Benalmadena Marina horror avoided after man plunges into water at night

A man was pulled from the water at Benalmadena Marina in the early hours of Wednesday, June 10 after falling in while attempting to board his boat. He was saved by alert staff who had been watching from nearby and witnessed the exact moment he fell.

The unfolding of the midnight rescue

During a routine overnight patrol of the marina’s pontoons, carried out nightly by staff to check on moored vessels, workers spotted two men approaching a berthed boat. Observing that both appeared to have reduced physical capabilities, the team chose to remain in the area to keep an eye rather than move on.

Their caution proved life-saving. As one man attempted to step aboard, he misjudged his footing and fell into the water before reaching the deck.

Why the darkness made saving him so difficult

Recovering the man was not a straightforward operation. Disorientated in the dark, he was unable to locate an emergency ladder or pull himself to safety unaided. According to marina sources, the cold water and shock left him unable to react or find a way out.

Staff from the sailing and security teams worked together in what the marina described as a “complex operation” to bring him safely back onto the pontoon. Once out of the water, they helped him board his boat with thankfully no resuscitation required.

Marina management admitted that the situation could have been fatal, with staff pointing out that “if they hadn’t seen him fall,” the outcome of an unwitnessed accident in the middle of the night would have been a tragedy.

Marina issues safety warning to boat owners

Following the incident, Benalmadena Marina published a warning on Facebook, reminding boaters to exercise extra care when boarding after dark.

“A wrong step or poor lighting can cause an accident in seconds,” the post stated. Boaters were urged to always know the location of emergency ladders and never to attempt boarding with reduced physical or reactive capabilities. “At night, cold water paralyses the body rapidly, robbing you of the strength to react or find a way out.”

Staff also dealt with a separate incident during the same week, responding to a fire aboard a berthed vessel that was brought under control quickly thanks to prompt action from workers and nearby boat owners.