My family and I just went on a whale watching trip today. It's always part luck. Thankfully, we got lucky. Spotted a couple Gray Whales from a distance, and after a tip from another boat were able to get closer to two others swimming together and ride along with them for a while. Captain Smitty and Lee were great! Knowledgeable, friendly, informative, and great stewards of the sea, and marine life. We definitely recommend these guys. Go with an open heart, patience, and have fun! read more

We had the best time with Riptide Charters. The F/V Riptide is a 40' fiberglass hull, equipped with a turbo diesel, and is licensed and inspected by the United States Coast Guard. It was so clean, well until we all made a mess. It is a lovely boat. We felt so safe with the crew. The Riptide is owned by Capt. William Smith. He has been a licensed captain for over 30 years. You will find it located on "H" dock at Pillar Pt. Harbor in El Granada (near Half Moon Bay), California. The Captain was with us and he was able to help the weak ones, like me, without making me feel like I did not belong. The boat leaves super early in the morning so get some sleep the night before. I had to nap after. Go to their website to see what type of fish is in season or you will not be happy. We went for Rockfish and caught a few and were so happy. We grilled it all up and it was great and we were able to serve a lot of people. I was hoping to see a whale, but sadly, did not. I think they are pretty rare to see in that area. They have clean bathrooms. We will be back, this time for salmon. read more

Riptide Charters - Fishing Near Me - Half Moon Bay, California

In March, we took a whale watching trip with Riptide. My friends and I were so impressed by the captain and co-captain's knowledge. We saw 9 grey whales migrating north. It was quite an memorable experience! It was amazing to see them so close up. Thank you captain Shmitty! -Melinda MacNaughton read more

The online booking stated a minimum of 4 for whale watching. Booked 4 tickets a month in advance. The night before our whale watching trip the captain leaves a message that we didn't meet the minimum number of passengers so the trip was cancelled. I messaged back that we met the minimum according to his website. No response from the captain but the message was marked as read. The day would have been perfect. Clear sky's, warm and calm seas. Wasted trip including hotel expense. read more

We had a great day on the ocean with Captain Smitty and Captain Lee of the charter boat Riptide. They brought us dramatically yet respectfully into the presence of magnificent gray whales. We saw them surfacing to breathe, spouting, and showing their flukes before diving. My wife, son, and I enjoyed it a lot. Captain Smitty is knowledgeable and his pleasure at being able to share the whales with people is evident. read more

Saw some big whales that captain said we're rare to see. great weather. The boat was good size to walk and whale watch. Captain and assistant were cool read more

Riptide Charters - The riptide boat parked in harbor - Fishing Near Me - Half Moon Bay, California

See all

Caught some nice fish got a little seasick but that goes with the territory not their fault

Honestly giving 1 star for the actual captain being a nice host. The experience was decent and comfy, the problem we experienced was the ship help, who seems to think giving a "tip" is something he is mandated to have and if he thinks it's not enough, He disrespectfully lets individuals know it is not enough and to give him more. Truly unprofessional and if a "tip" is mandated please inform ahead of time so the customer are prepared. Also He was fishing and adding to our fishing limit which caused our fishing experience to end much faster than expected. Side Note: this was my first sea fishing experience; thanks Rip Tide Charters read more

Great Captain and awesome first mate. Riptide Charters took my family to scatter my mother's late husband's ashes. Very professional and respectful. On the way back to shore the first mate grabbed our attention to show us a few whales breaching! It was a very spiritual moment. I would highly recommend. read more

We used this guy to scatter my mother in laws ashes, and 4 years later I still think of how I wished I went with someone else on Pier 1. There's plenty of other boats, this guy just has a website so you think it's legit. He should stick with fishing and not offer to provide services during difficult times. read more

Amazing experience. The captain is a true professional with a great team; the boat is in great shape and the catch is always good. I will definitely come back. read more

Had a nice experience on this boat. Boat was clean and deck hand was super nice. Beautiful views of the water & lovely time. read more

