With children, the trip is planned on the booking call. Their age, weight and how many are coming decide the life jacket, the boat and what they can do.
Every child who boards a recreational boat needs their own life jacket, suited to their weight and size: Royal Decree 339/2021 requires it, asking for at least one life jacket per person on board and life jackets for all children and babies. Children count towards the boat’s maximum number of people, which can never be exceeded. That is why, when booking, you say how many are coming and how old each one is.
Age mainly decides which activities are possible. On a jet ski, minors only ride as passengers, with a maximum of two people per jet ski; to ride one, the law requires you to be 18, or 16 with signed parental consent, and at Alquiler Náutico riders must be 18. On a boat with a skipper, the minimum age for each trip is confirmed when booking.
Royal Decree 339/2021, which regulates safety equipment on recreational boats, requires at least one life jacket per person on board, and adds a sentence written with families in mind: life jackets shall be provided for all children and babies on board, suited to their weight and size. An adult life jacket does not meet that condition on a small child.
The same decree sets the minimum buoyancy according to how far the boat sails: 100 newtons in zones 5, 6 and 7, the closest to the coast, which go no more than 5 miles from shelter or an accessible beach; 150 newtons in zones 2 to 4; and 275 in zone 1. On every trip, the life jacket is included, one per person on board.
By the child’s weight, which is the figure usually shown on the label of each approved life jacket, and then checking that it fits the body. The rules mention weight and size, so age alone is not enough: two six-year-olds may need different sizes. That is why, as well as age, it helps to give an approximate weight when booking.
A simple test before setting off: with the life jacket fastened, pull upwards on the shoulders. If the jacket rides up to the ears or covers the chin, it is loose or too big, and in the water it would do the same. Tighten the straps or swap it for another before casting off, and keep it on the whole time, also when the boat is at anchor.
Yes. Royal Decree 339/2021 requires that the number of people on board never exceeds the maximum the boat is authorised for, and the rule speaks of people, without distinguishing by age. A baby takes up a place just like an adult, even when carried in someone’s arms, and also needs their own life jacket.
That matters when choosing a boat for large families. The 6.6 to 6.9 metre motorboats carry up to 8 passengers, children included, and require the PNB of whoever takes the helm. For bigger groups there are crewed boats with more capacity: the 21.7-metre yacht in Puerto Banús carries 12 passengers and the 24.1-metre schooner, up to 36.
To ride a jet ski you must be 18; the law allows it from 16 with signed parental consent, but at Alquiler Náutico riders must be 18. Minors ride as passengers behind an adult and, in the slot without a licence, there are at most two people per jet ski: one adult and one child.
On the banana boat and the donut, children always ride with an adult, with a life jacket compulsory, and you can ask the driver to go gently. For the rest, such as kayaking or parasailing, the minimum age is confirmed when booking with each child’s exact age. And a teenager keen to take the helm may like to know that the navigation licence can be obtained from 16 with written parental permission.
Because on a trip with a skipper no adult in the group is at the helm, so everyone can keep an eye on the children. The skipper steers, anchors and is responsible for safety. Since 1 October 2026 it is also the way to go out on a boat when nobody in the group holds a licence, because hiring any motorboat now requires one.
Whoever takes a hired boat or motorboat stays at the helm for the whole trip, without alcohol, watching the authorised area and the time to return in daylight, so they cannot look after the children. If you go out without a skipper with young children, the practical rule is one adult at the helm and at least one other devoted only to them.
With babies and young children, a short morning trip works best, with a flatter sea before the midday breeze comes in, and a life jacket in their size requested in advance. Children sit in the cockpit, never at the bow, and what tires them most is the sun: a cap, a T-shirt and sun cream renewed every two hours.
With school-age children, the dolphin-watching trip, of one to two hours, gives the outing a goal. The bottlenose dolphin lives off this coast all year round, although sightings are not guaranteed, and Royal Decree 1727/2007 prohibits touching, feeding or swimming with them. With teenagers, riding as a jet ski passenger or the banana boat are a good fit.
How many children are coming, the exact age of each one and, if you know it, their approximate weight, so there is a life jacket in their size. With that information it is also confirmed whether there is a minimum age for the chosen activity and whether the group fits on the boat, because children count towards maximum capacity just like adults.
You can book on +34 669 06 27 56 or by leaving your number on the website form, and prices are given on that call. From October to May almost everything can be arranged from one day to the next, and for summer 2027 it is worth calling days ahead. The on-board rules for the whole family are on the safety at sea page.
If it is not here, call us: two minutes on the phone and it is sorted.
Yes. Royal Decree 339/2021 requires life jackets for all children and babies on board, suited to their weight and size. When booking, give their age so there is one in their size.
Yes. The rules speak of people on board, without distinguishing by age, and that number can never exceed the boat’s authorised maximum.
On the jet ski without a licence, no: there are at most two people per jet ski, so one adult rides with one child.
The law sets 18, with an exception from 16 with signed parental consent. At Alquiler Náutico riders must be 18.
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.
