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Captain
Capt. Greg Macfarlane
Member since February 2016
St. Petersburg, United States
- Background
- I am a third generation Captain, and have been working the Gulf my entire life. Whether it's driving 100 miles offshore to supply the fish house with fresh Grouper and Snapper for local restaurants, to pulling Stone Crab traps off the coast, or taking a family out to catch the biggest fish of their lives - we do it all! Being able to share our adventures out in the Gulf with charter clients is something I really enjoy, and take pride in giving them a great experience.
- Techniques
- Primarily we bottom fish for Grouper, Snapper, Amberjack. We prefer live bait fishing. During seasonal fish migrations we may troll live bait for King Mackerel and Tuna. Upon request we can always target larger fish such as Goliath Grouper or Sharks
Hey, I'm Captain Capt. Greg Macfarlane
- Background
- I am a third generation Captain, and have been working the Gulf my entire life. Whether it's driving 100 miles offshore to supply the fish house with fresh Grouper and Snapper for local restaurants, to pulling Stone Crab traps off the coast, or taking a family out to catch the biggest fish of their lives - we do it all! Being able to share our adventures out in the Gulf with charter clients is something I really enjoy, and take pride in giving them a great experience.
- Techniques
- Primarily we bottom fish for Grouper, Snapper, Amberjack. We prefer live bait fishing. During seasonal fish migrations we may troll live bait for King Mackerel and Tuna. Upon request we can always target larger fish such as Goliath Grouper or Sharks
My Charter Listings
angler's choice
US$ 550
Customer Reviews
4.94 out of 5 stars from 42 reviews
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VERIFIED Went fishing on Wednesday, April 4, 2018
Morning flew by but was very productive. captain Macfarlane focused on getting us to spots on Gulf were we caught primarily Snapper, but also grouper and sea bass. Highlight of morning was catching king mackerel which provided the experience and challenge of bringing in a real fighter for everyone on trip.
Michael Piatko recommends Pura Vida Charters Offshore FishingFished April 2018
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VERIFIED Went fishing on Tuesday, April 3, 2018
We went out on 3 April 2018. Capt Greg and First Mate Brian were OUTSTANDING!! The trip could not have been better! Capt Greg put us on the fish, First Mate Bryan was there to take the fish and put new bait on the hook. Charter was ready to depart before time - 7AM, caught our first King fish shortly thereafter. We caught our limit before 1PM and returned to King fishing to bag our second one. Recommend this charter to all! Better yet, Im looking to book again!
Keith Thompson recommends Pura Vida Charters Offshore FishingFished April 2018
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VERIFIED Went fishing on Thursday, March 15, 2018
Phenomenal day of fishing! Captain Greg knows where the fish are! Each spot we fished we quickly caught lots of fish. Had a great day catching a wide variety of fish. Highly recommend.
Shaughn Osterkamp recommends Pura Vida Charters Offshore FishingFished March 2018
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VERIFIED Went fishing on Sunday, February 18, 2018
We had a great day out on the water with Capt Greg and First Mate Brian. The weather was perfect for February and allowed us to hit a number of spots where the fish were biting. We lost track counting all the different types we caught, but most importantly we hit our limit for the day with Gray (Mangrove) Snapper and Hogfish.
Capt Greg was keeping us moving from spot to spot in maximizing our opportunity to land fish while Brian was running around constantly helping with the fish we caught and baiting new lines for the four of us.
There’s always a bit of luck that comes into play when fishing but having these two run our trip certainly provided the opportunity to maximize our fun.
Can’t wait to head out again for another trip the next time we are in the area.
Travis Roe recommends Pura Vida Charters Offshore FishingFished February 2018
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VERIFIED Went fishing on Monday, February 12, 2018
Thanks captain Greg and first mate Brian. Top notch trip!! No problem putting us on fish, caught some real beauties and your appreciation for conservation and selective harvest was Second to none. Thanks again!!
Scott N Shelley.
