at a private villa, El Paraiso in Aigues, on Wednesday, 25 May 2022. 
• A man, 70, survived a cardiac arrest in the sea, around 30 metres offshore, after being rescued and resuscitated by lifeguards on Tuesday, 24 May 2022.
• A man, Paul Lebihan, 25, drowned in a river at the Bolulla Waterfall at Fuentes del Algar in Spain on Monday, 9 May 2022.
• A man, 62, drowned at Playa Dorada beach in Lanzarote at around 13:30 on Thursday, 24 March 2022. 
• A woman, 29, drowned in the sea at Hermigua beach in La Gomera on Tuesday, 1 March 2022. 
• A man, 71, drowned following a cardiac arrest on Playa Chicain beach at around 16:35 on Wednesday, 9 February 2022. 

2021

The FCDO reported fourteen drowning fatalities involving UK citizens in Spain in 2021. We identified two reported incidents. 

• A man, 35, drowned at a cove in Punta Galera, San Antonia, at around 18:15 on Wednesday, 28 April 2021. 
• A woman, 55, drowned in the sea at Puerto Rico beach, Gran Canaria, at around 15:50 on Saturday, 13 November 2021. 

2020

The FCDO reported four drowning fatalities involving UK citizens in Spain in 2020. We identified five reported incidents. 

• A girl, Olivia Grace, 4, survived a water incident at a hotel pool in Tenerife on Tuesday, 27 October 2020. 
• A woman, Tracey Aston, 32, and a woman, Lisa Coggins, 35, drowned in the sea at Lloret de Mar at around 04:15 on Thursday, 1 October 2020. 
• A woman, 58, drowned in a swimming pool at the HL Ria Playa hotel in Lanzarote at around 17:00 on Thursday, 24 September 2020. 
• A woman, 35, drowned in a hotel swimming pool in Playa Blanca in Lanzarote on Friday, 25 September 2020. 

2019

The FCDO reported twenty-one drowning fatalities involving UK citizens in Spain in 2019. We identified six reported incidents. 

• A man, Gabriel Diya, 52, a girl, Comfort Diya, 9, and a boy, Praise-Emmanuel Diya, 16, drowned in the Club La Costa World resort swimming pool on Tuesday, 24 December 2019. 
• A man, 31, drowned after falling from a pedalo in the sea at Regueral beach in Costa Dorada at around 17:40 on Sunday, 24 June 2019. 
• A man, Paul Palmer, 51, drowned at Carvajal Beach in Fuengirola on Monday, 16 May 2019. 
• A man, David Briffaut, 23, was paralysed on entry to a waterslide splashdown pool at the Aqualandia waterpark in Benidorm on Monday, 8 July 2019. 
• A girl, Leah Wilson, 17, drowned after diving into a swimming pool at a private villa in Tenerife following a night of drinking on Monday, 12 August 2019. 
• A woman drowned at Las Canteras beach in Gran Canaria at around 07:00 on Saturday, 23 November 2019. 
• A man, Ben Lloyd, 33, drowned in the sea at La Gaviota beach in Malaga at around 20:20 on Monday, 1 July 2019. 

2018

The FCDO reported eight drowning fatalities involving UK citizens in Spain in 2018. We identified twelve reported incidents. 

• A man, Ben Crawford, 19, drowned in the swimming pool of a private villa in San José in Ibiza at around 15:10 on Sunday, 8 July 2018.
• A boy, Presley Stockton, 4, drowned in the swimming pool at the Paradise Park Hotel in Tenerife at around 15:40 on Wednesday, 19 September 2018.   
• A woman, Silvia Phillips, 70, drowned in the swimming pool at the Apartamentos Babalu in Gran Canaria at around 18:30 on Monday, 17 September 2018.  
• A man, Anwaar Lahrichi-Greenwood, 24, drowned in the San Antonio harbour in Ibiza after being repeatedly struck over the head with a glass bottle on Saturday, 4 August 2018.  
• A girl, 4, drowned in a swimming pool at a private villa in Marbella at around 10:30 on Saturday, 28 July 2018. 
• A woman, 28, drowned in a swimming pool at the Hotel Nautico Ebeso, Ibiza, at around 18:40 on Wednesday, 5 September 2018.
• A man, Frank Battison, 71, drowned at Las Cucharas beach in Lanzarote at around 12:45 on Saturday, 12 October 2018.  
• A man, 80, drowned in the sea at Playa Flamingo in Lanzarote on Friday, 26 January 2018. 
• A man, Paul Gardner, 24, drowned after jumping off rocks into rough seas in San Antonio, Ibiza, on Tuesday, 14 August 2018. 
• A man, 19, drowned in a swimming pool at a private villa in Sant Josep at around 03:00 on Sunday, 8 July 2018. 
• A man, 26, drowned in a hotel swimming pool on Friday, 6 July 2018. 
• A woman drowned at Amadores beach, Gran Canaria, at around 13:10 on Wednesday, 10 January 2018. 

