The boat, Captain and mates were all well prepared, knowledgeable and friendly. The mates were on top of every bite, net in hand. My youngest (21) liked fresh water fishing and had done some ocean salt water fishing from jetty's or bridges but was a newbie in every aspect today. Me, I am a novice at best. The mates filled every gap and he learned a lot too. On our ride home I had the conversation with him that my dad had with me. In short, I told him the 4 things I liked today not in any particular order. The boat, the fishing, building memories catching fish together. I said keepers and shorties matter the least and that is why is called fishing, not catching. The boat just cements the distance away and the time together. When I dropped him off I told him about my first Eagles game. I ran down the details. Franklin Field on a Monday night. The first time the birds played in a Monday night game. They played the Giants and got their asses handed to them on a platter. "Joe must Go" and we had Norm Snead as our QB because we traded away the legendary Sonny Jurgensen to the Redskins. He said "You really still remember all that from over 50 years ago?" I said "yep all but the score." Fishing catching winning loosing points? Dads & Sons PRICELESS! I said "you'll remember when it's your turn." read more

Had an absolutely amazing trip whale watching with this company! Captain Chris, mate Dave and Gina were beyond awesome! They went out of their way to make this such a great trip! We got to see 3 whales which was more than we could have hoped for! Thank you all so much for making this a trip to remember! Highly recommend! read more

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I went on a 3 hour whale watch cruise and had an incredible experience! The crew was kind, and they knew exactly where to take us to see whales that day. We took an extended journey since the whales were located further north than usual and we saw multiple active humpbacks feeding, with the backdrop of NYC. If you've never seen whales in the wild, I highly recommend going, I will never forget it. read more

It was my birthday weekend last Sunday and these guys were the best for our novice group (been on smaller boats before but not a large fishing charter), and was just super gracious when most of us didn't get our sea legs (or stomach!) until a little later than the rest of the boat. Operations run very smoothly, and I have been on charters in the west coast as well as the northeast. It was any husband's first time on a large charter and he loved it. Wonderful fishing time, and would highly recommend this charter in a heartbeat. Tip generously- these guys worked really hard on getting everyone's fish prepared in time for docking, and they go above and beyond. Thank you for a wonderful birthday and for not singing! read more

Ocean Explorer - Black Sea bass biting! - Boat Charters Near Me - Belmar, New Jersey

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Great boat and great crew. Had a strong south wind on a Saturday evening fluke trip, so getting a good drift was tough. That didn't keep the captain from working hard to find right conditions. Fantastic deckhands - friendly, professional - made us feel right at home read more

Couldn't ask for a better family-friendly activity than the whale-and-dolphin-spotting excursion. Congenial and knowledgeable captain and crew took us on a 3-hour tour where we saw dozens and dozens of dolphins. Very cool. read more

Worst fishing experience ever! The ship is old and the radar is poor to find fish! Non of us in the ship got a qualified one! Moreover, The weather is bad but the captain didn't reschedule the trip. The waves were high and made us on the ship stagger, so many people throw up, even I take seasick drugs before the trip, I still feel not good. Its so dangerous!!!! Especially with kids!!! Won't choose this ship again. read more

October 24, 2021. My friend and I went whale watching with Bobby and his crew from the Ocean Explorer. It was an amazing day. We went out into the ocean and saw two whales spouting and jumping and on the way back in saw another whale jump out of the water and dive back in. Bobby and his crew knew exactly where to find the whales and told us which direction to look and there they were. There was also a naturalist on board who spent time with each guest. She went around and showed us all pictures of the whales and how each one is different. Our naturalist guide also spent extra time with my friend and I as we had lots of questions about the whales. I recommend Whale Watching with Ocean Explorer to anyone visiting the Belmar area. We will be going again in 2022. read more

Our group had a great time fishing with Ocean Explorer. We were a group of 16 and everything went seamless. Ocean Explorer was extremely accommodating and didn't ask for payment ahead of time unlike other boats. No one in our group caught fishes big enough to take home but we all had a blast! For the most part when we did catch a fish, a mate was on their way to us to help get the fish off the hook. I'm giving Ocean Explorer only 4 stars for two reasons: 1. Another group on the boat smoked the entire time and it bothered many in our group. 2. While for the most part when a fish was caught a mate was on the way but sometimes we waited for quite some time for help that other fishing guest helped us out. Overall, I definitely would use Ocean Explorer again! read more

