One thing every angler should understand before booking any charter: It's fishing, not catching. Luck must be on your side, and you should never underestimate the ocean. The team gave me clear safety advice the before the trip. I grew up spending almost every weekend on a boat, and I'm very thankful I took their recommendations seriously. The Atlantic Ocean is a very different beast compared to European waters — strong, unpredictable, and nothing to take lightly. Without the motion sickness tablets, I would have definitely struggled. Both the captain and the first mate are named Miguel, and I can confidently say this: Your chances of a successful day out with these two are as high as they can realistically get. They know their hotspots, they know the fish, and they know exactly what they're doing. Fishing is my biggest hobby, and I'm very familiar with how things work. Still, their experience, coordination, and timing are absolutely top-notch. They don't miss a single bite, and they're instantly ready the moment a fish hooks up. A real angler knows when to step back and let the pros handle things. If you can't trust the crew and think you know better — honestly, you should go out on your own. But if you trust in the team's skills and follow their lead, you will be rewarded. I certainly was: 8 mahi-mahi and 2 barracuda on a single 6-hour private trip. I deliberately booked a private trip because it's simply not comparable to shared tours. My original booking on the Gone Dog had to be cancelled due to mechanical issues, which — again — highlights their professionalism. Safety always comes first, and that is exactly how it should be. No fish is worth risking your life for. I am convinced that some other companies would have ignored the issue and gone out anyway, just for the money. Big Marlin Charters did the right thing, and I respect that immensely. The rescheduled trip on the Blue Sky was excellent, and the crew made sure everything was perfect. I can wholeheartedly recommend Big Marlin Charters to anyone. If I return to Punta Cana, I will absolutely book another trip — and who knows, maybe next time I'll get the chance to hook the dream of every angler: a blue marlin. Until then, I wish both Miguels all the best and a fantastic start into the new season. In Germany we say: 'Petri Heil!' — good luck and tight lines! 🎣✨

Had an great time fishing on the blue sky. We had a 3 year old with us and was great. The crew was amazing super friendly and making our daughter their new friend. Fishing was tough. Took lots of strikes. The captain definitely put in all his effort to get us a fish. We finally ended up with a nice Mahi Mahi. The last hour the bite turned on. Every strike we took the captain made it a point to make another pass threw that area again. I've had the pleasure of fishing in many locations around the world with many captains and deckhands. These guys are hands down amazing. The entire experience was top-notch. They picked us up from our resort and right to the boat. 10 out of 10 recommend.

It was a beautiful day, but the waves were a little bit high and my friend got sick almost immediately and stayed sick for three hours while we were out and about. The deck hand was amazing showed empathy and compassion instead of just bullying through like some places might have and helped relax and alleviate anxiety through what was happening. The whole team from start to finish from pick up to drop off is professional unfriendly, accommodating, and as well worth it cost, we got a sell fish and I was tickled to death with that

Miguel y Miguel were both fantastic! We went in the afternoon due to our schedules not really hopeful since the fishing tends to be better in the AM. We got 8 dorado and 2 barracuda. 1 dorado was a large bull. Of course, we were hoping for a marlin as this is the season, but no such luck. But that's fishing! They seemed to work really well as a team and we had bait on 5 lines the whole time. You can have the restaurant there cook your catch for you and serve but we were salty and tired. The shuttle was very nice and clean.

Amazing fishing trip with Miguel and Miguel! We didn't catch as many as we hoped for, but no complaints! We landed 2 Mahi Mahi and a barracuda! It's our honeymoon and my wife's first time deep sea fishing — they even let her keep the barracuda's teeth as a souvenir! The best part of the trip was the crew filleting our catch and bringing the meat to a local beachside restaurant. My wife normally doesn't like fish, but she absolutely loved the Mahi Mahi. We'd definitely come back again! Chasin' a marlin!