Jet ski rider survives two nights adrift after being swept out to sea in Spain

A Spanish man has been rescued after spending around 38 hours adrift at sea after his jet ski broke down off the coast of the Canary Islands in Spain.

Layonel Ramírez Collado, 23, was on a nighttime boat trip with friends on Monday 29 September when he went to retrieve a jet ski that had come loose from the vessel. As reported by local press El País and Canarias 7, Collado planned to return to shore on the jet ski, but the vehicle broke down en route, and he was swept out to sea by strong winds and currents.

The man’s friends alerted authorities that he was missing at approximately 10.30pm local time that night prompting a multi-agency search.

Collado spent two nights lost at sea off the coast of the Canary Islands.

After two nights adrift, Collado was located alive on the jet ski about 15 nautical miles (18 kilometers) southwest of Arguineguín by a Sasemar Maritime Rescue aircraft on Wednesday 1 October.

Video footage from onboard the rescue helicopter shows Collado slumped on the jet ski. According to reports, he was dehydrated and had sunburn and was assessed by the Red Cross upon his return to shore.

Before his rescue, Collado’s family had expressed their displeasure with the handling of the rescue operation, as reported by local news outlet Maspalamos 24. According to the news source, the family were unhappy with the lack of nighttime searches and criticised the search for being focused on areas close to the coast despite the strong winds. Relatives also questioned the number of aircraft deployed, while authorities rejected the participation of private boats volunteered by volunteers for safety reasons.