Wow! I mean. Wow!!…read more I'm an angler. I fish a lot. By "a lot" I mean every break from work, time to myself, wanna get away and nothing else to do. Well, there's always something else to do. Fishing. A few years ago, an angler friend who drove down to San Diego to fish tuna told me wonderful stories about Morro Bay and the size of the fish they catch up there. He made it sound like the Land of Plenty. We anglers love to tell fishing tales, just look at the length of this review so far, so I took it all with a grain of salt; by salt I mean a good flavorful blackened fish rub. HELLO! After the fishing trip ended, he sent me an invite to join a Facebook group called Friends of the Black Pearl. I accepted the invite because I had just deleted my old FB account because I kept getting put in Facebook Jail, 30 days being able to see posts and comments from everybody else but not able to post or comment myself, TORTURE! People posting and commenting stupid stuff and I couldn't check them. Anyway, what's this review about? Oh yeah. The Black Pearl. I started to see the photos of the fish people caught and thought I myself, hmmm. "6 hour drive in the car by myself. Hotel room by myself. Get some fishing in the next day. Hotel room again by myself. 6 hour drive home by myself." No sooner than I finished the thought, maybe while I was still thinking, I had already booked my first trip and hotel. It was the " by myself" part that did it. What? I love my family. I just need to miss them every now and then. My first trip the weather did not permit the boat to leave the bay due to the extreme conditions. However, three things happened. 1 - We were still able to catch a lot of decent sized fish. Not the monsters I was expecting, but definitely bigger than anything I would have caught in San Diego. 2 - I saw a Captain, Captain Brian, drive a boat with the most skill I've ever seen a Captain display on a day trip. I mean, the sea was rough yet he was able to keep us on the rock pile so we could keep fishing. I had never seen such a thing. I didn't even know it was possible in such high surf and wind. 3 - I met and bonded with the most exceptional crew ever. From Gambit preparing amazing means then handling the rails deck handing with best of them to the other deck hands making sure tangles were immediately addressed and angler had the time they paid for. It was like 4 star hotel hospitality training. Amazing!! However, I didn't see the huge fish I was promised. Then that's when I learned the term "Jurassic Park". Turns out that when the sea conditions permit, the boat is able to leave the harbor and sail to the coast of Big Sur. With that information etched in my brain, I scheduled a 1.5 day and did the drive and hotel thing again a few months later. This time... We made it! OMG!! Monsters!! Now with monsters come tangles because you're fishing so deep and let's face it, the fish you hook are fighting for their lives and don't come straight up. They're swimming all over the place in their panic and wrap themselves around other anglers' lines in their fight for survival. The harder they fight the more fun I'm having. " Yeah Baby! You better fight if you wanna avoid this beer batter and hot grease. Fight like your life depends on it!! It does!" I crack myself up. Since I've been fishing this boat, I've joined a few sponsored trips, made a huge amount of friends, caught lots of fish and even taken my son and best friend to fish with me. I don't even bother to fish rock fish in San Diego anymore. I've experienced the boat's new remodel, new crew members, I've even enjoyed Lisa's fine cuisine on every trip. Oh! Didn't I mention that? Lisa, the boat owner, specially prepares the meals at home for every trip. So you don't just get boat burgers, you get real food. I'm talking brisket and pulled pork sandwiches. Hot dogs with home made pickles, pickled cabbage and sour kraut. Potato salad (), baked beans and so on. A different meal every time. Today, a trip on the Black Pearl has become my happy place. When I need a break or just want to fill my freezer, or even just wanna see Gambit, Captain Brian and the crew again, I plan this time for myself. As an experienced angler, it's really not about catching fish, it's about the experience while fishing. Check out these photos over my years on the Pearl.

I hate the smoking at least go to the back of the boat and don't throw your butts in the ocean you…read moremay not have as much control over the passengers but your employees should be more respectfull

The Endeavor is a great boat to be fishing on Brad the captain,is awesome he always finds the fish…read more. Overall I would recommend going to the Endeavor if you want big fish.

If your going out on a charter boat pick any one else other than "Starfire" unless you don't have a…read morechoice. The captain was great but the deck hands all seemed to have an attitude. One deck hand named "Josh" cussed at a customer and we heard another one cuss at a customer. Poor communication when it came to cleaning fish. Most of us were asking each other what was going on. The passengers around us were not happy with how the boat was being run. We all decided this would be our last trip this boat. I will say that the boat limited out but be prepared for fishing 400' depths (arms my get cramps reeling in)

We did the 6-hour Fiesta cruise. It was an awesome experience! We'll be going again soon.read more

Staff were helpful! Had so Much fun! It was an 8 hour trip…read more Be prepared when you go! Bring your anti nausea medication.

Had a great time on the 8 hour trip Saturday. We have been out 3 times this year and this is the…read moreonly boat i will go out on. Captain Kyle put us on quality fish all 3 times. Crew is very friendly and is always willing to answer any questions. They even gave us great spots to fish from shore after our trip was over.

Amazing captain and crew, this is a good time. I can not rave enough. My first time fishing on the…read moreocean. The crew was attentive to all my needs and I caught some amazing fish. Thank you Captain Kyle and crew.

Great day on the water. Booked a 3/4 day trip and a a blast. Sergio worked hard to get us on some…read moregood sized fish. All 4 of us limited out. Sergio and Melissa are fun and easy to work with, thank you both very much.

