Alone at Sea: African Migrant’s Daring Escape on Rubber Ring

A young man believed to be trying to cross the Alborán Sea from Morocco to Spain using only a rubber ring and flippers was recently rescued by a Spanish family sailing on their yacht.

The dramatic rescue took place on July 16, around 13 nautical miles south of Benalmádena, a coastal town in southern Spain’s Andalucía region.

The family, who were heading toward the Balearic Islands, had been navigating near an oil tanker when they noticed a strange movement on the water’s surface.

Initially thinking it was a bird, they looked through binoculars and were shocked to realize it was a human being desperately trying to stay afloat.

Footage of the rescue, shared on social media by the Spanish Royal Assembly of Yacht Captains (RAECY), shows the visibly exhausted man paddling toward the yacht.

One of the family members throws him a rope, which he grabs onto before being pulled aboard.

Once safely on deck, the family gave him water, warm clothes, and a hot cup of soup.

A voice can be heard in the video saying: “We’ve found a shipwrecked man, and we’re going to pick him up.

“It’s incredible where he is, look around, the nearest boats are really far from here.”

RAECY sources said the man was wearing a wetsuit and was only equipped with a rubber ring and flippers, highlighting the extreme risk he had taken.

“He could barely speak,” they added, underlining his level of exhaustion and possible dehydration.

The family initially headed toward the port of Estepona, but they were met at sea by a maritime rescue vessel.

The man was transferred to the rescue team and taken to Málaga, where he was handed over to the police and Red Cross officials for further assistance and processing.

Attempts like these to reach Spain from North Africa, while dangerous, are not unusual.

Many migrants, particularly young men, resort to extremely basic flotation devices due to lack of access to safer travel means.

Some even use lilos, pool floats, or inflatable armbands bought in Moroccan stores.

Migration correspondent María Martín of the Spanish newspaper El País explained that such makeshift attempts are more frequently seen among individuals trying to reach Ceuta, the Spanish enclave in northern Africa.

However, crossings over the wider and more treacherous Alborán Sea, as in this case, are far less common.

“Dozens of migrants attempt to enter Spain using whatever means they can afford,” Martín wrote.

“But to try to cross the Alborán Sea with just a rubber ring and flippers is especially rare and extremely dangerous.”

Officials from Spain’s Guardia Civil told El País that such incidents often go unnoticed by the public.

“We didn’t expect this case to gain so much attention.

Depending on the time of year, this kind of attempt is more common than many people realize,” one officer said.

According to data from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), 572 people died in 2023 while trying to make the journey from North Africa to Spain.

So far in 2025, 151 people have lost their lives on this perilous route.

These numbers reflect the persistent dangers faced by migrants seeking better opportunities in Europe, often risking everything in the process.

The incident once again draws attention to the desperate lengths to which individuals go to flee poverty, conflict, or lack of opportunity in their home countries.

While many make the journey via organized smuggling networks or by stowing away on boats, others, like the rescued man, opt for solitary and even more dangerous means.

Spanish authorities continue to patrol coastal areas and reinforce border control.

However, experts argue that deeper issues like poverty, conflict, and lack of economic opportunities in countries of origin must be addressed to reduce the number of life-threatening migration attempts.

As the rescued man receives care and likely faces deportation proceedings, his story adds to the growing narrative of human desperation and courage in the face of impossible odds.

It is a reminder of the ongoing migration crisis affecting Europe’s southern shores.

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