READ MORE: Driver's £80,000 luxury Land Rover gets completely submerged underwater in affluent Welsh beach resort dubbed 'Cheshire-on-Sea'See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred SourceBy JOWENA RILEY, TRAVEL WRITER Published: 12:43 BST, 27 May 2026 | Updated: 13:02 BST, 27 May 2026
An embarrassed tourist needed a helping hand when a wrong turn landed his rental car deep in the sand on a busy Tenerife beach - prompting quick-thinking visitors to push him to safety. The incident occurred last week on Playa de Troya in the resort town of Playa de las Américas. The beach is one of the busiest in the Canary Islands thanks to its dark volcanic sand and year-round lively atmosphere. The dim driver appeared to have taken a wrong turn off the promenade, with footage captured by onlooker Audrey Krivashov showing the vehicle grinding to a halt just metres from the shoreline. In the video, the tourist can be seen making a desperate attempt to manoeuvre the vehicle, which had become hopelessly bogged down in the wet sand. It wasn't long before a group of good Samaritans rushed over to help free the vehicle, with nearly a dozen men assembling to push it from the side and behind, while the driver focused on steering and revving the engine. After several attempts, the team of helpers successfully managed to veer the car away from the soft sand and back onto firmer ground, all while sunbathers looked on in disbelief. No injuries or damage to the vehicle were reported in the incident. An embarrassed tourist needed a helping hand when a wrong turn landed his rental car deep in the sand on a busy Tenerife beachIn the video, the tourist can be seen making a desperate attempt to manoeuvre the vehicle, which had become hopelessly bogged down in the wet sand It wasn't long before a group of good Samaritans rushed over to help free the vehicle, with nearly a dozen men assembling to push it from the side and behindLocal authorities have remained silent on the blunder, and it is understood the driver brushed off the awkward rescue and carried on with their holiday. The video has since made the rounds on social media, racking up over 121,000 views and dozens of comments, with one person joking the incident was a classic case of 'when the beach parking looks too good to be true'. Elsewhere in Tenerife, police are clamping down on misuse of the electric vehicles, with British holidaymakers now potentially facing on-the-spot fines of up to €1000 (£869) if caught improperly using mobility scooters.While scooters are reportedly being seized across the island, a number of rental providers have ramped up rigorous checks.Some younger users are now required to provide medical documentation of a disability to access rental vehicles.Councillors in the Spanish tourist hotspot voted unanimously to approve laws that imposed a 12mph speed limit on the vehicles, with £430 fines for offenders.Riders are required to obtain insurance, be forced to wear helmets, and must have either a fluorescent vest or bell to alert the public to their presence.And, in a series of strict new regulations surrounding British holidaymakers, those visiting the Canary Islands are also facing massive fines if they need to be rescued from the sea or in any other emergency circumstances.The government is preparing a legal change to prevent islanders from continuing to pay the high cost of bailouts for negligence with the money they contribute to the public.The new Civil Protection Law will include a sanctioning regime for those operations that involve lifeguard teams as a result of recklessness.No amounts have yet been revealed but the fines are expected to be high and could run into thousands of pounds per rescue. A typical rescue involving the emergency helicopter could be €6,000 (£5,220).The decision has been taken at a time when very risky and expensive rescue operations have taken place in the Canary Islands as a result of non-compliance by visitors in different natural areas.
