Paddling together is easy when you have thought beforehand about who goes with whom, at what pace and how far. Otherwise the group ends up scattered along the coast.
A paddle boarding outing as a couple or a group comes down to three decisions made in advance: how many boards and whether anyone would rather kayak, what pace to paddle at and which way to go. The rule that ties it all together is that the slowest person sets the pace, that you paddle into the wind first and parallel to the coast, and that nobody is left alone.
When booking, say how many people are coming, their ages and whether anyone has paddled before, so there is a board and a life jacket for everyone. In July and August it is worth doing this several days ahead; from October to May, from one day to the next. The first hour of the morning, with flat water, is the best for a group with mixed levels.
By phone, on +34 669 06 27 56, or by leaving your number on the website form. With a group, the call is for sorting out what cannot be seen from outside: how many boards, whether anyone needs a child-size life jacket, whether someone would rather go in a kayak and what time is best to set off. Prices are not published: they are given over the phone.
How far ahead depends on the month. In July and August, the high season, you need to book days in advance, especially for a large group or a weekend. From October to May it can be arranged from one day to the next, which lets you wait for the forecast. If the forecast does not allow a safe outing, the date is changed at no cost for the whole group.
Not at all. If someone in the group does not want to spend the morning falling in, for that person a kayak is the best option: they sit down, it requires no prior learning and they paddle alongside the boards at the same pace. A double kayak also lets you pair an adult with a child, or someone who tires sooner with someone stronger.
Mixing boards and kayaks has another advantage: whoever is in the kayak, seated and lower down but stable, can carry the waterproof pouch with the group’s phone and act as a reference point. And if someone on a board gets tired, the roles can be swapped on the next outing.
A half-hour lesson is enough for someone who has never been paddle boarding to start paddling on their feet, and in a group the easiest thing is for all the beginners to take it together. Anyone who can already paddle can use that time to warm up close to the shore, without going far, because the group will set off together.
What does not work is for those who know how to paddle to go ahead while the others are learning. Before long there are two groups well apart and nobody knows where the others are. When booking, you can mention each person’s level, so that the time and the plan suit the newest beginner.
The slowest person sets the pace and the most experienced goes last. That way nobody falls behind unnoticed, and whoever knows most can see the whole group ahead. It is worth agreeing before setting off how far you will go and what time you will turn back, rather than deciding on the way with some people tired and others keen.
The course is the usual one: into the wind first, while everyone is fresh, and parallel to the coast, so you come back with the wind behind you. Between boards, just enough distance not to clash paddles and to hear each other without shouting. And an agreed signal, such as holding the paddle horizontally above your head, to say ‘I am stopping’ or ‘I need help’.
As a couple, the temptation is for the stronger paddler to push ahead and the other to follow, trying to keep up. The outing works better the other way round: the more confident one adapts, and sometimes you swap boards or one moves into a kayak to even things out. If both are beginners, the shared lesson means you laugh at the same falls.
Paddling side by side is more pleasant than in single file, but with two or three metres between boards, so the paddles do not cross when a board turns. If one of you falls in, the other stops nearby without bearing down on them. And the group rule applies to two as well: neither of you heads away from the coast alone.
The whole group stops and turns back. Tiredness on a board tends to arrive all at once, and there is still the return to paddle. Whoever is tired can switch to kneeling, which gives the wind less to push against and is more stable. If the problem is the land breeze, which blows offshore from the north or north-west and pushes boards away from the shore, head straight for the beach.
For any real trouble, the group’s phone goes in a waterproof pouch, with 112 and Salvamento Marítimo, 900 202 202, saved. A life jacket is included for each person and is worn the whole time: it is what gives you time and calm if someone ends up in the water away from their board.
Each person brings their own water, a cap with a strap, sunglasses on a cord and water-resistant sun cream, renewed every two hours. A long-sleeved T-shirt or rash vest protects the shoulders, which are the first thing to burn when paddling. Keys, wallets and anything that cannot take water stay ashore, in a single bag that someone looks after.
If the group still has energy on the way back, the banana boat is booked per group, four to six people in a row, and it is a good way to end the morning all in the water together. All these water sports leave from the Puerto Deportivo de Fuengirola and the beach next to it, so there is no need to move cars between one activity and the next.
If it is not here, call us: two minutes on the phone and it is sorted.
It depends on the board and on the weight of both, so ask when booking. If someone does not want to stand, a double kayak is the alternative for paddling as a pair.
No. A half-hour lesson is enough for a beginner to paddle on their feet. The group goes at the pace of the slowest and the most experienced goes last.
In July and August, several days ahead, especially at weekends. From October to May, from one day to the next. If the forecast does not allow an outing, the date is changed at no cost.
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.
