Captain Tom was amazing from the moment I messaged him with an inquiry and questions to when he called us a taxi after our return. His crew was also top notch- they were friendly, efficient, answered all of our questions and were cool to just shoot the breeze with. We went on the afternoon trip and were concerned it wouldn’t be as good as the morning but we caught mahi mahi, 2 giant sailfish and a wahoo. They even fileted some mahi and wahoo for us to take to a local restaurant to cook. It was an incredible trip and the highlight of our vacation. Thank you!!

We booked a 6 hour trip with Captain Tom and his crew, and it was a fantastic time. For about the first 3 hours it was non stop fish, from Sailfish, to Mahi Mahi, to Bonita it was constant action. The last three hours the bite slowed down, Tom and his crew were able to adapt and keep getting bites and landing fish. Overall this was a amazing trip and hands down my best trip deep sea fishing that I have been on.  We will definitely be back to fish with tom and his crew again!

TLDR; Great captain and crew; very accomodating to requests; great sportfishermen and bottom fishermen; good times.

Captain Tom and First mate Chris are stewards of the island who promote the health of the marine flora/fauna. They’re knowledgeful of the island, it’s seas, and are willing to teach those who inquire.

But if you’re reading this review, you’re probably here for the fishing, so I’ll jump to that. We went on a 4 hour trip with fair seas in September; but I’d recommend a 6 to maximize effort and odds. Fishing is fishing, and we did not do well with the Mahi (in no part due to a lack of trying!). Captain Tom and Chris were constantly adjusting the trolling distances, bait, and teasers to diversify the effort.

With an hour and a half left, I suggested bottom fishing. Im not sure if this is something they normally offer, especially since I did not request it, but Captain Tom was more than willing to give it a go. No time was wasted switching gears and targetting a completely different species. Within a few minutes, we were on the board. My group of 3 caught 4 Yellow-Eye Red Snapper with the help of Chris. There’s a lot of fish to eat at the Aruban Restaurants, but after eating the Yellow-Eye Red Snapper for breakfast this morning (filleted beautifully by Captain Tom) nothing compares.

I highly recommend going with this crew. Come prepared with a good attitude, dramamine, and a four leaf clover for good luck. Even if we did not catch fish I would have had a great time. Captain Tom was very accommodating to my requests to switch to bottom fishing, and he put us on fish. First mate Chris was also very skilled. High Times and Fair Seas
-Kyle

Captain Tom is a pleasure to fish with. He’s got a great perspective on life, knows the water extremely well, and put us on some Mahi! Deckhand Chris was also excellent, managing 6 set-ups at a time, and always there ready to go when we got hooked up. Would highly recommend this team. My wife and I took a 6 hour trip, next time we will do a minimum of 8 hours and get out to the deep water and try for swords. Thank you Captain Tom and Chris for the great day! There is also an excellent little Marina restaurant right next to Captain Tom’s dock, they cooked up our mahi a couple different ways and it was delicious.

My wife and I flew into Aruba and already had a fishing trip booked. After extensive research and planning we settled on the first one we looked at! After looking at High Times Charters with Capt. Tom van der Woude and 1st mate Chris were nothing less than exceptional! Great attitude and put us on the fish. Can’t ask for a better day! Will definitely be booking again for a longer trip! We caught Mahi and tuna the whole 4 hours! Missed a shot at.a sailfish. Highly recommend!!!!!! Awesome boat and exceptional custom gear! Fun for all!!!