Yes, but not from the quay. None of the fishing boats on Reelzy leave from Málaga port itself. The three Costa del Sol boats we have sail from Marbella, about 57 km west of the cruise terminals, which is roughly an hour by car when the motorway is clear. That still leaves room for a three hour trip on a normal port day, as long as you agree a later start with the captain before you book and keep a hard return time.
If your ship is in from about eight in the morning to six in the evening, the plan that works looks like this: off the ship by half past eight, a taxi or the boat’s pickup to Marbella, on the water by ten, back on the pontoon by one, and back at the ship by half past two. That is a long way short of your all aboard time, which is the point. A day at sea is one day you cannot get back if the traffic is bad.
Where your ship berths and where the boats are
Málaga has two cruise areas. Big ships come alongside at the Levante quay, which has four berths and two terminals at the outer end of the port. Smaller ships use the Palmeral de las Sorpresas terminal on quay 2, right next to the old town, about five minutes on foot from the cathedral. Your cruise line’s daily programme tells you which one you are at.
The boats are in Marbella. La Starfisher and Blue Tide Marbella both work out of La Bajadilla, the fishing and leisure harbour on the east side of Marbella town. La Faeton Blue Marlin is at the Puerto Deportivo Virgen del Carmen, also in Marbella. The road between Málaga and Marbella is the A-7 and the AP-7 toll motorway along the coast, and the stretch around Fuengirola is the slow part between mid morning and early afternoon. Going west early and coming back east around lunchtime is the easier direction both ways.
All three boats are on our Marbella fishing charters page, and the wider Málaga charters page shows the same boats from the Málaga side.
The start time is the thing to fix first
Every one of these listings shows an 08:00 departure. Most cruise calls in Málaga arrive between seven and eight in the morning, so an 08:00 start an hour’s drive away is not possible on the day you dock. Do not book the slot and hope. Send the captain a message first with your ship’s name, the arrival time, the all aboard time, and ask whether they can start at half past nine or ten. Reelzy lets you message the captain before you pay, and the answer you get tells you a lot about the boat.
Ask about the pickup in the same message. Blue Tide Marbella and La Faeton Blue Marlin both list pickup and drop off as included. The listings do not say how far the pickup reaches, so ask whether it covers the cruise terminal in Málaga or only hotels around Marbella. If it does, that solves the transfer. If it does not, a taxi from the terminal rank is the simple answer, and you should agree a return pickup time with the driver or book one before you sail.
Which trip length makes sense
The shortest trips listed are two hours on La Faeton Blue Marlin and three hours on La Starfisher and Blue Tide Marbella. With two hours of road on top, a three hour trip is the sensible maximum for a port day of nine or ten hours. A four hour trip only fits a long call, one that stays into the evening, and anything longer is for a day before or after the cruise, if your trip starts or ends in Málaga.
What the boats are like, from their listings:
- La Starfisher is a cabin boat for up to eight with Daniel, a captain with more than twenty years on the Marbella coast. It fishes light tackle over reefs and offshore, which is the relaxed option for a first trip. The fishing licence is included and there is a toilet on board. The crew keeps the catch on this boat, which matters less on a cruise than it would on a holiday.
- La Faeton Blue Marlin is the same captain’s bigger flybridge cruiser, for up to twelve. It offers trolling, drift fishing and jigging, and its two hour trip is the safest fit on a short call. Guests keep their catch.
- Blue Tide Marbella is Arturo’s sportfishing boat for up to nine. Rods, tackle, bait, cold drinks, insurance and permits are included, and the crew switches between trolling, anchoring and bottom fishing depending on the season. Arturo speaks English, Spanish and Portuguese.
All three are private trips. You book the whole boat for your group, so a family or a few friends from the ship go out together and the captain works to your time.
What you can catch in a few hours
On a short trip from Marbella you fish close in over the reefs and the drop off, so expect a mix: the species La Starfisher lists are bream, bonito, conger, dentex and dorado, the last mostly in late summer and autumn. Bluefin tuna is the big name on this coast, but it is a strictly regulated fishery and a two or three hour trip on a cruise day is the wrong way to chase it. Our month by month guide to fishing off Málaga shows what is around when your ship calls.
The sea matters more than the species on a port day, because there is no tomorrow to move the trip to. The buoy record off Málaga shows summer and autumn as the calm half of the year, and winter and spring as the rough one. The calmest month guide has the numbers. If you are calling in winter, ask the captain the evening before how the sea looks for the morning.
Licence, the fish and what to bring
On a charter the boat’s paperwork covers you. La Starfisher and Blue Tide Marbella both list the licence as included; if you book La Faeton Blue Marlin, ask the captain to confirm it. Our guide to the Spanish recreational licence explains the rules if you are curious.
You cannot take fish back on board a cruise ship, so tell the captain at the start that you will release what you catch or leave it with the crew. Most captains are happy either way, and it is better said on the pontoon than at the end of the trip.
Bring what you would for a day ashore and a little more: shoes with soft soles that grip, a light jacket even in summer, sunglasses, a hat, sunscreen and water. Take your cruise card, ID and phone, and leave the bulky things in the cabin. If you are prone to seasickness, take a tablet before you leave the ship, not on the boat. The first trip guide for Málaga has more on what a first morning out is like.
If the sea is too rough
The captain decides on the morning. If they call it off for weather, Reelzy refunds you in full or moves the booking at no cost, though on a port day only the refund is any use. Each listing shows its cancellation policy before you pay. If the captain asks you to cancel because of the weather, message Reelzy support rather than pressing cancel yourself, so the refund goes through as a weather call.
The message to send before you book
Copy this, fill in the gaps and send it to the captain:
Hi, we arrive in Málaga on [date] on [ship], docking at [time], all aboard at [time]. We are [number] people. Could you start at about 10:00 for a three hour trip? Does your pickup reach the cruise terminal? We will release or leave the fish with you.
A captain who answers that clearly is the one to book. Give it a few days if you can; boats on this coast fill early in summer, and you want the reply before you sail, not on the morning of the call.
FAQ
Are there fishing boats at Málaga cruise port? Not on Reelzy. The Costa del Sol boats on Reelzy sail from Marbella, about 57 km west, roughly an hour by road.
Can I do a fishing trip on a cruise stop in Málaga? Yes, on a normal day in port. Agree a start around 10:00 with the captain, book a two or three hour trip, and you are back at the ship by mid afternoon.
Do the boats pick up from the cruise terminal? Blue Tide Marbella and La Faeton Blue Marlin list pickup and drop off as included. Ask the captain whether it reaches the cruise terminal before you book.
Do I need a fishing licence for a charter from Marbella? The boat’s licence covers its guests on La Starfisher and Blue Tide Marbella. On La Faeton Blue Marlin, ask the captain to confirm.
Cover: "131008_Kreuzfahrt_27" by Tauralbus, CC BY 2.0, edited (colour, retouching).
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