We had a great time fishing with Sergio today. We pursued Halibut and Salmon up and down the coast…read morefrom Morro Bay to Cambria. Sergio was very knowledgeable and had a good idea where we could find the fish we were after. Would highly recommend Sergio!

If you like a slower pace, Morro Bay is great. Small shops, ocean breeze, and that huge rock…read morestaring at you everywhere you go. It's not a big tourist scene, which I actually loved. The beaches are clean, people were pleasant & mellow, and the bay views are beautiful. We spent most of the time just walking around. Plenty of parking too. While strolling the pier, you can find numerous seafood and waterfront dining options. If you live in California, it's a 3-day weekend escape, including the hours on the road.

Love this quiet little sleepy beach town! Morro bay is such a hidden gem off the 1, and one of my…read morefavorite spots in SLO county. There are lots of adorable little shops and boutiques, dog friendly restaurants, seal / otter watching, and a great beach for surfing or relaxing. A great spot to get fresh seafood. Highly recommend also getting a kayak or stand up paddle board to explore the bay while enjoying the great bay weather or catching a sunset.

I am so glad we discovered this park as it is my favorite park thus far…read more It had the best view of the Morro Bay rock as well as that boat. The kids can climb on with so much fun. It was clean with lots of little squirrels and places to sit.

I'm road tripping and happen to be in Morro Bay along the waterfront, Embarcadero Street. On the…read morefarthest side from Morro Rock is the Tidelands Park. "Aarr Matey" . Locals call the park, Pirate Park, due to the child's pirate ship play structure and nautical theme. The park is two acres advertised as having a children's play area, picnic tables with BBQs, green lawns, public parking lot (2), fish washing station, boater side dock with pump out for waste and access to fresh water, public restroom with showers, walking path towards the waterfront shops, boat launch, and stairs accessing the mud flats. The boat launch parking lot is not free anymore. Effective March 2026, ya gotta pay. Pay varies based on lot size. You can pay daily or get an annual pass. But it's free to launch your boat if that's any consolation. If you're looking for a place to launch your personal crafts (small skiffs, kayaks); this is the place. There are two parking lots. One on each side of the park. The lot furthest south has the boat launch and the lot has spaces large enough for trailers. Plus I gotta comment on the children's play area. It's not a typical park like playground, there are no swings or play equipment. They do have a sand filled area with a mini pirate ship and cute nautical themed concrete statues (octopus, seals, whale tail). What can go wrong with rambunctious kiddos and concrete climbable statues?!

Incredible experience on the whale watching tour! Captain Dakota was entertaining and always…read morewilling to answer questions. We got to see sea lions, sea otters, dolphins swim along the boat, and lots of humpback whales! If you get seasick, make sure to prepare with medicine! It can get a bit choppy. A MUST if you are in the Morro Bay Area. Seriously was so cool.

My sister, daughter, and I decided to hop on a whale watching cruise at the last minute when we…read morewere on vacation this past weekend, and I am SO GLAD that we chose Sub Sea Tours. They made the check-in and boarding processes so easy. My daughter spent the trip watching from an inside seat, and my sister and I hung out on the outside and were lucky enough to see a breaching humpback whale very close to the boat! It was a magical experience. The captain and naturalist were so communicative and were on a mission to make sure we got the most of our time out at sea. We are from Southern California and I go whale watching often, and I have never had a crew so determined to find wild life. We saw several humpbacks, sea lions, and a superpod of short beaked common dolphins (including so many babies), and sea lions. We were on the 10/9/26 9am tour. It was an absolutely amazing experience that I will remember for the rest of my life. By far the best whale watching tour I have ever been on. Also, if the captain asks if you want to take a picture with a toy humpback whale on your way back to the dock - SAY YES!

Have been out with captain rich several times always had a great trip actually just booked againread more

I have waited for this trip since April. My first trip canceled to wind. Even though it was a…read morebeautiful day where I was 20 minutes away It was, not good the captain says and the captain knows best. But my day came yesterday, Beautiful day at 6AM we meet at Morro Bay. I met the 3 other fisherman, Mark and his son Cassidy, and his son Carter. This trip which is a put together trip I was sone person that did not have to pay for the whole boat. Just my 1/4th. Captain Rich was on time to pick us up on his boat and off we went through the inlet and out to see north towards Cambria. Captain explained to us what our plans were and the options we could choose. Halibut was our primary target, rock fish and ling cod 2nd, and if the salmon were biting that could change everything. On our second drift Carter caught a nice California halibut a few inches over legal. After several drifts nothing on Halibut so we changed to rock fish. Captain Rich put us on the meat as we all started to fill our limits with Reds, Ling and a mix of other rock fish. As it slowed the Captain said let's go find some sandy bottom and get back to Halibut. His intel said that the salmon were just not biting so we all agreed let's find the halibut. WE had a few bites and then I hooked up with a nice 15 pounder. Captain had some nice sandy bottoms for us to try and get them, but they just did not cooperate. All in all I loved this trip and the captan and fishing style. I have been on the Virgs and Black Pearl 6 times a year but this is the way to really enjoy fishing . Personal attention to the gear and how we are using it. Fun, Fun, Fun I look forward to many more trips with CCFC.