Celebrating a birthday at sea takes only a few decisions, but they need making before you call: how many of you there are, what time, and who drives the boat.
An adult birthday on a boat in Fuengirola is built around a one-hour party format for a maximum of twelve people, which leaves from the Puerto Deportivo de Fuengirola. If the group is larger than twelve, the celebration moves to a catamaran. Before calling, it helps to have three things settled: how many of you are going, which day and at what time, and whether anyone wants to add an activity before boarding.
The rules on board for a birthday on a boat are few: no glass, the music plays from someone’s phone, no confetti or loose balloons, and the boat’s maximum capacity is never exceeded. The person celebrating counts as one more place. And whoever is at the helm drinks no alcohol, so if there is going to be a toast, the easy option is to go out with a skipper.
The one-hour format, designed for groups of up to twelve including the person whose birthday it is. For a birthday that carries on with dinner on land afterwards, it is a comfortable length: you board in the afternoon, raise a glass at sea and step ashore with plenty of time to get changed. What happens during that hour, and whether there is a stop for a swim, is agreed when booking.
The figure of twelve is fixed. If someone signs up at the last minute and the group becomes thirteen, they no longer fit, so it is worth having the list confirmed before you call. For larger groups, the boat party moves to a catamaran: the one in Málaga carries up to 100 passengers as a private event, and in Puerto Banús there is also a 24.1-metre schooner for 36 people.
In summer, the morning is the calmest slot: on this coast the sea breeze comes in from midday and, with a westerly, the water gets choppy in the afternoon. If anyone in the group gets seasick, the morning is their time. If you want a party atmosphere, the last hour before sunset is cooler and the coast is lit from the side.
A birthday falls when it falls, and from October to May you can still go out. In those months a booking can usually be made from one day to the next and the sun sets much earlier than in summer, so an afternoon trip has to start earlier. A warm layer for the way back is a must in winter. On 2 October 2026 the water off Fuengirola was at 23.2 °C.
Bookings are made by phone on +34 669 06 27 56, Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 20:00 and at weekends from 10:00 to 18:00. If you would rather leave your number in the form on the website, they call you back, so do it when you know you can answer without the birthday person around. When booking, say that it is a surprise.
The guest of honour only needs to know there is a plan and what to wear: swimwear underneath, shoes that do not mark the deck and a soft bag rather than a hard suitcase. Ask the rest of the group to arrive earlier, so that everyone is already on the pontoon when the birthday person turns up. The office is in the Puerto Deportivo de Fuengirola, unit 367, and you can drop in beforehand to see the boats.
Whoever is at the helm drinks no alcohol, and that rule is not up for discussion, birthday or not. If the whole group wants to raise a glass, the answer is a boat with a skipper: the skipper steers, anchors and is responsible for safety, and nobody in the group has to go without a drink. The price of a motor boat with a skipper is given by phone according to the length of the trip.
If someone in the group would rather drive the boat and is not going to drink, they need a licence: the 4-metre boat requires at least the Spanish navigation licence (licencia de navegación). It is handed over after a ten-minute briefing and a deposit that is returned in full, and you have to be back in daylight and stay inside the authorised area. The 6.6 to 6.9 metre motorboats require the Spanish PNB licence (Patrón de Navegación Básica).
An activity just for them, before boarding. Parasailing is about twelve minutes in the air, at thirty to fifty metres, taking off and landing on the platform of the boat. You can fly alone, in pairs or in threes depending on weight, and those waiting stay on board, so the group watches from the boat.
For someone who prefers something faster, jet skis go out from the Puerto Deportivo de Fuengirola in fifteen-minute slots, and drivers must be 18 or over. A jet ski slot or a parasailing flight is a present that can be booked in the same call as the boat. All of that comes before the party: once the toasts start, nobody is at the controls of anything.
No glass comes on board: no bottles, no wine glasses and no china plates. For the toast, hard plastic or reusable cups are fine, with drinks in cans or poured beforehand into a bottle that will not break. The cake travels better cut into slices and in a container with a lid, because it is windy on deck and the boat moves.
No confetti or loose balloons either: whatever the wind takes ends up in the water and cannot be picked up again. The music plays from someone’s phone, charged and with the playlist downloaded before boarding. A rubbish bag for cans and wrappers stops anything blowing overboard during the trip.
Prices are not published; they are given by phone. To get a price on the same call, have the exact number of people ready, along with the day, the time and any activities you want to add. With the price of the boat and the number of guests, the cost per person is a simple division, and it is worth working it out before you send the invitation.
In July and August the booking is made several days ahead, especially if the birthday falls at a weekend. If the forecast does not allow a safe trip, the date is changed at no cost. With less than 15 knots almost everything goes out, and the home page of the website shows wind, waves and water temperature every half hour, so you can follow it in the days before.
If it is not here, call us: two minutes on the phone and it is sorted.
The one-hour party format takes up to twelve people, including the birthday person. If the group is larger than twelve, the celebration moves to a catamaran.
Yes, with no glass at all. Drinks in cans or plastic bottles, reusable cups, and the cake cut into slices in a container with a lid.
Yes. From October to May a booking can usually be made from one day to the next. Start afternoon trips earlier, as the sun sets sooner, and bring a warm layer.
If the forecast does not allow a safe trip, the date is changed at no cost. It is worth having an alternative day in mind when booking.
Leave us your number and we will call you. In July and August it is worth booking ahead.
Puerto Deportivo de Fuengirola, local 367. You can drop in and see the boats before you book.
At no charge. Going out to see what happens is never worth it.
Life jackets for everyone on board, included in the price.
