Moment stunned cruise ship Brits looking for dolphins spot migrants waving for help instead in stranded boat south of Marbella

This is the moment a shocked British tourist looking for dolphins instead finds migrants stranded on a small boat off the coast of Spain.

The cruise ship was sailing about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Marbella when the concerned passenger saw the migrants waving for help on Wednesday afternoon.

The cruise ship’s captain alerted Spanish authorities, who then rescued the small boat, carrying about eight people, at around 4:30 p.m. local time.

The passenger, who wished to remain anonymous, told MailOnline: ‘I saw the boat about a mile from the cruise ship.

‘I was looking for dolphins with my camera, because my daughter had seen them earlier when we were sailing through the Strait of Gibraltar.

Spanish authorities came to rescue the stranded small boat carrying people and waved for help

‘The ship’s crew did an excellent job of stopping the ship in the distance we had. The deck crew also showed concern.

‘Everyone was sitting on their balconies and worried about the people in the boat.

‘The captain kept us informed every 15 minutes, which was very nice.’

He added that there were a few other boats nearby, including a ferry, to assist the stranded small boat.

In total, the cruise ship was on standby for approximately one hour and forty minutes while the rescue operation was carried out.

This comes at a time when Spain is facing an unprecedented migrant crisis, with the Balearic Islands president warning last month that the holiday resort has reached its limits.

Marga Prohens’ comments came after the Spanish central government announced it was considering the possibility of dividing unaccompanied minors who reach the country among the autonomous regions.

The idea behind the scheme is to provide assistance to the areas in Spain where most migrants arrive, particularly the Canary Islands, where most small vessels are intercepted.

However, Ms Prohens said the Balearics “have reached their limit, as the centres for minors are operating at 650 per cent overcapacity”.

Last July, the Spanish coast guard rescued 86 people from a migrant boat off the coast of the Canary Islands.

The cruise ship’s captain alerted Spanish authorities, who then guided the small boat (pictured) carrying about eight people to shore at around 4:30 p.m. local time.

Pictured: The Spanish coast guard on its way to rescue the small boat

Pictured: The small boat that ran aground about 50 miles off the coast of Marbella in southern Spain

Pictured: The Spanish coast guard on its way to rescue the small boat

The ship was spotted 70 nautical miles (130 km) southwest of the islands.

Among those rescued are 80 men and six women from sub-Saharan Africa, but the exact departure location of the boat is unknown.

According to the Spanish Ministry of the Interior, an estimated 15,682 people arrived illegally in the Canary Islands in 2022.

And that same year, at least 559 people died at sea attempting to cross to Spanish territory, according to the UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Statistics from the UK Home Office this week showed 114 small boats arrived on Monday, compared to 267 over the weekend.

That means 3,710 migrants have reached Britain since the start of July, not including unconfirmed numbers from earlier this week.

The total since the start of the year now stands at 17,284, up 15 percent from the same point last year.