PURPOSE: To provide a method for recovering the oil contaminating a water surface by bringing hydrophobic and macroporous highly cross-linked polymer particles into contact with the oil.

CONSTITUTION: This method consists in recovering the oil suspended on the water surface contaminated with the oil by spraying the discrete particles of the hydrophobic and macroporous highly cross-linked polymer onto the water surface. The sprayed polymer particles are filled with the oil by adsorbing the oil. The polymer particles filled with the oil are recovered from the water surface and compressive force is applied to the particles filled with the oil, by which the oil is removed from these particles. The particles which do not substantially contain the oil any more are recirculated and are sprayed again onto the water surface contaminated with the oil. A series of these stages are interated until substantially all the oil is recovered.