People who fall in on their first day usually do so for the same four or five reasons. Hardly any of them have to do with the balance you think you have.
The typical first-time mistakes in paddle boarding are standing up too soon, looking at your feet, holding the paddle the wrong way round, falling onto the board and going out once the wind has picked up. All of them can be fixed before you get in the water, and half an hour of lesson is enough to start paddling on your feet with some confidence.
Paddle boarding looks like a balance sport, but on the first day it comes down mainly to posture and the state of the sea. With your knees bent, your eyes on the horizon and the flat water of early morning, staying upright is a good deal easier. With a chop and your eyes fixed on the board, it is much harder and you tire sooner.
Later than your body wants to. A very common mistake is trying to stand right at the water’s edge, with the board touching the bottom and small waves pushing it sideways. What works is paddling a few metres on your knees until there is plenty of water underneath, placing your knees level with the central handle and testing your balance like that before getting up.
To stand, first put your hands flat on the board, then bring one foot forward and then the other, exactly where your knees were. Your feet go hip-width apart and parallel to the edge. If they are too far back, the nose lifts and the board slows down; if they are too far forward, the nose dips. The right place is the middle, either side of the handle.
At the horizon, not at your feet. When your eyes drop to the board, your head drops with them, your weight shifts forward and any movement of the water feels much stronger. It is a habit that causes a lot of falls in the first half hour, because it comes naturally: you want to check that your feet are still in place and at that moment you lose your reference point.
Fixing your gaze on a distant point, a buoy or the outline of the coast, steadies the body just as it does on a bicycle. Meanwhile, keep your knees slightly bent at all times. A stiff leg passes every roll of the board up to your body, and a soft leg absorbs it. When the wake of a motorboat arrives, bend a little more and let it pass.
With one hand on top, over the grip, and the other on the shaft, about shoulder-width apart. The blade is angled, and that angle points forward, towards the nose of the board. It is easy to hold it the wrong way round on the first day and find that you paddle hard and move very little without understanding why.
Put the blade in the water in front of you, close to the edge of the board, and take it out level with your feet; taking it further back only turns the board. The power comes from your core, not your arms, which tire straight away. To go straight, take three or four strokes on one side and then switch to the other, swapping your hands on the paddle too.
To the side and away from the board. Falling in is part of the first day and in the water it does not matter, but falling onto the board or the paddle does, because that is where knocks come from. When you feel your balance going, the best thing is to drop sideways, as if sitting down in the water, pushing the paddle away from you.
If the board has an ankle leash, wear it: in a breeze, a loose board drifts away faster than you can swim. To climb back on, hold the central handle, rest your chest on the board, bring your knees up and sort out the paddle. The life jacket is included and is worn at all times, because it is what lets you do all this calmly.
Going out without checking where it is blowing from. On this coast, the land breeze comes off the hills from the north or north-west and pushes boards and any kayak out to sea without being noticed at first, because close to the shore it seems to do nothing. When you want to come back you have to paddle against it, and that exhausts a beginner.
The rule is simple: paddle into the wind first, while you are fresh, and come back with it behind you. If you notice you are not moving forward, switch to paddling on your knees, which gives the wind less to push against. Below 15 knots almost anything is possible, between 15 and 20 the light kit stays ashore, and for a first day the less wind the better.
First thing in the morning. From midday the sea breeze comes in and raises a chop, and with a westerly that chop grows through the afternoon. For someone who already paddles it is not a problem; for someone standing up for the first time, every small wave is a possible fall. In the morning the water is usually still and there is less traffic near the shore.
Before you go it is worth checking the sea forecast. The home page of the website shows the wind, waves and water temperature off Fuengirola every half hour, and the official reference is the AEMET marine forecast for the coastal waters of Málaga. On 2 October 2026, according to Open-Meteo, the water was at 23.2 °C.
Swimwear on, a long-sleeved T-shirt or rash vest if the sun is strong, a cap and water-resistant sun cream, renewed every two hours. Sunglasses on a strap, because the first fall will take them otherwise. You do not need to bring a life jacket: it is included, as is the safety equipment, which is checked before every outing.
Leave behind anything that does not float or cope with water. If you take your phone, keep it in a waterproof pouch; keys and wallet stay ashore. Nor is it worth stretching out the first session: an hour, half of it lesson and half practice, leaves you keen to come back rather than with aching shoulders.
If it is not here, call us: two minutes on the phone and it is sorted.
No. Half an hour of lesson is enough to start paddling on your feet. It helps to be a confident swimmer and to go first thing, when the water is usually flatter.
Nothing serious: you are wearing a life jacket and the water cushions the fall. The key is to fall sideways, away from the board and paddle, and climb back on your knees in the middle.
In a light wind, yes, though it is harder. Between 15 and 20 knots the light kit is called off, and if the forecast does not allow a safe 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.