Scott Earle recommends Pura Vida Charters Offshore FishingFished February 2018
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VERIFIED Went fishing on Wednesday, February 7, 2018
Great trip, hooked up on amberjacks at first stop. If your looking for a fight, amberjacks fit the bill. Went out further for groupers, caught a few reds. Finished the trip catching red groupers, gag groupers, snappers, porgi’s,. Captain Greg and Brian are passionate about catching. I highly recommend a day on the water with pura Vida charters.
Adam Rothfus recommends Pura Vida Charters Offshore FishingFished February 2018
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VERIFIED Went fishing on Tuesday, November 7, 2017
We had a fantastic day (11/7/17) on a 6-hour charter with Greg (captain) and Brian (first mate) of Pura Vida. The pictures only tell half the story. We released a number of out-of-season fish including some big red snappers, a slightly undersized gag grouper and about a 30 lb amberjack. I’d highly recommend the 6-hour over the 4-hour charter. For the extra $200 you go much farther offshore where you’re far more likely to catch much larger fish. The action was almost non-stop, and Brian was vigilant about quickly re-baiting everyone’s hooks so there was very little time spent with rigs out of the water. I had told Greg we wanted a nice mess of fish for a few meals and a shot at some bigger fish for fun. He saved his secret spot for last where we caught the big Kingfish and Amberjack. These two guys really love to fish and are true pros. Some captains also might not have gone to the trouble of having a plentiful (and expensive-$50) bucket of shrimp and also more than enough live and large baitfish. Squid only gets you so far! The only reason I didn’t give a 5 star on boat and equipment is that I think we would have benefitted if all the rigs had been the traditional bait caster style reel (reel on top of the rod), instead of a mix of spinning reels (though some folks might prefer them). The main reason for my comment is that many of our bites came the very second the weight hit bottom and the bait caster style reels allowed you to respond faster and avoid having the bait stolen. Also, the gunnel (as you can see in the photos) is pretty low, though you get used to it.
Robert D Campbell recommends Pura Vida Charters Offshore FishingFished November 2017
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VERIFIED Went fishing on Friday, November 3, 2017
Choosing the right charter can mean the difference between having the time of your life or throwing your money away. There is a reason these guys have the review and ratings they do. What a great experience.
Booked a full day trip with Pura Vida to take some friends on their bucket list trip. Everything was great. Capt. Greg and Brian were perfect. They had everything ready for us first thing in the morning and it continued all day long. They kept us baited, and kept us on the fish all day. They were stocked and ready for everything with multiple tackles and baits to chase what the fish were wanting.
Highly recommend this charter. They will take care of you. We will book again.
Erik Tomlin recommends Pura Vida Charters Offshore FishingFished November 2017
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VERIFIED Went fishing on Thursday, August 17, 2017
I booked this half day trip through Fishing Booker for a mid-August 2017trip. I was able to reserve my date about 2 weeks out. I called Capt Greg a few days prior to the trip and confirmed all the details. My group of 5 people arrived at 8AM, and we met Capt Greg per directions. All was ready, and we immediately headed out.
He has a 32’ Sabalo that is equipped with a small toilet in the under deck storage area. The covering built-in to his boat was vital in providing shade on this hot August day.
Capt Greg boated out about 10-15 miles to his known fishing spots, and we were catching plenty of fish immediately! The deckhand, Brian, was super helpful with reloading bait when needed and for unhooking the fish that we were catching.
We caught red snapper, gray snapper, a couple of groupers, and many other fish. So many fish that the boat limited out on gray snappers. We even got lucky and got a 20.5” grouper that we were able to keep.
Excellent time. I will use Capt Greg again for this same trip!
Andrew Mast recommends Pura Vida Charters Offshore FishingFished August 2017
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VERIFIED Went fishing on Monday, August 14, 2017
BEST fishing trip ever! Captain Greg made sure we had plenty of action on our half day fishing trip, keeping 3 teenage girls entertained with fish after fish. His mate,Brian never had a moment of peace with all the fish we we caught . Brian made sure our hook did not stay out of water long so we can get back to fishing. Captain must of took us to dozen different fishing spots to make sure we had plenty of action during the trip. Two thumbs up to both captain Greg and Brian for their wonderful service .
