"Seems Disrespectful": Spanish Influencer Faces Backlash For Swimming In Banned Canary Islands Cave

A Spanish social media influencer is facing backlash online for taking a dip in a cove where bathing has been banned following several deaths. 

Marina Rivera Saldana frequently posts pictures and photos of herself at exotic locations to her Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and TikTok pages, where she collectively enjoys over 9 million followers. Now, in a recent post, taken on August 31, Ms Rivers uploaded photos of herself swimming in the Sapphire waters of the El Tancon cave in Santiago del Teide, Tenerife in the Canary Islands. 

"I'm a little mermaid from Makoo," the social media star wrote in Spanish in the caption of the photo.

Take a look below: 

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A post shared by 𝑀𝒜𝑅𝐼𝒩𝒜 🦋 (@_riverss_)

According to the New York Post, the Canary Islands cave is off-limits to tourists due to its natural chimney-like formation with unpredictable currents that make it difficult for rescue teams to access. As of 2021, six people have died in the cove, and local authorities have banned people from swimming in it. 

Needless to say, Ms Rivers' post sparked anger from commenters online, who accused the influencer of disrespecting the dead and risking her life for social media clout. 

Writing in Spanish, one person wrote, "Bathing is prohibited there. We are tired of tourists who do not respect our land." Another added, "It seems disrespectful to me that you are bathing in a place that is PROHIBITED, which is FENCED and SIGNED for which bathing is prohibited and you enter because of the photo and publish it on top of that. People have died where you are, it is not a suitable swimming area."

A third user wrote, "That place is a death trap for those who dare to bathe. Such a dangerous place should not be advertised," while another said, "You should think about removing the publication due to your position as an influencer. You probably haven't thought about the risks involved, but that place could have literally swallowed you or hit the extremes without being able to control the situation". 

Microblogging site X also added a Community Notes advisory on Ms Rivers' post, in which it said that her images could "encourage people to go to the place and bathe, a danger since several people have died in the place in recent years". 

Meanwhile, since being shared, Ms Rivers' Instagrame post has accumulated more than 228,000 likes and thousands of comments. On X, her post garnered more than 3 million views and over 15,000 likes.