Man trapped in a cave by the sea in the south of Tenerife rescued by helicopter

A 36-year-old man had to be rescued from the sea by helicopter yesterday afternoon (Friday), after he got into trouble in the water while trying to save a woman in distress near the natural pools in Puerto Santiago on the west coast of Tenerife.

The man had jumped into the water to help a 32-year-old woman who had fallen into the sea and couldn’t get out by herself due to the strong currents, swell, and waves.

The Emergency Services Coordination Centre (CECOES) received an alert at 3:09pm informing them that a woman had fallen into the sea near the pools and needed rescuing, despite the efforts of a man who had jumped into the water to help her.

CECOES dispatched a rescue helicopter which verified that the woman was already safely out of the water by the time they got there, but that the man was trapped in a cave and needed help.

Rescuers from the GES helicopter managed to get down to where the man was trapped and airlift him to safety before finding somewhere to land nearby, and then assisted the two of them before they were transferred to a local medical centre for routine observation and treatment to some minor injuries.