Tragic Sea Swim: British Tourist, 75, Dies at Popular Tenerife Beach

A BRIT tourist has tragically died after going for a swim at a beach in a popular holiday destination. Lifeguards assisted the 75-year-old after he was pulled from the water at El Duque Beach in Costa Adeje in south Tenerife on Tuesday. A doctor and nurse from a nearby medical centre attempted to revive the man along with paramedics after the swimmer went into cardiac arrest. Sadly, they were unable to resuscitate the pensioner and he was pronounced dead at the scene. A source close to the man revealed he had celebrated his birthday less than a fortnight ago. An autopsy will be carried out on Wednesday in the island’s capital Santa Cruz to find out whether he drowned or if his death was linked to a health problem. It is unknown if the holidaymaker had been swimming alone or if he had been with family or friends. The urban beach is a Blue Flag beach, which is known for its strong sea currents. A spokesman for a regional government-run emergency response coordination centre said: “The man died after being rescued at El Duque beach when he had gone into cardiac arrest”. “He was initially assisted by lifeguards before ambulance staff together with a doctor and a nurse from a nearby health centre arrived and continued with CPR which proved unsuccessful,” he said. “He was pronounced dead at the scene. The spokesman said the first emergency call came in at 12.50pm. “Local police assisted and officers from the National Police force are putting together a report for a local investigating court,” he added. Tenerife was at the centre of sea tragedies in late 2025, as the coastline was battered with wild waves during storms. Four people died and a further three were injured on December 7 after they were swept out into the sea at a complex of natural pools on the Los Gigantes cliffs in north-west of the island. A month prior, three people died and 15 were injured in a terrifying ordeal where high waves swept them out to sea. Most of the deaths involved tourists, with the worst incident taking place in the northern port city of Puerto de la Cruz on November 8. A 79-year-old Dutch holidaymaker who had just left her cruise liner lost her life and nine others were hospitalised after being knocked off a sea wall. A search was launched on November 27 for another British pensioner who had plunged into the water from a TUI-operated cruise ship north of the Canary Islands. The 76-year-old went overboard from the adults-only Marella Explorer 2 just before 10am. The sea and air operation to find him was wound down after a two day intensive search.