Angelidecovolo (June 2015)
I rarely give out five stars to anyone. However, this trip was one of those rare moments and Single Fin Surf Charters definitely raises the bar with regards to customer satisfaction. The words from the Seals mouth "Whatever it takes" still resonates in my mind long after our trip was over. Single Fin Surf Charters is owned and operated by two ex-Navy Seals. That’s right Navy Seals! How cool is that?

The boat (Witches Brew) is armed with a very capable crew, Cabo the boat captain and Rafa the first mate. Cabo can search out waves like a hound dog chasing a fox and Rafa can cook amazing meals like fillet mignon with a wonderful mixed salad or just pull a monster tuna out of the water and grill it up for lunch. The crew works hard to keep the boat clean and make sure that we are well taken care of.

It is so much fun to listen to the young Seals tell stories about their training and service. They are such good sports as we constantly made fun of their 8 beer minimum thing. Why 8 beers? Perhaps we will never know.

My buddy and I chase waves all over the world and we have stayed at some of the best surfing resorts and hotels in the world with great beach breaks. I can tell you that they cannot hold a candle livaboard surf charters. Trust me when I say that Single Fin Surf Charters will not disappoint.

Vincent (June 2015) 
Our trip was booked for a 4 day 5 night adventure, we were a group of 4, skill levels ranging from very experienced to intermediate/novice. All but one in our group had previously been to Central America on surf trips. This was my first surf trip on a boat, so; a lot of unknowns and a few concerns. My concerns in order of importance to me included;

1. Safe haven- Safety of boat and crew.

2. Accommodations- Size/condition of boat (comfort)

3. Personalities- crew/group dynamic.

4. Local knowledge- Of breaks and swells

5. Food/drink-quality/quantity

I think It is good to look at these variables as a percentage of total cost of trip, so the ratio at the end of each line item will provide you with the value (to me) which is the positive experience. Hard to measure, but think of it as ($/positive experience ratio or ultimate value)

1. First and foremost within a few hours all of my concerns were quickly put to rest. Ben was/is a Navy trained Seal (rescue swimmer, and medic) Cabo had been on this boat for over 14 years and it was very apparent that Rafe’ had an obvious comfort level on the boat and shared a dynamic with Cabo that could have only been possible after extensive experience of “time in the saddle” together. I don’t say this lightly and a lot of thought went into this part of the comment. (1:4)

2. Our accommodations were more then adequate and very comfortable. We had four, so; of our party, there was a “V-berth” (2) a starboard side cabin (2) and a Port side cabin (2) that slept Ben and Rafe’ . There were 2 bathrooms (one in the V-berth and one in the hallway that served the other two cabins, each had a level of privacy) Cabo, like all good captains slept upstairs, close to the helm at all times. All of the downstairs berths had A/C and individual fans, so sleeping at night was quite pleasant, cool as you would require. The boat had a small but adequate galley, which Cabo used every inch of when preparing our meals. It was fun to watch him cook. Additionally, there was a salon with TV and an “L” shaped couch, along with a comfortable bow lounging (outside) and a covered ~350 sq/ft sun deck/flying bridge where we did a lot of lounging and star gazing at night. (1:2)

3. The personalities of our group was a “known-known” what we were unsure of was the crew. All I can say without going into too much detail was that these guys (all of them) work really well together and they are all incredibly skilled waterman and very conscious of their clients comfort. They always seemed to know when we were hungry, thirsty and tiered. They knew what we wanted before we did, and they always had it ready. They surfed with us, and truly spent time interacting with us on a personal level. If we were tired, they gave us space. We even hosted an old friend of my brothers who happened to be at Ollies on the best day! Rafe’ gladly shuttled him back to his boat late that evening after a night of story telling and drinking in the salon. All in all we became very friendly with all three, we all surfed together, fished together and ate together; we watched videos of the days breaks, and a movie or two as well. This crew really are “good people” (1:4)

4. The local knowledge of the breaks seemed more then adequate. We only surfed two breaks (Ollies and Witches) since these were “relatively close” to one another and since they were firing every day. Just to be clear, these guys would have taken the boat anywhere we wished, they were always more than eager to let us call the shots (even if our choices were not ideal) Again, we caught one of the best days that most at Ollies had seen in a long time. We also caught a day at Witches that produced one of the largest rouge waves anyone on the boat had ever seen. (it nearly swamped two Pongas who were anchored “beyond the break” ) What a site! (1:2)