Huge search operation launched after British tourist, 23, vanished while swimming in sea in Portugal

By TARYN KAUR PEDLER, FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER and NATALIA PENZA Published: 00:02, 12 June 2026 | Updated: 00:18, 12 June 2026 A huge search operation has been launched after a British tourist vanished while swimming in the sea in Portugal. The 23-year-old was last spotted swimming on Peneco Beach in Albufeira with a 19-year-old man, also from the UK. The teenager managed to exit the water without needing any help and sought help for his companion, according to the National Maritime Authority (AMN). However, the young man is still lost at sea. Expert divers and police officials are now desperately searching for the man after his younger companion called for help. The search is being coordinated by the Ports Captain, the Portimao Maritime Police commander and involves Maritime Police personnel, the 'SeaWatch' Project, and lifeguards on duty at the beach. 'At sea, searches are being carried out by crew members from the Ferragudo Lifeboat Station and members of the Humanitarian Association of Volunteer Firefighters of Albufeira', said a statement issued by AMN. A team of divers from the Humanitarian Association of Volunteer Firefighters of Albufeira has also been deployed, it added. A huge search operation has been launched after a British tourist, 23, vanished while swimming in the sea at Peneco Beach in Albufeira, Portugal The group also confirmed that the teenager is 'physically well and does not require medical assistance'. He is being offered psychological support following the disappearance of the 23-year-old. The hunt has been called off overnight but will resume early the next morning. According to local reports, the British Embassy in Portugal was contacted to establish contact with the family of the missing victim. A British tourist aged 45 died at the same beach in September 2022 after falling ill as she came out of the sea. Efforts to revive her after police and other emergency responders arrived proved unsuccessful. Peneco Beach is described online as the best beach in the British-popular tourist resort of Albufeira. It is also the town’s most photographed beach because of its central location and the large rock on the shore. On June 4 last year, tragic Scots tourist Greg Monks was found dead near Albufeira after going missing a week earlier in the resort. The 38-year-old plant mechanic from Glasgow is believed to have lost his life after jumping over a wall and falling down a steep hillside during a night out with his stag do friends. A search for him was launched on May 28, and his parents and girlfriend, Nicole Kelso, flew to the Algarve to help with the search. Portugal, Algarve, Albufeira, Peneco Beach (stock) Around four hours before Greg’s body was found by police, another young British tourist was found dead behind a steep drop at the back of a residential block by Albufeira’s Old Town. The 21-year-old, also said to have gone out drinking with pals and thought to have become disoriented as he tried to get back to his hotel, was never named. News of his death only emerged three days after Greg was found dead. In July last year, British friends King Edonmi, 29 and Mo Lisau, 27, were discovered lifeless in their Albufeira hotel pool. Portuguese police sources subsequently said ahead of post-mortems they believed the design of the pool, combined with the fact they couldn’t swim, had likely led to their deaths. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.