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A man was plucked from the Mediterranean on Monday afternoon, November 10, after being spotted floating on a pool lilo (inflatable bed) more than 20 nautical miles (37 km) off the coast of Estepona, in what Salvamento Marítimo has said was a “miracle he wasn’t swept away for good.”
The first report of the strange sighting came from the Maltese chemical tanker Epic Shikoku at 12:43pm. The crew on the bridge saw a tiny dot bobbing up and down in the waves. On closer inspection they realised that it was an lone person paddling on what looked like a makeshift airbed with a blue blow-up oar, similar to the type used by guests or children in a garden swimming pool.
At first it looked like a lost child’s toy but was actually a man
A spokesperson for Salvamento MarítimoThe Tarifa Coordination Centre. “But binoculars proved it was an adult man, fully dressed, calmly paddling on open water.”
You can also find out more about the following: Salvamar GadirThe crew of a high speed rescue craft from Ceuta located the man within an hour and hauled it aboard. He was cold but not injured and in good spirits.
Not a migrant – just gone for a paddle
The spokesperson said, “He was not a migrant or in distress and he did not seem to find it strange that he had traveled 37 kilometers offshore on a toy pool.” “He only said that he was out paddling and the current had taken him farther than he intended.”
The man rescued, whose identity was not released, was transported to Estepona Port, where medical staff checked him and released him without injury.
Salvamento Marítimo seized the moment to remind the public of the dangers of treating the sea like a swimming pool. In a Tweet posted shortly after this rescue, the agency stated: “The Sea is not a Toy.” Respect the sea, be aware, stay alert and practice safety at all times.
The surreal world is set adrift
The incident on Monday is just the latest in an ongoing series of bizarre rescues off Spain’s south coast. In the past few years, coastguards have rescued people from everything from giant inflatable unicorns and supermarket trolleys transformed into rafts. They’ve also rescued people from half-sunken subs for drug trafficking, cocaine packets, and even giant inflatable unicorns.
Flamingo Fiasco on Spain’s Canary Islands in 2025: A group of young people are on a massive flamingo expedition off Playa de Las Burras, Gran Canaria. pink flamingo float were blown 400 metres out by wind and currents—the “sail effect” turning it into a runaway kite. Cruz Roja (Red Cross), a Spanish Red Cross, sped up to rescue the children. They warned: these toys act like sails in offshore breezes—leave them for pools!
The Doughnut Drifter Off Spain (2023). Yacht crews saw what appeared to be debris, miles off the Balearics. But it was actually a man wearing a wetsuit and clinging onto a buoy. giant doughnut-shaped pool float. He waved furiously as they threw the lines and pulled him on board. Mystery surrounded it—he had ID, cash, and a phone in a waterproof pouch, leading some to speculate he jumped from a ship rather than a casual drift gone wrong.
