half day with Alex
Even though we had to cut our trip short (more below), Captain Alex was great and I would recommend this boat if you are looking for a specific type of outing. I booked this 3-hour, bottom fishing trip because I was with my kids and I didn't want to book something that was twice the price that went out in much deeper water for bigger fish. The pre-trip communication was excellent (though knowing some Spanish was helpful, but not required). We were picked up at our resort on-time (driver was already waiting), and the vans were clean and had good A/C both ways. The company rep met us on the beach for payment of the remaining balance (and offered either cash or credit options), and then we boarded the boat with Alex. He was the only crew-member, and it's a small boat for 3 people fishing max, so it was perfect. His English was competent (though we often spoke a mix of Spanish and English), and he was very knowledgeable and very kind/patient. The gear was good. He had plenty of water/soda/beer. We trolled on the way to the spot (about 30 min, no bites, but that's not unexpected), all within sight of the shore (including a pretty stretch of national preserve). At our bottom fishing spot, we were able to bait our own hooks, cast etc. if we wanted (my preference), or Alex would do it for you (my son's preference). He also let my son be in charge of "chumming" with crumbled tortilla chips to attract schools of smaller fish (kind of silly, but he got a kick out of it). After about an hour with several bites and hookups (but no landed fish), the swells were getting pretty high and unfortunately my son got seasick. It's also very, very hot and humid this time of year, which didn't help. If you have ever been seasick, it's hard to turn it around until you get back to shore, so we decided to head back early. Captain Alex was very kind and had no judgement, offering water/juice as well as offering to take us snorkeling nearby instead. He also called ahead to make sure our ride home was waiting for us at the beach. So not the best trip in terms of fish, but that's how fishing goes sometimes, and my son and I had a good experience together on the water...I would definitely recommend this trip for a shorter trip for a small group, targeting smaller fish, on a smaller, less expensive boat than the bigger, deep-sea boats.
