After a kilometre swimming, the avid football fan arrived at yacht Seven C, where Messi has been spending part of his holiday after reaching the Copa America final with Argentina.
The 29-year-old's entourage alerted the five-time Ballon d'Or winner of the uninvited guest, but far from wanting to go by unseen, Messi emerged onto the deck and greeted the starstruck man.
All Suli wanted was a photo with the idol, but his mobile had got soaked in the process of making the journey to the yacht and was unusable.
Messi stepped in and asked one of his boat employees to take a photo of them together that he would send to the man using one of his phones.
The Argentine did not stop there, offering Suli a glass of juice before sharing a prolonged conversation in which Suli was asked about his origin and his previous encounters with footballers, which included meeting Thibaut Courtois.
'I lost my telephone but I gained a photo with Messi,' Suli told Spanish daily Mundo Deportivo.
'As he spoke and addressed me, he didn't come across as a global superstar. He was very humble, very hospitable, both he and his family were wonderful.
Messi then ensured the man arrived safely back on the shore by arranging a speedboat to take him back to the beach in another wonderful gesture from one of the world's greatest ever players.
The heartening story was made all the more telling when Suli came across Messi's historic rival Cristiano Ronaldo at the famous Balearic night club Pacha later that night, when the Real Madrid and Portugal star was kept away from the public.
'I couldn't even shake his hand,' Suli added. 'He was surrounded by security and I couldn't get anywhere near him.'
