British Family Warns of 'Hidden Dangers' After Tenerife Natural Pool Tragedy

A British family is speaking out about the hidden dangers of natural pools after a terrifying near-drowning experience in the Canary Islands.

On Sunday, December 7th, huge waves crashed into the natural pool at Los Gigantes in Tenerife. The incident tragically killed four people, and one person is still missing.

Kai Barrington, 42, and Sarah Jellard, 39, from Braunton, were on holiday with their 20-month-old baby. They visited the popular spot that day. Around 4 PM, Kai joined about a dozen other people in the water, while Sarah and their toddler stayed seated higher up.

Just minutes later, a series of massive waves slammed into the coast, swallowing the pool and dragging swimmers out to sea. Kai, an experienced surfer, believes staying underwater and clinging to the bottom saved his life. He told the DailyMail: "When the waves first broke and shook me, I didn't think much of it. It's a situation I'm used to." But he quickly realised the danger. "It was when I surfaced, maybe the second time after a big wave hit, and I was clinging to the bottom with my fingertips, that I realised I was being dragged towards the edge."

Sarah, watching from a few metres higher up, saw Kai battling the waves and being pulled away, along with a group of others. She described the horrific scene: "I started looking out to sea, searching for Kai. It's the most desperate situation because there's nothing you can do. No ropes, nothing. Emergency services had been called, but you can only watch your loved one sink into the sea." She added, "Then I saw someone swimming, I couldn't tell who it was from that distance. I saw them drown. I saw them take their last stroke, and then not another."

A large-scale rescue operation, involving jet skis, helicopters, and specialist teams, recovered the bodies of a 35-year-old man, a 55-year-old woman, and another man. A woman airlifted to hospital after being hit by a wave died the next day. A fifth person remains missing. Kai managed to reach safety and was taken to hospital, but later discharged.

The couple said the water looked calm that day, with no clear signs of danger. They now want to warn others about the hidden risks of natural pools, stating they would never have taken such a chance, especially with their baby, if they had known. They believe tourists need better information about changing weather and potential hazards. Sarah said: "To those poor families, it shouldn't have happened. They did nothing wrong that day. They did exactly what we did. We went on a sunny day when the sea looked calm." She added that as they left the island, they warned others not to go there. "There have been fatalities that people wouldn't even have known about because the sea looked so calm. Half an hour later, people were walking around with towels over their shoulders."

In fact, the Isla Cangrejo natural pool in Los Gigantes had been closed since the Friday before the incident due to dangerous waves. This closure followed a pre-alert issued by the Canary Islands Government. However, many people, particularly tourists, ignored the ban put in place by Santiago del Teide mayor, Emilio Navarro. Signs at the pool entrance clearly warned of the danger in Spanish, English, and German, stating: "Important information for your safety: dangerous area in conditions of strong waves." These signs also included three photos showing how a wave could sweep through the entire pool.