Whale, fog and fear: 24 hours with Taoufik on the Strait of Gibraltar

Like many young Moroccans in search of a better future, Taoufik left the city of Tetouan in Morocco to reach Spain via the Strait of Gibraltar. A journey made by kayak, at the risk of his life. The young man, who worked as a sailor in Morocco, tells Ultima Hora that he "knew he was going to die" at sea, explaining that many Moroccan families prepare the funerals of their children three days after their departure by sea.

Taoufik was luckier than others. Three days after his departure, he contacted his family to reassure them that he was alive. "The road was very hard, but it was either risking my life, or dying, or staying in Morocco without doing anything," details the young man who says he left Morocco on November 11, 2018 at 10 p.m. when he was 24 years old. "At night, the currents are more favorable," which allowed him to paddle faster, he explains. But in the early morning, fear set in after he spotted a whale very close to him. "Its tail was moving a lot, I thought I was going to capsize."

Then Taoufik had to face the fog that completely obstructed his vision. The young man had to turn back and look for another route to Spain. After 24 hours, he arrives in Spain. He has lived between Seville, Almeria and Valencia and for the past year and a half, he has been living in Es Refugi in Majorca. He worked in a construction company in Inca. But unemployed for a few months, he has decided to study welding and Spanish. "I want to follow my path and I keep in mind that if we look at things positively, everything will eventually work out," he assures.