Malaga 112: Hero boatyard owner saves drowning woman in Velez-Malaga jet ski rescue

A hero boatyard owner has been praised by emergency services after launching a high-speed jet ski rescue to save a woman from drowning in Vélez-Málaga.

Zeus Leiva Peña, 42, was interrupted during his lunch on 29 April when National Police officers arrived at his business, Puerto Rey, requesting urgent assistance.

The emergency 091 centre had received reports at 4:30pm that a young woman had entered the water after leaving her clothes on the shore. She was spotted struggling approximately 350 metres out at sea.

With local Red Cross and Guardia Civil resources unavailable and a specialist maritime unit dispatched from as far as Tarifa, police realised the woman had only minutes to live.

Leiva, who has spent over three decades working at sea, did not hesitate.

"I had the jet ski loaded onto the trailer, so I threw it into the water as quickly as I could," he said.

By the time he reached her, the victim was barely visible above the surface.

"I lifted her up and put her on the jet ski," Mr Leiva added. "She was drowning and she didn't have the strength to swim anymore because the current was pulling her out to sea."

Upon returning to the shore, the woman was met by a National Police patrol. Officers confirmed that without Mr Leiva’s intervention, she likely would have died within five minutes.

The victim was reported to be extremely pale with blue lips, suffering from severe hypothermia and physically exhausted by the current

This incident marks the second time in just four weeks that the Puerto Rey boatyard has been called upon to fill a gap in official emergency resources.

On 29 March, the yard was alerted by the Guardia Civil in Rincón de la Victoria after a 12-year-old boy on a paddleboard was swept 500 metres out to sea by strong northerly winds.

In that instance, a colleague of Leiva launched a jet ski to rescue the distressed youngster, who was found without a life jacket.

"The security forces are turning to us more and more," Leiva said, reflecting on the increasing reliance on local experts during maritime emergencies on the Costa del Sol.