Kayaking is one of the few activities at sea where a child really paddles without having to learn anything. What needs care is the life jacket, the wind and the length of the outing.
To go kayaking with children in Fuengirola, the simplest option is a double kayak with the child at the front and an adult at the back, who steers and does most of the work. The child wears a life jacket in their size, properly fastened, and you paddle first thing in the morning on flat water, parallel to the coast and close to the shore, heading back before they tire.
The minimum age for a child to go in a kayak is confirmed when booking. When you call, say how many children are coming and how old they are, so there is a life jacket in their size. Under-18s always go in a double kayak with an adult, because the law requires you to be 18 to handle a beach craft without a licence. Kayaking requires no prior learning, which is why it works so well with children.
The minimum age is confirmed when booking, on +34 669 06 27 56. Beyond the number, what counts is that the child is comfortable in the water, can sit for a while without standing up and understands simple instructions such as ‘keep still’ or ‘hold on’. A child who cries the moment a drop splashes them will have a better time on the shore that first time.
If there are several children of different ages, give each one’s age. With that information the outing can be arranged: each child goes in a double kayak with an adult, so you need as many adults paddling as there are children. Prices are not published and are given over the phone, once the make-up of the group is clear.
At the front. The person at the back steers, and that role belongs to the adult. That way the adult can see the child at all times, correct the course without relying on them and stop paddling to help them without the kayak drifting far off line. From the front, the child sees the water and the coast with nothing in the way.
The child can have their own paddle and use it whenever they like, or rest it across their legs and take a break. The important thing is that the adult does not count on the child’s effort to get back: the adult must be able to do the return alone. If the paddles clash, the adult matches the child’s rhythm, not the other way round.
On, buckled and adjusted from the water’s edge until you are back, never at their feet or stowed away. A life jacket is included for each person and there are children’s sizes, which is why you ask for one when booking. A simple test: pull the shoulders of the life jacket upwards; if it rises to their ears or chin, it is loose and the straps need tightening.
Nothing goes over the life jacket that covers or loosens it. Underneath, a rash vest or long-sleeved T-shirt for the sun. If the child complains that it bothers them, check the fit, but do not take it off: it is what makes them float if they end up in the water, so the fright lasts only seconds.
Less than the adult would do alone, and always parallel to the coast, close to the shore. With a child you do not set a destination, you set a length of time, and you turn back while they still want more. The return always takes more effort than the outward leg, and with a tired or cold child it feels very long.
The signs it is time to go back are clear: they stop talking, shiver, complain about the sun or ask how much longer. At that point you head back without negotiating. Outside the summer, with cooler water, a wet child gets cold sooner than an adult, so the outing gets even shorter and dry clothes wait on the shore.
First thing in the morning, with little wind. In the morning the water is usually flat and few boats are moving near the shore. From midday the sea breeze comes in off the water and raises a chop, which splashes and frightens some children. Below 15 knots you can go out; between 15 and 20, the light kit stays ashore.
With children, the wind to watch is the land breeze, the offshore wind from the north or north-west, which pushes the kayak out to sea even when it cannot be felt on the beach. Paddling against it with a child on board exhausts the adult. Before you go, the sea conditions on the home page of the website show wind and waves off Fuengirola every half hour.
Stop paddling, talk to them calmly and head towards the shore. What you must never do is let them stand up in the kayak to change places or look at something, because that is the easiest way to capsize. If they want to change position, they should do it sitting down and slowly, with the adult keeping the balance.
If the kayak capsizes despite everything, the life jacket does its job: the child floats. The adult grabs the child first, then the kayak, and helps them hold on to the edge while they calm down. With a phone in a waterproof pouch you can call 112 or Salvamento Marítimo, 900 202 202, if things get complicated.
No. Under-18s always go in a double kayak with an adult: to handle a beach craft such as a kayak without a licence, the law requires you to be 18. A child who has already paddled a few times can set the pace from the front, but the adult, sitting at the back, still steers.
If the child gets tired, you head back, and the adult must be able to make that return alone. To vary the morning, paddle boarding, with the child on the same board as an adult, or the banana boat with an adult alongside are other options from the same beach, next to the Puerto Deportivo de Fuengirola, and can be combined on the same day.
If it is not here, call us: two minutes on the phone and it is sorted.
The minimum age is confirmed when booking. When you call, give each child’s age so there is a life jacket in their size. Under-18s always go with an adult, in a double kayak.
At the front. The adult sits at the back, steers and can make the return alone if the child tires. The child paddles when they like or rests with the paddle across their legs.
No. A life jacket is included for each person and there are children’s sizes. Just give their age when booking; it is worn and fastened the whole time.
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.