2017

We identified eight reported incidents involving UK citizens in Spain in 2017.

• A boy, Apollo Badran, 7, drowned in the hotel swimming pool at H10 Lanzarote Gardens on 26 May 2017. 
• A girl, Darcey Morgan, 7, survived after being submerged with her hair entangled in a waterfall feature for around two minutes at the H10 Rubicon Palace resort in Lanzarote in April 2017. 
• A boy, 14, survived with severe gastrointestinal injuries after becoming entrapped on a purifier inlet on the pool bottom for several minutes at a Valencian swimming club pool in Spain on Friday, 2 June 2017.   
• A boy, 3, survived a water incident in a swimming pool at Denia, Valencia in Spain, at around 14:00 on Wednesday, 17 May 2017. 
• A man, 27, drowned in the sea at the Playa del Ingles beach in Gran Canaria on Friday, 4 May 2017. 
• A man, 30, drowned in the sea at El Tancon, Tenerife, on Thursday, 3 May 2017. 
• A man, 27, drowned in the sea at Las Palmas in Gran Canaria at around 13:40 on Friday, 5 May 2017. 
• A man, 35, and a woman, 60, drowned at the saltwater swimming pools near Santiago Port on Wednesday, 29 March 2017.  

2016

We identified five reported incidents involving UK citizens in Spain in 2016. 

• A boy, Craig Williams, 12, drowned whilst using the swimming pool at the Guiltart Hotel in Loretta Del Mar on Thursday, 18 August 2016. 
• A man, Reece Morris, 40, drowned at the beach resort of El Penoncillo in Malaga at around 14:20 on Sunday, 21 August 2016. 
• A boy, 6, survived a water incident at Condesa de La Bahia in Mallorca after a lifeguard performed CPR for over twenty minutes on Tuesday, 15 August 2016.  
• A man, Tom Jarvis, 22, drowned in the sea at Cala des Moro at around 21:00 on Friday, 16 July 2016.  
• A man, 61, drowned at the beach resort of Callao Salvaje at around 15:00 on Sunday, 10 January 2016. 

2015

We identified five reported incidents involving UK citizens in Spain in 2015.

• A boy, Logan Kehoe, 13, lost consciousness due to an undiagnosed heart condition whilst using the swimming pool at the Apartamentos El Trebol resort in Lanzarote on Saturday, 11 April 2015. 
• A man, 48, drowned whilst red flags were present at the beach at Salou at around 11:00 on Tuesday, 6 October 2015. 
• A man, 59, drowned at the Blue Lagoon in Malta at around 14:30 on Sunday, 21 June 2015.  
• A boy, 4, drowned at a private villa in the Mijas Golf Resort at Las Lagunas at around 21:00 on Monday, 17 August 2015. 
• A man, Carl Thompson, 36, drowned at a hotel beach, Corralejo Grandes Playas, in Fuerteventura at around 18:00 on Monday, 10 August 2015. A Reg 28 notice was filed. 

2014

We identified five reported incidents involving UK citizens in Spain in 2014. 

• A man, 23, drowned at the Dique del Oeste in Mallorca after jumping from a cliff into the sea on Wednesday, 16 July 2014. 
• A man, Derek Mickel, 79, drowned on Pajara beach in Costa Calma, Fuerteventura, on Saturday, 15 November 2014. 
• A boy, Charlie, 5, survived a water incident in a waterslide splashdown pool in Lanzarote in August 2014. 
• A man, Tony Miller, 41, drowned in the sea at Las Cucharas at around 12:30 in Lanzarote on Tuesday, 10 June 2014. 
• Two women, Uma Ramalingham, 42, and Barathi Ruvikumar, 38, drowned in the sea at Playa Paraiso in Tenerife on Sunday, 6 April 2014. 

