A team of skilled divers has descended into the waters off the coast of Charco del Viento, situated in the municipality of La Guancha, Tenerife, where the young Polish individual Aek went missing, as announced by the association Canary Islands, 1,500 km of coast on Wednesday.
Arek, aged 15, is one of three minors currently unaccounted for in the Canary Islands, as indicated in a statement from the association, which mentioned that another search operation is being arranged while awaiting improved conditions, given that adverse weather has brought waves up to 4 metres high in the northern part of the island.
The other two missing youths in the Canary Islands are Yassine and Alejandro, who, a year ago, were swept out to sea in the area of El Confital, Gran Canaria.
Among those participating in the search for the Polish teenager were divers and freedivers Miguel Ángel Pérez and Adrián Gos, along with Teresa Martínez, one of the psychologists assisting the family, who is also a lifeguard.
The association reported that the divers conducted approximately 120 minutes of underwater exploration in APNEA, scouring caves, ledges, and lava tubes in what is characterised as a seabed with numerous intricate features, which poses significant challenges due to the sea conditions.
Arek went missing around 11:30 on Saturday, February 22, while searching for crabs and snails alongside his 7-year-old sister. A large wave pulled them both into the ocean as they were at the natural pool of Charco del Viento.
The girl’s father jumped into the water to save them but was only able to grasp her arm, while Arek was swept away by the waves in that rocky and treacherous coastal area, as added by the association.
Arek and his family had travelled to the south of Tenerife for a holiday enjoying the sun and beaches, unaware that a pre-alert had been issued across the autonomous community due to coastal phenomena, with waves reaching heights of 4 metres.
The family received support from psychologists Teresa Martínez and Karolina Walczyk, coordinated through the General Emergency Department of the Canary Islands Government, along with translator Pedro de Gracia.
The search efforts yielded no positive results, and days later, the young man’s mother, Kasia, reached out to the association Canary Islands, 1,500 km of coast for aquatic accident prevention, urging that the search for her son should not cease.
The family has since returned to Poland, expressing gratitude for the efforts of all emergency, rescue, and health services, and asking for the search to continue as they wish to “bring him home.”
The Association has stated that it will assist in the search, which will resume once the pre-alert for coastal phenomena has been lifted.
It is worth noting that this period marks one year since the disappearance of young Yassine and Alejandro, who went fishing on the coast of El Confital on the morning of March 8, 2024.
The families of these young individuals sought help when they had not returned by the early hours of that day and were unresponsive to phone calls, which led to the activation of a search operation that lasted over a week.
As the hours passed, their families grew increasingly alarmed when they realised, early in the afternoon, that the boys had not yet returned and that calls to their mobile phones went unanswered.
A large-scale operation involving personnel by land, sea, and air was swiftly initiated. Unfortunately, the minors could not be located despite a week of extensive searching.