I'm not the one to write reviews but I couldn't resist with this one. Extremely unprofessional. The captain canceled on us the first time due to weather, which is understanding. Then he canceled on us the second time because he was taking his own private charter out. Didn't even bother letting us know until I followed up with him to confirm our trip. Oh and to top it all off, he told us to go f*** ourselves. read more

False advertisement! I purchased a Groupon and had issues trying to make reservations so I emailed them and was told that they aren't excepting Groupons and I would have to reserve at the regular rate! read more

Captain Bobby and mike are a class act! I always fish this boat and trust them to put you on fish. read more

Ocean Explorer - Boat Charters Near Me - Belmar, New Jersey

ONLY THING YOU WILL CATCH IS A BUZZ 3 Fish for the whole boat for the entire day. Price is $65 then $7 more which they do not state over the phone to rent a rod. Plus an additional $3-$5 for each new rig they have to set up if you lose your weight and hook. This most likely will happen due to the fact you're fishing over a wreck. The reason why I say $3-$5 is because mates were telling different prices. A lot of sketchy Scamming going on with pricing throughout the whole day . Never on a boat I had to pay for a new rig each time I lost it. Went on an 8 hour fishing trip , We drove for 3 hours , Set the anchor for 3 hours, and fished for about 2hours. Overall terrible experience and will not be going back. DO NOT FISH HERE, THERES PLENTY of other grade A fishing charters in the AREA. I Hope I was able to save your trip before you throw away Cash. read more

Great captain the crew is great Mike and John are always helpful. It's a large boat the captain Bob Q always works hard to get us over the fish. read more

Ocean Explorer - Dinner!! - Boat Charters Near Me - Belmar, New Jersey

We went on a weekend and can't wait to go back. The crew is SO very helpful and really chill! Captain changed spots enough to give everyone on board the chance to have fish on. No need to go anywhere else, they will go above and beyond to make it a great day out. Thanks Cap n' crew! read more

Ocean Explorer - Boat Charters Near Me - Belmar, New Jersey

Went out whale and dolphin watching w the Ocean Explorer was not disappointed. Watched a juvenile humpback whale feed on bunker for easily over an hour. We were close enough to observe but not disturb the whale. Many photo ops of the whale's head, dorsal fin and tail coming out of the water as it fed. If that wasn't enough we saw a pod of about 6-8 dolphins on our way back to dock. Crew was great, guide was very informative. Overall a great trip. Thank you. read more

We went in July and since we did not see one whale or dolphin they said to contact them when we want to take a free trip. I contacted them in August and the voicemail was full and said to text them. I text 3 times and NO REPLY! Completely unprofessional. And the boat is small. read more

The captain is the worst. So unprofessional. Prepare to have your time and money wasted when he cancels on you numerous times. WARNING TAKE YOUR MONEY SOMEWHERE ELSE. read more

We went on the whale watching cruise this morning. To be honest, I did not think we would see one. I was just looking forward to a fun ride. This awesome crew got us our humpback and we followed him around for two hours. We also saw tons of dolphins. Great Crew and Great Time!!!! read more

hardest working boat around, you will catch fish and be treated like a family member here on this boat! As for the 2 star review from Tyler B. the boat has nothing to gain by scamming people so you really think they are out to get you?! This crew and captain are the most giving and honest people I have ever dealt with! If you want honest reviews go onto their Facebook page and see why they are a 5 start boat with thousands of reviews! Capt Bobby goes above and beyond to put you where the fish are!! overall experience was hands down the best out of any party boat and glad we finally found the best one to go out on daily!! read more

Awesome trip as always. Top notch operation from top to bottom. Capt Bob is always pleasant on the phone and honest with his reports. Also not to mention he stayed out an extra 30 min to keep us on that afternoon bite!!! The deck crew is just as professional, from sharing personal tackle and tips, to the perfect fillets at the end of the day. Would definitely recommend coming down to Belmar and jumping on with the Ocean Explorer and crew. read more