The chase took them to the dark blue waters off southern Spain: three officers of the national police, pursuing four people suspected of trafficking drugs.

The police were piloting a narrow boat, and their prey was an even smaller vessel, according to a statement Friday from the Guardia Civil, the national police.

A helicopter of the Málaga Aerial Unit, supporting the police, caught some of the chase on camera. The video shows the police boat trying to intercept its target on an angle, moving so fast that it bounced across the waves.

Then the boats collided, and the three officers tumbled into the sea. Their boat kept spinning, out of control, its engine blades still churning through the waves as the officers tried to swim away.