Toby Innami recommends Pura Vida Charters Offshore FishingFished August 2017
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VERIFIED Went fishing on Tuesday, August 8, 2017
We had a great half day of fishing with Greg and Brian in early August 2017. Took about an hour to get out to where we fished, approximately 15 miles off shore. We caught our group’s limit of snapper within about 90 minutes then switched to fishing for grouper. We caught quite a few groupers but all were too small to keep as expected. Boat was a fine fit for our group of six, plenty of room for everyone to fish. They provided everything we needed for the excursion and cleaned all the fish when we got back.
Terry Ecklund recommends Pura Vida Charters Offshore FishingFished August 2017
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VERIFIED Went fishing on Thursday, July 13, 2017
Great charter. Captain Greg and Deckhand Brian were awesome and helpful. Caught some big Red Snapper and a large Red Grouper as well as many other fish. Took them to a local restaurant and had enough fish for 3 meals for 5 of us.
Lawrence Heitkamp recommends Pura Vida Charters Offshore FishingFished July 2017
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VERIFIED Went fishing on Monday, July 10, 2017
It was an overall good experience. First mate Brian was very knowledgeable about all fish caught! They interacted so well with my young children! And were very accommodating to staying out longer than originally planned. The best part of the whole trip was on the way back to the dock where we had a show with the dolphins right behind the boat I will do it again when we come back.
Ronald Bucci recommends Pura Vida Charters Offshore FishingFished July 2017
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VERIFIED Went fishing on Wednesday, January 4, 2017
Pura Vida Charters Offshore Fishing was an amazing experience! Captain Greg and Firstmate Bryan were very kind, patient and professional. As we were passing through the bay we got a special surprise of dolphins playing in the wake of the boat. They were right there! Captain Greg made sure we were able to have a reasonable amount of time to capture the moment. We had two 10yr old boys with us and they enjoyed it very much. The boat was comfortable and spacious! Captain Greg made sure we were all catching fish and they both made sure the hooks were bated promptly so the kids wouldn’t lose interest. I apologize for not being able to remember the names of all the fish but we got lucky and caught a couple Hogs, lizard fish, squirrel fish, snappers, grouper and an octopus. I would highly recommend this charter. I know I’ll be booking with them again but the full day instead with all adults. After it was all said and done they were so kind and filleted the fish for us!!! Yummy! While at the dock they had their own audience of Florida birds that Michigan people don’t get to see. So Cool!!!
Sarah Hildebrand recommends Pura Vida Charters Offshore FishingFished January 2017
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VERIFIED Went fishing on Friday, February 3, 2017
Just wanted to let you know that my Charter experience with Captain Greg and mate Brian of the Pura Vida Charters was a great trip. The Boat was clean and comfortable. The fishing equipment was up to date and in great condition, and the crew were knowledgeable. Captain Greg had several spots that we fished at and all produced keeper fish. The captains mate Brian kepped himself busy baiting hooks and removing fish his service was awesome. I would recommend this Charter service to any fishermen new or seasoned that truly wants to have a great Charter expirence.
Timothy Brzvozka recommends Pura Vida Charters Offshore FishingFished February 2017
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VERIFIED Went fishing on Thursday, April 20, 2017
There are hundreds of fiahing charters to choose from and sometimes it’s hard to know where to book. I can tell you, no need to look further. First this trip is great if it’s all adults or a family. Captain Greg, and his deck hand Brian are great. They are prompt, knowledgeable, and you definitely catch fish. My kids loved it. When you arrive back, they will clean and filet the fish for you, and even recommend a couple of restaurants that will cook up the fish for you and your group. I guarantee you will have a great time and a reasonably priced rate.
