The same boat is not hired in the same way in June as in August or November. What changes from month to month is demand, daylight and the plan you can make on the water.
The best time to hire a boat on the Costa del Sol is June or September, the two mid-season months. The weather is summery, the days are long and there is less demand on the fleet than in July and August, so you have more room to choose the boat, the day and the time. July and August are high season, and October to May is low season.
Each season changes the plan in a specific way. In July and August you need to book the boat days ahead, and the 4-metre boat, which the group handles itself with the Spanish navigation licence (licencia de navegación) and is the only one of its kind, is worth booking well ahead. From October to May almost everything can be arranged from one day to the next, but the trip depends on finding a calm day. June and September sit between the two.
Daylight. June is mid-season and also the month with the longest days: at the end of June the sun sets later than at any other time of year. That stretches the afternoon on the water, because you can set off after lunch, anchor, swim and still come back in the sunshine, once the heat has eased.
Daylight matters more than it seems if the customer is the one driving the boat. The 4-metre boat, which requires the Spanish navigation licence (licencia de navegación), has to be back in daylight, so in June the window for using it is the widest of the whole year. Try the same idea in December and an afternoon trip runs out of light very quickly.
September is the other mid-season month, and it arrives with the sea warm after the whole summer. The water is slow to cool: on 2 October 2026 it was still at 23.2 °C off Fuengirola, according to Open-Meteo. At that temperature swims from the boat last longer without getting cold, and swimwear and a T-shirt are all you need to head out.
The difference from August shows on land before it shows on the water. If the trip leaves from Puerto Banús, the paid underground car park at the marina fills up in August and forces you to arrive with plenty of time to spare. In September that problem eases, and anyone after one of the small boats at the Puerto Deportivo de Fuengirola is up against fewer bookings for the same day.
July and August are high season, and what changes most is how far ahead you book. The boat has to be reserved days in advance, especially if the trip falls on a weekend. There is only one 4-metre boat, handled with the Spanish navigation licence, so it is worth booking it well ahead; whoever leaves the call until the day before ends up choosing from whatever is left.
The heat also calls for some planning. In summer the local land wind, which blows down from the north or north-west, arrives hot and dry. On board you need to reapply sun cream every two hours, wear a cap and bring plenty of water, and children sit in the cockpit wearing a life jacket in their size, never at the bow.
In the morning if the plan includes boards or paddling, and at any time if it is just the boat. From midday the sea breeze comes in and raises a chop. For a large motorboat that barely changes the trip; for someone standing on a paddle board it makes the way back to the shore harder.
The last hour before sunset is the most pleasant time to be on board in July and August: the heat drops and the coast is lit from the side. It is also the time for boat parties, which in the one-hour format take up to 12 people. For a larger group, the option is a catamaran.
Yes. October to May is low season and trips can be arranged from one day to the next. The difference is that the plan depends more on the forecast: you choose a calm day, with less than fifteen knots of wind, and keep another date in mind. If the forecast does not allow a safe trip, the date is changed at no cost.
Some plans have their place in those months. Bottom fishing belongs to winter, for red porgy, dentex and blackspot seabream, and the trip leaves at first light, between seven and eight. And bottlenose dolphins live off this coast all year round, so dolphin watching can also be planned in low season, with no guarantee of seeing them.
For fishing, it depends on the technique. In summer the method is trolling, with the boat under way dragging the lure, and the catch is Atlantic bonito, frigate tuna and mackerel; in winter you fish on the bottom, and spring is a transition. The fishing boats go out with a skipper, for a half day of four to five hours or a full day of eight.
For a large group, the time of year matters less than booking ahead. The 23.7-metre catamaran in Málaga, for up to 100 passengers, only goes out as a private event, with catering arranged separately, and has to be booked weeks in advance whatever the month. For a group of up to 12, the catamaran in Marbella is hired by the hour or for a half day.
With the marine forecast in front of you. The official reference is the AEMET marine forecast for the coastal waters of Málaga, and the home page of the website shows the wind, the waves and the water temperature off Fuengirola every half hour. Below fifteen knots almost everything is possible; above twenty only the large boats go out.
Rates are not published: they are given over the phone for the specific boat and date. The practical approach is to call +34 669 06 27 56 with two or three possible dates and the number of people, or to drop in at the office at the Puerto Deportivo de Fuengirola, unit 367, and see the boats before deciding. Monday to Friday it opens from 9:00 to 20:00.
If it is not here, call us: two minutes on the phone and it is sorted.
In July and August, which are high season. It is worth booking days ahead, especially for weekends and for the 4-metre boat, which is handled with the Spanish navigation licence and is the only one.
Yes. October to May is low season, trips are arranged from one day to the next and you pick a calm day. If the forecast is not right, the date is changed at no cost.
On 2 October 2026 the water off Fuengirola was at 23.2 °C, according to Open-Meteo. The temperature for the day is always shown on the home page of the website.
Rates are not published on the website. They are given over the phone, on +34 669 06 27 56, for the specific boat and date.
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.