2013

We identified five reported incidents involving UK citizens in Spain in 2013. 

• A woman, 49, drowned at Famara beach in Lanzarote on Saturday, 17 August 2013. 
• A man, 44, drowned at the Playa Blanca beach in Lanzarote at around 16:00 on Saturday, 5 January 2013. 
• A man, Steve Potter, 43, drowned at Famara beach in Lanzarote on Tuesday, 23 April 2013.  
• A man, William Clephane, 59, died following a heart attack whilst scuba diving in Lanzarote at around 10:30 on Saturday, 4 May 2013. 
• A woman, Janine Mallett, 31, drowned at the S'Arenal beach at around 02:00 on Saturday, 6 July 2013. 

2012

We identified two reported incidents involving UK citizens in Spain in 2012. 

• A man, George Selby, 28, and a boy, Louis Selby, 7, drowned at the Cala Antena beach whilst a red flag was flying on Saturday, 1 September 2012. 
• A boy, Callum Wingate, 7, survived a water incident in the swimming pool at Hotel Playa Blanca in Mallorca on Saturday, 28 July 2012. 

2011

We identified four reported incidents involving UK citizens in Spain in 2011. 

• A man, John Jewitt, 70, drowned at sea in Lanzarote on Monday, 31 October 2011. 
• A boy, 3, survived a water incident in a hotel swimming pool in Lanzarote in February 2011. 
• A man, Christopher Barrington, 31, drowned in a hotel swimming pool in San Antonia, Ibiza, on Tuesday, 9 August 2011. 
• A man, Barry Hesford, drowned in a swimming pool at the Aparthotel Bahia, San Antonio, on Monday, 1 August 2011. 

2010

We identified one reported incident involving UK citizens in Spain in 2010. 

• A girl, Megan Thrower, 6, drowned in a swimming pool at the Gran Canaria Princess Hotel in Playa del Ingles, Gran Canaria, at around 12:10 on Sunday, 17 October 2010. 
• A girl, Gabriela Manning, 2, drowned in a swimming pool at a private villa in Benitatxell, Alicante, around 17:00 on Saturday, 14 August 2010. 

2009

We did not identify any incidents involving UK citizens in Spain in 2009. 

2008

We did not identify any incidents involving UK citizens in Spain in 2008. 

2007

We identified one reported incident involving UK citizens in Spain in 2007. 

• A girl, Chardonnay Grant, 8, drowned in the swimming pool at Los Zocos Club Resort Apartments in Lanzarote on Saturday, 16 June 2007. 

2006

We identified one reported incident involving UK citizens in Spain in 2006. 

• A girl, Emily Phillips, 2, survived a water incident in the swimming pool at the Magaluf Beach Hotel in Mallorca on Wednesday, 9 August 2006. 

2005

We did not identify any incidents involving UK citizens in Spain in 2005. 

2004

We identified one reported incident involving UK citizens in Spain in 2004. 

• A woman, Amy Russell, 20, drowned in a hotel swimming pool whilst playing water polo in Fuerteventura on Friday, 15 October 2004. 

2003

We identified one reported incident involving a UK citizen involving UK citizens in Spain in 2003. 

• A boy, Benjamin Waters, 7, drowned in the swimming pool at a private villa in Playa de Las Americas, Tenerife, on Wednesday, 16 July 2003. 

2002

We did not identify any incidents involving UK citizens in Spain in 2002. 

2001

We did not identify any incidents involving UK citizens in Spain in 2001. 

2000

We identified one reported incident involving UK citizens in Spain in 2000. 

• A boy, Ryan Pearson, 5, drowned in a hotel swimming pool in Lanzarote on Sunday, 2 July 2000. 

1999

We identified one reported incident involving UK citizens in Spain in 1999. 

• A boy, Bradley Cronshaw, 4, drowned in a swimming pool at a private villa in Playa de Los Gigantes, Tenerife, on Tuesday, 6 July 1999. 

1998

We did not identify any incidents involving UK citizens in Spain in 1998. 

1997

We identified one reported incident. 

• A man, Andrew MacRae, 37, drowned in the sea on Friday, 26 December 1997. 

 Citation. Jacklin, D. 2022. Aquatic incidents involving UK citizens in Spain. Water Incident Research Hub, 6 August; updated 23 December.