Senegalese farmer Mouhamed Oualy has never been to sea, but he is about to embark on a perilous sea voyage – a journey that has turned the Atlantic Ocean into a mass grave.
“The boat boys called me, they told me to get ready. I ask you to pray for me – the time has come,” he says.
BBC Africa Eye has been given unprecedented access to the secretive world of migrants hoping to reach Europe via the dangerous crossing between West Africa and Spain’s Canary Islands.
And Mr Oualy wants to be among the migrants who will reach the archipelago – the numbers of which have reached a record high.
The regional government there warns that what awaits them on the archipelago’s rocky shores is a system that is “overwhelmed” and “at breaking point” – but nothing will shake Mr Oualy’s resolve.
Packed into an overcrowded pirogue, a traditional wooden fishing canoe, Mr. Oualy could be at the mercy of one of the world’s most unforgiving seas for days, even weeks.
From Senegal it is an estimated distance of between 1,000 km (600 miles) and 2,000 km on the open ocean – depending on where you start, about 10 times the distance of other migrant routes crossing the Mediterranean.
Battling storms and strong ocean currents, migrants often find themselves without water, suffering from severe motion sickness and intense anxiety.
At night, people surrounded by dark water often become delirious, overwhelmed by panic and dehydration.
Far from the coast, in Senegal’s eastern Tambacounda region, Oualy’s children and extended family depend on the little money he earned from farming.
The 40-year-old hasn’t seen them for almost a year after moving closer to one of the main departure points along the coast.
There he worked as a motorcycle taxi driver and borrowed money from friends to raise the $1,000 (£765) fee to board one of the ships heading to the Canary Islands.
Fearing that he will be defrauded, he has agreed with the smugglers that he will only hand over the full amount if the boat makes it all the way.
“Nobody knows what could happen to me in these waters. The evil spirits of the sea could kill me,” he tells the BBC from the safety of the beach.
“The boat could capsize, killing everyone. If you fell into water, what would you hold on to? The only option is death, but you have to take risks.”
Dozens of boats have disappeared with hundreds of lives on board. Without proper navigation systems, some veer off course and end up drifting all the way across the Atlantic Ocean and washing up on the shores of Brazil.
If Mr. Oualy survives the journey, he hopes to earn a living by caring for his extended family, but he keeps his plans secret so as not to worry them.
Dark Waters: Africa’s deadliest migration route – BBC Africa Eye investigates the dangerous Atlantic crossing from West Africa to Spain’s Canary Islands.
Find it on iPlayer (UK only) or on the BBC Africa YouTube channel (outside Great Britain)
Although Senegal has achieved solid economic performance in the decade since 2010, more than a third of the country still lives in poverty, according to the World Bank.
“I did all the work you can think of, but it didn’t get any better. If you don’t have money, it doesn’t matter. I am their only hope and I have no money,” he says.
Like Mr Oualy, most of the migrants on this route are sub-Saharan Africans fleeing poverty and conflict exacerbated by climate change.
The Canary Islands have become a major gateway for irregular migrants and refugees hoping to reach Europe, especially after countries such as Italy and Greece introduced measures to crack down on other routes crossing the Mediterranean from Libya and Tunisia.
Nearly 40,000 arrived in 2023, the highest number in three decades. More than 30,800 people have reached tourist beaches so far this year, more than double the number in the same period last year.
As weather conditions improve in the Atlantic Ocean, the Canary Islands government fears that “the worst” is yet to come.
In an exclusive interview with BBC Africa Eye, Fernando Clavijo, the president of the Canary Islands government, described an “oversaturated” emergency system with rescue workers, police and Red Cross volunteers being pushed to their limits.
“The result is that more people will die. We will not be able to help migrants as they deserve,” Mr Clavijo explains.
“Right now, Europe has blocked the Mediterranean Sea, which means that the Atlantic route, which is more dangerous and deadly, has become the escape valve.”
The BBC spoke to members of Spain’s emergency services, who asked to remain anonymous as they described their exhaustion.
One said: “Workers can no longer bear to witness death and destruction.”
On El Hierro, the smallest island in the archipelago, the number of migrants who have arrived since the beginning of 2023 has already more than doubled the local population to almost 30,000.
Mr Clavijo says locals cannot use public buses because they are all used to transport migrants, which he says could fuel xenophobia and cause social unrest.
“We will all have to take responsibility, from the European Union to the Spanish government, because you cannot leave the Canary Islands alone, which are facing this crisis.”
In recent months, the sharp increase in arrivals in Spain has fueled a fierce national debate over how to tackle irregular migration, with the Canary Islands calling for more state support to care for those arriving, especially unaccompanied children.
Back in Senegal, Mr. Oualy has finally been summoned by the smugglers to join other migrants in a secret hideout. His fate is now in their hands.
‘There are a lot of us, we have filled the house. There are also people from Mali and Guinea. They take us in small boats of 10 to 15 people until we reach the big boat, and then we leave,” he says.
To survive the long journey, Mr. Oualy only brought a few bottles of water and a handful of cookies.
He is constantly ill for the first two days. He is up most of the time due to lack of space and sleeps in seawater mixed with fuel.
He also runs out of water and has to drink from the sea.
Some people on the boat start screaming and becoming delirious. The crew tells the others to hold on so they don’t fall overboard or push anyone else in.
The Atlantic route is fast becoming the deadliest migrant journey in the world, according to data from the United Nations migration body (IOM).
An estimated 807 people will have died or disappeared in 2024 – an increase of 76% compared to the same period last year.
But the number of casualties is likely to be significantly higher as fatal accidents on this route are generally not recorded.
“Every 45 minutes a migrant dies trying to reach our beaches. This means that human trafficking mafias are becoming more and more powerful,” said Clavijo, citing data from Spanish rights group Walking Borders.
The UN Office on Drugs and Crime estimates that criminals earn around $150 million annually on this route.
“The mafias who organize trips have realized that this is akin to drug trafficking, with little chance of being detected,” Lieutenant Antonio Fuentes, from a Spanish Guardia Civil team set up to tackle the smugglers, told the BBC.
“For them, a migrant is just a commodity. They carry people like they carry drugs or weapons. They are just victims.”
To better understand these criminal networks, the BBC spoke to a Senegalese smuggler who organized boat trips – who asked to remain anonymous.
“If you take a big boat, one that can carry 200 to 300 people, and they pay about $500 each, we’re talking about a lot of money,” he says.
When challenged about his criminal responsibility as a human trafficker, during a journey that has left many in his community dead, the smuggler is unrepentant, telling the BBC: “It’s a crime, anyone caught should be put in jail , but there is no solution.
“You will see people in the water who have died, but the boats continue.”
The BBC receives no news from Mr Oualy for five days. Then, one evening, he calls.
“The engine heated up and the wind was so strong that some fishermen suggested going to Morocco. But the captain refused. He said if we drove slowly we would be in Spain by six in the morning.”
Oualy was less than a day away from reaching the Canary Islands when the ship’s engine broke down – and many of the migrants, fearing stronger winds once they ventured further out into the Atlantic, rebelled against their captain .
“Everyone started arguing and insulting each other. The captain gave in and returned to Senegal.”
Mr Oualy survived the journey, but suffered injuries and serious health problems during the trip.
He is in constant pain and moves slowly.
After a year of planning the trip, Mr Oualy is back to square one – having now returned to his family and saved enough money for another trip.
“I want to go back and try again. Yes, honest to God, that is my belief. That’s better for me. If I die, it is God’s choice.”
If Mr Oualy reaches Europe, he will probably not see his family for years. If he dies at sea, he will be lost to them forever.
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