Seasickness in children on Fuerteventura: choosing the right trip

The question usually arrives too late – the evening before, when everything is already booked. It is settled much earlier than that. Which crossing, which type of boat, how long, at what time of day: four adjustments, and you make all four before any money changes hands.

What this article does not contain: anything about remedies, active ingredients, wristbands or grandmother’s advice. Not because none exist, but because that belongs in the pharmacy or with your paediatrician, at home before the holiday rather than twenty minutes before departure on the quay. This is about the trip, not about your child.

Duration is the first adjustment

You cannot simply get off a boat when the trip becomes uncomfortable. The return follows the booked programme or connection. So every sensible thought starts with the clock.

The range on Fuerteventura is wide. The speedboat from Corralejo to Isla de Lobos takes 15 minutes and costs €16; the ferry on the same route costs €17. For whale and dolphin watching out of Morro Jable the ticket says €49 and 2 hours. On the glass-bottom boat with lunch it is €75 and 4 hours, and on the catamaran trip that includes food and drinks, €79 and likewise 4 hours.

The difference is not merely arithmetic. The Lobos crossing is two lots of fifteen minutes with hours of solid ground in between, but the return you may take depends on the specific ticket and operator. Four hours on a catamaran are instead one continuous programme on the water, swim stop included.

The two-hour outing from Morro Jable accounts for 5,142 reviews, more than any other offer on the island; its 4.2 stars are at the same time among the weaker scores in the twenty most popular tours. Two hours cannot be shortened once the mood turns. Which operators set which age limits is a separate question, dealt with in boat trips with kids: what minimum age.

What the type of boat does to the motion

The word “catamaran” alone does not tell you how calm a trip will be. Size, seat, course, speed and the actual sea all matter. There is plenty of choice: 17 catamaran offers in the listings, from €50, median €75. Ask not only about the type of boat but also about seats near the middle, a clear view of the horizon and a sheltered area. What a speedboat on the plane makes of a wave is something else again – the neighbouring article covers that.

The glass-bottom boat deserves its own paragraph. It runs for four hours through the nature park of the Jandía peninsula, and its selling point is the viewing deck below the waterline. The usual advice against seasickness is to keep your eyes fixed on the horizon. A glass-bottom boat is built for precisely the opposite, for looking down into a near field that moves with you. Whether that matters for any particular child is not something this text can say – but you know in advance what you have booked, and you can ask whether there are seats up on deck and whether time below is voluntary.

Three routes, three different decisions

Only the short El Río passage lies between Corralejo and Lobos; the listed speedboat gives 15 minutes for each crossing. Continue from Corralejo to Lanzarote and you cross the Estrecho de la Bocaina instead. Ferry operators give 25 to 35 minutes depending on the vessel. A dolphin trip from Morro Jable remains on the water much longer at two hours. Those differences are more dependable than a promise that one coast is always calm.

The north-east trade wind shapes Fuerteventura, but monthly figures cannot tell you the sea state for one departure. Wind direction, wind strength and swell change, and a forecast for Corralejo does not automatically answer the question for Morro Jable. Check the coastal forecast the day before and ask the operator that morning about the actual conditions on their route.

Leaving from a sheltered bay does not mean that the whole trip stays sheltered. For the dolphin trip from Morro Jable, ask whether it remains close to the coast or heads farther into the Atlantic. For a sensitive child, the planned time on open water is more useful than a general verdict on the departure port.

Morning is not afternoon

The sea can be calmer in the morning, but that is not a booking guarantee. Compare the forecast for the available times and ask the operator rather than deciding from the clock alone. If the operator expects the same conditions, the earlier trip has one practical advantage: there is still time afterwards to rearrange the day.

An early departure in the south can still be the wrong choice from the north if the long drive puts a tired child on the boat. Check the actual driving time from your accommodation and decide on route and departure together. Sometimes an offer from the nearer harbour is more sensible; sometimes the better plan is something that does not float at all. Ideas for that are in Fuerteventura with kids and under things to do.

The questions for the operator, before you book

None of it is owed to you just because it is common practice. Get the answers by message, and then you have them in writing.

• Is the trip cancelled when the swell is too high, and from what point? Some decide the evening before, some only in the morning at the jetty.
• Is there an enclosed indoor space, and is there a toilet? Irrelevant over 15 minutes, not over 4 hours.
• Can the boat turn back if something is wrong on board, or does it run its programme to the end?
• Can you choose your seat, or is it allocated?
• Are snorkelling stops and swim stops on offer, or a fixed item where everyone goes in?
• Does the boat carry life jackets sized for children?

If it happens anyway

Then it happens out on the water, and the trip cannot be ended like a walk. Until you return, you remain tied to the programme or connection. That is the honest reason why choosing the trip is worth more than any trick on board.

Beforehand, though, you do have one tool: many booking pages give a free-cancellation deadline, but it is not the same for every offer. Read the terms on the specific ticket rather than assuming 24 hours. It also matters to keep two cases apart. Your own cancellation follows the stated deadline. If the operator cancels because of the sea, their conditions apply; whether that means money back or an alternative date is stated on the booking page. The weather can still change after your own deadline has passed.

If the first trip went badly, the second booking of the week is not a point of principle. For the youngest that goes double: what actually suits them at that age is in Fuerteventura with a toddler.