A British postal worker has died while on holiday in Tenerife after a “freak wave” reportedly knocked her into rocks during a morning swim.
Rose Buck, 56, was enjoying a break in Costa Adeje when the incident occurred on 25 February.
Her daughter, Chantelle Buck-Forrest, 39, said that her mother, a “strong swimmer”, had gone to the beach after finding the hotel pool closed.
The area, known as the ‘blue lagoon’, is typically calm. However, Ms Buck-Forrest said that an unexpected wave “flung” her mum against the rocks, rendering her unconscious and fracturing her C2 vertebra.
Someone on the beach quickly noticed the unfolding tragedy and alerted lifeguards. Ms Buck was reportedly submerged for five minutes, and it took a further 13 minutes for rescuers to resuscitate her.
Her family rushed to Tenerife to be by her side. However, doctors made the difficult decision to turn off her ventilator on 6 March, citing extensive brain damage that made recovery impossible.
Ms Buck died in hospital in Tenerife on 8 March.
Tenerife was hit by a 4.1 magnitude earthquake on 25 February, which Ms Buck-Forrest believes was likely what caused the freak wave.
Ms Buck-Forrest, who lives in Bradford, West Yorkshire, said: “I’m absolutely devastated, I couldn’t stop crying. “It’s been horrendous.
“She’s a really strong swimmer, swimming is actually her sanctuary.”
She said the ‘blue lagoon’ is quite protected from waves and “all kinds of people swim in it”.
“She was swimming the perimeter of the lagoon and it was just one freak wave that’s taken her.
“There was reported an earthquake a couple of hours after what happened so I am guessing this earthquake has caused this freak wave and it just flung her against the rocks.
“She’s suffered a really serious head injury which broke her C2 upon impact and she will have gone unconscious straight away and she was just taken by the sea.”
Ms Buck-Forrest, who is a children’s playcentre director, said it was heartwarming to hear all the tributes to her beloved mother.
“Everybody who has contacted me has said she is either one of the nicest people they know or the nicest person they’ve ever met,” she said.
“The amount of people far and wide, people who I didn’t even know knew her, it’s been mind blowing, she’s touched so many people’s lives.
“When we were sat having breakfast, my brother was just sat scrolling on Instagram, and he just said ‘oh my gosh it’s International Women’s Day today’, so she died on International Women’s Day which felt like homage to her.
“Although I feel like I’ve got this massive loss and I’m holding so much sorrow, I feel the same amount of love and support and honour in the other hand.
“The amount of people that have contacted me has opened my eyes to what a woman my mum is and I feel honoured to be her daughter.”
