Spain's maritime rescue service said on Tuesday that it had intercepted nearly 1,000 migrants in the past 72 hours as they tried to enter Europe by crossing the strait of Gibraltar in small boats and inflatable dinghies.

The influx is the largest maritime officials have seen since 2010. Warm weather and light winds had emboldened hundreds of people to attempt the treacherous nine-mile journey, authorities said.

The latest group of 681, including about 20 children, were taken to the southern town of Tarifa, where the Spanish Red Cross attended to them.

Most were in good health, though some were suffering from mild hypothermia and sea sickness. A sports complex in Tarifa has reportedly been turned into makeshift reception centre, for fear of overcrowding at the town's official migration centre.

More than 50 migrants travelling on inflatable rafts and in small boats have arrived further up the Mediterranean coast in recent days, on beaches in the provinces of Alicante, Almería and Granada.

Many migrants spend years travelling across sub-Saharan and north Africa, then live in makeshift camps in Morocco for months, waiting for the right moment to complete their dream of making it to Europe, either by sea or by storming the fences at the Spanish enclaves of Melilla and Ceuta.

In recent months Spain has increased security at the fences, leading many to instead try their luck at crossing the strait of Gibraltar.

Spain's ministry of the interior said about 700 migrants tried to storm the six-metre razor-wire fence to enter Melilla in two separate attempts in the early hours of Tuesday, with 30 or so managing to enter. Hours later, about 50 people were still perched on top of the fence, under the close watch of Spanish police.

In May, Spain reinforced its triple fences at Melilla and Ceuta with anti-climbing mesh, in a bid to reduce the number of migrants making it across the fences and into Spain. Last month Spain's minister of the interior, Jorge Fernández Díaz, told reporters that the mesh was doing its job, noting that "its efficiency was obvious as soon as it was installed.

Since then, only 0.86% of those who try to jump the fence have managed to enter."

On Tuesday, the ministry said that the migrants had used makeshift wooden ladders in order to try and scale the barbed-wire fence. The few that made it to Spanish soil yelled with joy, chanting "bosa, bosa" a victory cry used by migrants to celebrate their arrival in Europe.