Drownings have claimed 363 lives so far this year in Spain, 239 of them between June and August alone. It is the worst summer since 2015, when this data began to be recorded in the National Drowning Report (INA) of the Royal Spanish Federation of Rescue and First Aid (RFESS). The summer months were especially deadly: 92 people drowned in June, the month with the most deaths in 11 years. Another 91 died during July.
Why are there more and more? “It's because of the heat,” summarizes Roberto Jesús Barcala, Professor of Lifesaving at the Faculty of Sports Sciences of Pontevedra. "There is a direct relationship between temperatures, sunny days and drowning. And the forecast is that in the coming years there will be more heat waves due to climate change, so there will be more drownings."
During the heat wave that suffocated Europe this summer, a spike in deaths was recorded in several countries on the continent. In Germany, 100 deaths were reached in June, the highest number in 20 years. In France, 131 people died from this cause in less than a month due to the same heat wave.
The effect of rising temperatures is undeniable, but demographic change could also affect the figure. Between 2015 and 2026, Spain has added 3.1 million inhabitants, and this larger population translates into more people looking to cool off in beaches, rivers and pools every summer. The result is a balance that has only been worse on two occasions: from January 1 to September 2, 363 people drowned, a figure that has only been surpassed in 2017 and 2025.
Although this is when most cases occur, it is not only in the summer period that drownings occur. “There is a peak increase in drownings before summer, when there is still no lifeguard but people are already bathing,” Eduardo Blasco, a professional rescuer and lawyer specialized in drownings, explained to EL PAÍS last June. “And there is another peak, even more powerful, in September, when the lifeguards leave,” says the expert.
60% of the people who lose their lives in this way are of Spanish nationality, although the percentage varies greatly depending on the time of year. In summer, the percentage of locals is reduced, and the percentage of other nationalities such as those from Africa, America or Asia increases.
This count does not include people who die trying to reach the Spanish coast, as deduced from the national drowning report, which is fed by its SIFA system, based on lifeguard, rescue and press services.
Drowning is the third leading cause of death due to unintentional trauma in the world. More than 40 people lose their lives every hour, according to a UN report. “In total they have caused more than 2.5 million deaths in the last decade, but they are a very preventable cause of death,” explains David Meddings, author of the report.
Nine out of every ten drownings in the world occur in underdeveloped or developing countries. In Europe, although to a lesser extent, it is a public health problem. The community country where there are the most deaths from this cause is France (784 deaths in 2022, the most recent year offered by Eurostat), followed by Germany, Poland, Romania and Spain.
The after-meals, the most dangerous moment
87% of people who drown are men, an overrepresentation that Meddings attributes to “their greater propensity to take risks and, in many countries, their association with alcohol consumption in and around water.” The fact that fishing is a very masculinized profession also influences.
Regarding age, more than half of the victims in 2025 were people aged 50 or older (51%). This is because, many times, drowning is the consequence of a previous pathology (a heart attack, lipothymia, a strain) that may have a greater incidence in elderly people. At the other end of the table, 17 children under six years of age died. These data show that drownings occur at any age range, although to a lesser extent among children and those over 85 years of age.
The majority of drownings are concentrated in the time slot that goes from 12:00 noon to 8:00 p.m., as these are the hottest hours, when more people bathe. In this case, a differentiation must be made by age. “Children under four years old drown mostly between three and six in the afternoon,” highlights Barcala. “It is due to lack of supervision, it coincides with adults' after-dinner meals.” This information explains the importance of constant and active surveillance in the case of minors.
silent drownings
Sometimes people die from fighting waves or ocean currents. In others, drowning occurs quickly and without screams: they are called “silent” drownings.
In a matter of seconds, a person can drown without hardly anyone noticing. When you're drowning it doesn't always look like you're drowning. The process is quick, discreet and lethal. In fact, in many cases the victim drowns surrounded by bathers oblivious to the drama unfolding at their side. They are called silent drownings. “The idea has become popular that the drowning person screams, waves his arms and asks for help,” explains Roberto Jesús Barcala, Professor of First Aid at the Faculty of Sports Sciences of Pontevedra. “But this only happens in movies and television.” For this reason, Barcala explains, we must change the way in which society perceives how a drowning occurs: “People must be educated to look for other signs.”
Those who are educated know how to detect it. In many cases, until the lifeguard whistles and jumps to the rescue, no bather perceives the danger, as seen in the following recordings.
Death by love syndrome
Barcala analyzed, together with a team of international experts, dozens of videos to define standard drowning. In all cases the process lasted less than two minutes. How long six Instagram stories last. How long it takes to read a page and a half of a novel. Half the time it takes to smoke a cigarette.
Early detection, therefore, is critical to saving lives. But locating someone who is drowning is not the same as saving them. To do so, it is advisable to follow a series of tips. The first would be to call the emergency services before jumping into the water. Secondly, we must analyze the dangerousness of the situation. "When there are multiple victims in a drowning, normally, it is family members who jump in to save the first victim. It is what Australians call death by love syndrome," says the expert.
That is why it is advisable to go to the beach with floating objects that can be worn (such as a vest) or that can be thrown (such as a float or a bottle tied to a rope) to minimize risks and guarantee a safe rescue. In any case, we must remember that swimming is not the same as trying to rescue someone.
Miguel Ángel Sánchez Arrocha, head of the Red Cross Emergency Unit, points out that “the work of self-protection is essential.” There is institutional protection and it is always preferable to go to a beach with a lifeguard, but individual responsibility is equally important. Furthermore, swimmers are always advised to swim parallel to the coast and not perpendicularly, going into the sea, as this way they will have more room to get to safety in case of dizziness, a jerk or any unforeseen event.
Arrocha compares the awareness that exists with road safety versus that which occurs at sea. If no one runs a red light, they shouldn't wave the red flag either. The “if you drink, don't drive” can easily be translated to “if you drink, don't bathe.” The comparison with road safety is not accidental. This has helped the number of road deaths to continue to decrease in recent years. Meanwhile, in parallel, those drowned on beaches and swimming pools show a worryingly stable balance.
