All three go behind a motorboat and all three nearly always end with someone in the water. What changes is how many go, how you hold on and how much control you have over the ride.
Between the banana boat, the donut and the kneeboard, your group makes the choice. The banana boat is for four to six people sitting in a row; the donut is for one or two people lying or sitting on a round ring; and the kneeboard is for one person kneeling on a board, with an instructor. All three are towed behind a motorboat and life jackets are compulsory.
The banana boat and the donut are booked per group and are pure fun: the driver decides the route and you usually end up in the water. The kneeboard is more of a sport, because the rider controls the board and learns something. With children, the banana boat with an adult alongside, asking the driver to go gently, is the calmest option.
The banana boat is a long inflatable that you sit astride, one behind the other, holding the handles in front of you. It takes a group of four to six people. The donut is a round inflatable for one or two people, who hold the handles and bounce over the boat’s wake with a good deal more side-to-side movement.
The kneeboard is something else: a short board you ride on your knees, held by a strap across your thighs and gripping the tow rope. It is the easiest way into towed board sports, before water skiing or wakeboarding. It is done in fifteen-minute slots, with an instructor and with all the equipment included.
For a group of friends, a large family or a stag or hen party, the banana boat: everyone goes at once, laughs together and the falls are collective. For a couple, or a parent with a child, the donut, which takes one or two people and feels more intense, with more bumps. Both are booked per group, not per individual.
For someone who would rather do something on their own with a bit of technique, the kneeboard. It does not depend on getting a group together and leaves you feeling you have learnt something. Mixed groups work well combining them: some on the banana boat while another tries the kneeboard, or the donut for the two who do not want to go with the group.
On the banana boat, sit with your legs hugging the inflatable, both hands on the handles and your body leaning slightly back. On bends, everyone leans the same way, towards the inside, as on a motorbike. If everyone moves on their own, the banana boat tips over sooner. Keep your feet relaxed and do not hook them into anything.
On the donut you lie face down or sit, depending on the model, with your hands firmly on the handles and your elbows slightly bent to absorb the bumps. On the kneeboard, knees down, back straight and arms straight holding the rope handle, without pulling on it: just as on a wakeboard, the boat does the work.
Let go of the handles in time and drop outwards, away from the inflatable and the others. On the banana boat, the knock that hurts most is head against head or against the back of the person in front, so it is best not to sit squeezed right up and, when falling, not to grab your neighbour. In the water, the life jacket keeps you afloat and the boat comes back to pick up the group.
Before getting on, take off glasses, long earrings and loose rings, because they get lost in a fall. Keep your mouth shut as you fall so you do not swallow water. And after the fall, raise an arm so the driver can see you are all right. What to avoid is staying attached to an overturned inflatable while the boat is still pulling.
Towed activities have a set of common signals for talking to the driver, because you cannot hear anything over the engine. Thumb up asks for more speed; thumb down, less. A flat hand drawn across the throat means stop. An arm raised after a fall means you are all right.
The important thing is to go over them with the driver before setting off, because the driver sets them and may use a different one. On the banana boat, it is best for one person, the one at the front, to give the signals, so there are no mixed messages. And if someone in the group is having a bad time, ask to stop without waiting for the end.
Yes, always with an adult. On the banana boat, the child sits between adults or with one right behind, and on the donut they can ride with their mother or father beside them. On either one you can ask the driver to go gently, with fewer turns and less speed, so the child has fun without getting scared.
The minimum age is not given here as a figure: it is confirmed when you book. When you call, say how many children are coming and how old they are, so there are life jackets in their size. The kneeboard requires being able to swim, and for a child the sensible step is to start on the banana boat or donut with an adult before trying the board.
Well-fitting swimwear, because the banana boat and the donut mean bumps and falls, and water-resistant sun cream applied before setting off. Nothing in your pockets, nothing on your head, and your phone ashore or with someone staying on the beach. The life jacket is included and compulsory for everyone who gets on.
The afternoon is a good time: these rides cope with a little chop, and ending up in the water is more welcome when the heat is at its strongest. If the day turns very windy or the forecast does not allow a safe outing, the date is changed at no cost. And if the group wants to round off the day, it can be combined with a parasailing flight or, in the morning, with paddle boarding.
If it is not here, call us: two minutes on the phone and it is sorted.
Four to six, sitting in a row one behind the other. The donut is for one or two people, and the kneeboard is for one, with an instructor.
Yes. You can ask the driver to go gently before setting off, and during the ride use the thumb-down signal to ask for less speed.
Yes, always with an adult. The minimum age is confirmed when you book, and it is worth giving each child’s age so there is a life jacket in their size.
For the kneeboard, yes. On the banana boat and the donut the life jacket is compulsory and keeps you afloat after a fall, although being a confident swimmer reassures the whole group.
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.
