A man has been rescued off the coast of Spain after spending three days at sea drifting on a surfboard.

The unnamed 55-year-old, who is believed to be British, said he had fallen off a cruise ship.

Crew members on the Estelar yacht discovered the man, fully dressed, off the coast of Marbella in Spain, before alerting the coast guard.

Spain’s official sea rescue department, Salvamento Marítimo, shared a picture of the man on social media, who can be seen dressed in a white shirt and wearing a life jacket.

They tweeted: “Salvamar Vega yesterday rescued and transferred to #Estepona a man located by a yacht about 10 miles SW of Marbella, adrift on a surfboard.

“The rescued man claimed to have been at sea for three days after falling from a ship.”

The ship he had been sailing on is as yet unknown.

Alongside an illustration of a unicorn inflatable, they wrote on social media: “We have seen it now in Greece and we already saw it in Spain two years ago.

“If you are going to use this type of float, check that there is a green flag and that the wind blows from sea to land, especially in the case of children. Zero Risks at sea!”

The child, who was around four years old, was propelled out into the ocean by strong currents in the Gulf of Corinth off the coast of Antirrio in western Greece, before being rescued by a ferry.

When her parents realised she’d drifted out of sight, they contacted port officials, who in turn radioed the captain of a local ferry on the Rio-Antirrio route, who managed to bring her aboard.