Katrina Airhart-snyder recommends Pura Vida Charters Offshore FishingFished April 2017
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VERIFIED Went fishing on Saturday, April 15, 2017
These guys are great. I took my 2 boys ages 11 and 13 out for a 3/4 day fishing trip with my wife as well and we caught 29 fish that we could keep and at least that many that did not meet the size requirement or were out of season. In addition I caught a 30 pound sailfish that is very rare and took about 30 minutes to bring in. What an awesome experience!!! The kids also enjoyed the puffer fish that we caught as well as the octopus and squirrel and lizard fish. They also enjoyed watching the flying fish as well. I highly recommend these guys!!!!
Eric Wall recommends Pura Vida Charters Offshore FishingFished April 2017
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VERIFIED Went fishing on Thursday, March 30, 2017
This fishing trip was the one thing our grandson wanted to do with his first visit to us in Florida.
Not only him, but our daughter and son-in-law had a blast too. We caught our limites and they cleaned the fish thoroughly and we ate it the minute we got back. When you have family in from out of town, you want the trip to be perfect, and it was! We recommend Pura Vida - you will not be disappointed.Sue Reardon recommends Pura Vida Charters Offshore FishingFished March 2017
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VERIFIED Went fishing on Tuesday, March 28, 2017
Trip was great and Captain Greg and deck hand Brian were very helpful. Had a great experience and would do it again. Thanks for a smooth ride and all the help during the charter!! You guys are awesome!
Jorge Lopez recommends Pura Vida Charters Offshore FishingFished March 2017
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VERIFIED Went fishing on Monday, November 7, 2016
Trip and crew were amazing..Helped me to surprise my brother for his birthday by hiding my husband and I in the bottom quarters. Made sure we had fish and very patient baiting hooks and in teaching.
Tami Scofield recommends Pura Vida Charters Offshore FishingFished November 2016
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VERIFIED Went fishing on Sunday, August 21, 2016
captain and first mate were great, I have hired 10 captains in last three years he was most outstanding. Very professional and knew his stuff, was pleasant, would never go with anyone else except Captain Greg. Excellent
Robert Henry recommends Pura Vida Charters Offshore FishingFished August 2016
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VERIFIED Went fishing on Monday, August 8, 2016
Capt Greg and Brian were very friendly and helpful! They literally took care of everything from baiting the hooks to filleting our catch. Awesome experience and an awesome crew!
William L. Boekenoogen recommends Pura Vida Charters Offshore FishingFished August 2016
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VERIFIED Went fishing on Thursday, May 26, 2016
We had a great time on the water,caught plenty of fish and had a blast! Would definitely go again and would recommend this charter to everybody!! The captain and crew were fantastic!
Karen King recommends Pura Vida Charters Offshore FishingFished May 2016
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VERIFIED Went fishing on Friday, April 1, 2016
Despite less than ideal weather conditions Captain Greg and deckhand Brian did everything at their disposal to get us on the fish. The snapper were playing ball but not much else. We did hook up with larger species but the fishing gods were not smiling on us. If the bite was not quick in coming Captain Greg was soon moving us to try others marks.
The boat itself is well equipped and handled the choppy sea well which did help when moving between marks. Gear supplied was good and there was always a variation in tackle available to cope with the variety of species that may appear from nowhere.
Both Captain and crew were knowledgable and offered advice freely and even when the spot tails were stealing the bait the hooks were not bare for long as deckhand Brian had a ready supply of freshly prepared bait.
Once back at the dock the catch was expertly prepared for cooking by Captain Greg and there was the added bonus of watching the catfish fight the Pelicans for the left overs (might not mean much to most but for those of us from the UK it was a sight to see!)
Overall an excellent experience and I won’t hesitate in coming back to Pura Vida charters the next time the chance arises. It certainly made a change from catching mackerel and tope in the Irish Sea!
5 stars all round.
Nick Smith recommends Pura Vida Charters Offshore FishingFished April 2016
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