Seasickness depends on the person, but also on the time of day, where you sit on board and the boat itself. Those three things can be chosen before you set off.
To avoid seasickness on a boat, it helps to choose the time and the spot well: go out in the morning, when the sea is usually flatter, stay in the open air in the middle of the boat or in the cockpit, look at the horizon and do not read or look at your phone. Eating something light before boarding and drinking water helps; alcohol and heavy meals make things worse.
If someone in the group gets seasick easily, the boat matters too. A large one feels the chop less than a small one, and a catamaran, resting on two hulls, barely heels. For a first trip a short format of one or two hours is better than a full day, and it is best to pick a day without an easterly wind.
Because the inner ear senses the movement while the eyes, if they are fixed on something on the boat itself, report that everything is still. The brain receives two messages that do not match and responds with nausea. Almost every tip that works aims at the same thing: letting the eyes see the movement the body is already feeling.
Looking at the horizon is the most direct way to do that. Reading, looking at your phone or going down into a cabin does the opposite, because the eyes fix on something that moves with the boat and the mismatch grows. On boats with cabins, such as the catamaran in Marbella or the 31.7-metre yacht, anyone who feels queasy should stay on deck.
The morning. On this coast the sea breeze comes in from midday and raises a chop, which on a small boat feels like a short, constant rocking. The first hours of the day usually have the flattest sea, which is also why the dolphin trip goes out then: on still water you can make out the fins.
The day to watch is one with an easterly wind, even when it is light, because it brings a swell: long waves that arrive from far away and cannot be seen from inside the marina. Before setting off it is worth checking the sea forecast on the home page of the website, which updates every half hour, or the AEMET forecast for the coastal waters of Málaga.
In the middle and low down. When the boat pitches, the bow rises and falls the most, and the higher up you sit, the wider the side-to-side roll. Sitting in the cockpit, near the middle of the boat and facing the direction of travel, is the most comfortable place for anyone whose stomach is starting to turn.
Fresh air helps, and the smell of fuel or engine fumes does the opposite, so it is best to sit on the windward side, where the air is coming from. If someone starts to feel unwell, the best thing is to tell the skipper early: the skipper can change course so the boat meets the waves differently, or look for a more sheltered spot.
Something light and not greasy a little while before boarding. Going out on an empty stomach does not help, and a big meal just before casting off does not either. On board, sip water and keep something dry to hand, such as bread or salty crackers, to nibble if your stomach starts to complain.
Alcohol is better kept for after the trip than during it. With heat and sun, a beer on board hits harder than on land, and whoever is at the helm drinks nothing at all. The sun adds to the discomfort too: a cap, sun cream reapplied every two hours and plenty of water stop heat fatigue being mistaken for seasickness.
The bigger it is, the better it handles the afternoon chop. A small motorboat feels every wave; a large motorboat feels them much less. The limits for going out say as much: with more than twenty knots of wind only the large boats go out, because they are the ones that can take that sea.
The catamaran is the other option. It rests on two separate hulls, so it barely heels and rolls less from side to side than a single-hulled boat. There are two in the fleet: the 11.5-metre one at Marbella marina, for 12 people, hired by the hour or for a half day, and the 23.7-metre one in Málaga, for up to 100, which only goes out as a private event and is booked weeks ahead.
Not long. A two-hour trip lets you see how everyone copes without risking the whole day. If it goes well, the next one can be a half day; if not, you come back early and nobody has spent five hours feeling ill. With the catamaran in Marbella hired by the hour, you can make the same test on a boat that moves less.
For a group with some people who get seasick and some who do not, there are short formats that work: the dolphin trip, one to two hours from Fuengirola, or a one-hour boat party. What does not suit a first time is a fishing day, which leaves at first light and lasts between four and eight hours.
The date is changed. If the forecast does not allow a safe trip, the change is free of charge, and for someone who gets seasick a day with a swell is the worst one to start on. It is better to wait for a calm morning than to go out and see what happens, only to come back after half an hour.
The rule of thumb on this coast: below fifteen knots of wind almost everything is possible; between fifteen and twenty the light kit is called off; above twenty only the large boats go out. If in doubt, a call to +34 669 06 27 56 the day before helps you decide with the forecast in front of you.
If it is not here, call us: two minutes on the phone and it is sorted.
In the cockpit, near the middle of the boat, in the open air and facing the direction of travel. The bow moves the most, and the cabin is the worst place for seasickness.
Resting on two hulls, it barely heels and rolls less from side to side than a single-hulled boat. There is an 11.5-metre one in Marbella, for 12 people, hired by the hour.
In the morning. The sea breeze comes in from midday and raises a chop, so the first hours of the day usually have the flattest sea.
The easterly brings a swell even when it is light. If the forecast does not allow a safe trip, 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.
