Costa News Spain Breaking News | English News in Spain.
Benalmadena beach season concluded on a high, with the mayor celebrating “excellent reports” at a ceremony held on Malapesquera Beach.
The news was broadcast against a background of sun-kissed waves and azure seas. It highlighted an important success: 165 marine rescues with, astonishingly, zero deaths. The news is a stark contrast to Spain’s grim coast toll. The Royal Spanish Lifesaving Federation reported 471 drownings in 2024. This is an increase of 11.6% from 2023, when there were 422. It was the second deadliest year after 2017 with 481.
The summer months saw 269 fatalities, and 244 deaths on the coastlines, due to heatwaves, rip currents and other factors.
Early 2025 data are even more alarming 408 fatalities By September, the projection is 500 people by year’s end, exceeding 2024.
Andalucia is the first with 72 deaths by 2024. This is followed by Galicia, Canary Islands and Valencia (each 63), and Catalonia.
Catalonia alone has seen 16 drownings on its beaches since June 2025. Tragic cases include two British siblings Salou, Llarga Beach. Canaries 72 fatalitieStruck in 2024 outpaces traffic deaths by 85%
Benalmadena is known for its past. In the last five-year period, there were an average of 1-2 drownings per year in the Costa del Sol resort: two in the year 2023 (a British visitor at Carihuela) and one in the year 2021 (a father in Santa Ana). Despite being rare, these incidents highlight the risks of the sea. The 2025 record of no fatalities signals progress.
It is a credit to the 45-strong squad of lifeguards who were armed with jet skis and an ambulance. They also had quad bikes in remote coves. Their efforts were coordinated with local police, firefighters, Civil Protection and the beach services.
The improvements have improved safety. They include 1,600 metres of new pathways, multilingual signs, and expanded areas accessible to 6,500 users. New zones are located at Carvajal & Fuente de la Salud.
Councillor Presi guilera is looking forward to 2026 with innovations such as sun-shade pergolas with misting and emergency points equipped with defibrillators. Benalmadena, Spain’s most safe family resort, is now positioned at 95 percent occupancy in August. This drops to 94.37 percent in September. It’s a testament to the fact that vigilance is key in a country where hundreds of lives are lost each year due to sea accidents.
