Museo Elder hosts the 2027 drowning prevention campaign: ‘You decide how you reach the shore’
1. Key points
The 2027 Drowning Prevention Campaign was presented on 9 July at the Museo Elder de la Ciencia y la Tecnología in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
The new film, ‘Tú decides cómo quieres llegar a la orilla’, contrasts a safe swim under a green flag with the consequences of reckless behaviour.
Ten ‘hidden video tips’ to prevent drowning were released alongside the film, presented one by one by experts in emergencies, law and communication.
The association reports that around 500 people drown in Spain every year, including 50 to 60 minors, and that some 230 people have already died by submersion in 2026, among them 24 children.
The Canary Islands Government, the Cabildo of Gran Canaria, the Las Palmas city council and Salvamento Marítimo took part in the presentation.
2. The news in detail
The Museo Elder de la Ciencia y la Tecnología in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria became the country's water-safety hub on Thursday 9 July, hosting the official launch of the 2027 Drowning Prevention Campaign, an initiative of the association ‘Canarias, 1500 Km de Costa’.
At the centre of the event was the new film ‘Tú decides cómo quieres llegar a la orilla’ (‘You decide how you reach the shore’). Its stark visual narrative sets a calm, safe swim under a green flag against the fatal consequences of ignoring the rules — such as entering the water when the red flag is flying. The message is aimed at everyone, regardless of age or background, and centres on prevention and personal responsibility.
The association also released ten ‘hidden video tips’ for preventing drowning, each introduced by a specialist. They cover the risk of spinal injury from diving head-first into shallow water, the way waves arrive in sets with deceptive lulls between them, the danger of the improvised rescuer, the deadly assumption that a drowning child will shout for help, the ‘invisible drowning’ that happens in a crowd, and the false security of armbands and inflatable rings.
Sebastián Quintana, the campaign's author and president of the association, told the audience that around 500 people drown in Spain each year, with more than 1,300 total victims of water accidents, and that between 50 and 60 children die by submersion annually. So far in 2026, he said, some 230 people have already lost their lives that way, including 24 children.
The association frames drowning as a public-health problem of the first order and calls for a holistic approach built on education, awareness and research.
3. Voices and statements
“90% of water incidents involving children happen because of a lack of attention and supervision by the adults responsible for them. Always get into the water with them.”
— from the ten video tips issued by ‘Canarias, 1500 Km de Costa’, which also stresses that anyone seeing a person in difficulty should stay calm and call 1-1-2, and never enter the water fully clothed or without a flotation device.
4. Context and background
The presentation took place on Thursday 9 July 2026 at 10:30 at the Museo Elder de la Ciencia y la Tecnología, Parque Santa Catalina, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
The panel included José Gilberto Moreno, director of the Museo Elder; Ángel Sabroso, deputy minister for Physical Activity and Sport of the Canary Islands Government; Pablo Rodríguez, director general of the Presidency of the Cabildo of Gran Canaria; Marcos Lorenzo Martín, deputy minister for Emergencies and Water of the Canary Islands Government; Pedro Quevedo, Ciudad de Mar councillor for Las Palmas de Gran Canaria; and Sebastián Quintana, the campaign's author and president of the association.
Also taking part were Sofía Hernández, head of Salvamento Marítimo in the province of Las Palmas; Juan Ortega Machín, former GEAS diver and president of the Real Club Victoria; Vanessa Ramírez, a lawyer specialising in drowning cases; Juan Ramón Viera, an international authority on training safety and emergency professionals; and journalist Kiko Barroso.
5. What it means for Fuerteventura
Fuerteventura lives on the water: beaches open to the Atlantic, currents that change within minutes, and a summer when the island's population multiplies. A campaign like this speaks directly to anyone swimming at Corralejo, Cofete or El Cotillo, where a red flag is a survival measure rather than a formality.
For residents and visitors alike, the simplest advice matters most: never turn your back on the sea, never attempt a rescue without a flotation device, call 1-1-2, and get into the water with children rather than trusting armbands and rings. We follow the subject in our Fuerteventura news; anyone who wants to discover the coast safely can do so with our guided excursions.
6. Official sources and contacts
👉 Spot ‘Tú decides cómo quieres llegar a la orilla’ (YouTube)
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