Riptide Charters - Fishing Near Me - Half Moon Bay, California

I wish my family had read the Yelp reviews before booking with Riptide Charters because Smitty was extremely unfriendly. My grandmother passed away 2 weeks ago, and we booked Riptide for ash scattering. Half of my family got there early, but the rest of us were still on our way. At 3:40pm, Smitty asked my family, "Is the rest of your party here yet?" He seemed extremely impatient and just wanted to get on his way. At 3:55pm, 3 members of our party were still stuck in traffic and he said, "Just letting you know I charge $20 every additional 10 minutes." Then, we found out that our permit was for Santa Cruz County and not San Mateo County and he said, "I told you guys at least 3 times to make sure it was for San Mateo County and not Santa Cruz County." He was extremely rude to my aunt and uncle (who, by the way, had just lost their mother/mother-in-law and we were scattering her ashes so the least Smitty could do was have some sympathy but no). Since the county office is closed on weekends and we wouldn't get a revised permit on time, we had no choice but to cancel our reservation (and of course we were still charged). Needless to say, we will not be rebooking with Riptide Charters. They are unwelcoming, unfriendly, and just see your experience as a transaction rather than a solemn event. Do better. read more

Reservation was cancelled the night before our tour, we had travelled from out of state for this and were sorely disappointed to be cancelled on so last minute read more

Captain "Smitty" runs a fun exciting experience. My buddy and I went out for a salmon fishing trip and had a blast! He and his first mate Lee were very helpful when it came to reeling in the fish and also filleted our fish for a small charge at the end of the day. Overall it was a great time and would highly recommend it! read more

Riptide Charters - 25 lb salmon that was also delicious! - Fishing Near Me - Half Moon Bay, California

See all

Great charter boat. Amazing crew. Even though me and my son (his first fishing experience) did not get our limits - the crew made sure we got our bags and limits filled by them and other fellow fishermen. Good memories. Thank you. read more

I found this place a bit scammy. The rates they told me on the phone were different from that on the website. I realized after paying and was super pissed because they charged me more over the phone. When I told them I wanted to cancel the reservation, they did that for me too so I appreciated they. read more

My grandma's last wish was to have her ashes scattered at sea. After thorough research, Riptide was the most affordable and accommodating. Captain Smitty answered his phone quickly and answered my questions thoroughly. It seemed like a no brainer in choosing them to handle such an important last event for my grandma. I initially inquired about a date and was told there were 2pm and 4pm slots available. I had to confirm availability with my family and called Smitty back the next day. Apparently now, only a 1 pm was available now. I should've questioned it.. but didn't and placed a credit card hold. I asked him for an email confirmation of my reservation to be sure.. however Smitty said "um I could make something up? but we don't do that. rest assured your reservation is set." He never "made anything up" I had to go on faith our reservation was locked. 1 pm with a 12:30 arrival to ensure paperwork was done. Something in my gut told me to research some more. Then I found a few reviews with experiences of Smitty "double booking" or messing up reservation times. I kept my fingers crossed. the reviews were from a couple years ago, maybe he's gotten it together by now? Fast forward to day of, my family set out early so we could have a ceremony and picnic before boarding the boat. I check my phone and see 3 missed calls from Smitty. It is 11:45 AM we are in the middle of lunch. Smitty tells me he "had issues with the reservation and double booked the 1 pm time slot" SURPRISE SURPRISE. He asked us what our ETA was. I told him I was here. He said "Great, gather up the family and meet me on the ship in 10 minutes." what? just because I am here does not mean I was ready. we hadn't taken our dramamine and given it time to kick in. We were in the middle of lunch and needed up pack up! We weren't prepared, we didn't do our bathroom run yet.. we have young kids! we packed everything up and arrived at the dock. we weren't especially welcomed onto the boat. the kids were excited and distracted by seal. Smitty yelled "hey! excuse me" quite rudely to get everyone's attention. he went through boat safety in less than a minute. Pretty much "keep your feet on the ground, don't touch the steering wheels, life jackets are under there" without ever actually showing us the life jackets or what to do in an emergency, I repeat.. there were 4 kids on board! waters were rough that day so there quite possibly could've been an emergency situation. I didn't feel like he cared at all. No welcome aboard, no sorry for your loss.. He definitely wanted to rush back and pick up his next reservation. I honestly believe this company is quite unethical. In the end, did we get to scatter grandma's ashes? yes. Did the experience leave a bad taste in our mouths and an overall negative experience of the last time we "saw" our grandma? yes. My advice, pay a little more. Get a company that will give you the time of day and actually respects that this is an emotional event for the family instead of rushing them and brushing them off for your next gig. read more

If you're on the fence to go fishing or not, do it! With Craig as Captain and his right hand man, Jake, we had the time of our lives! They know the sea so well and knew exactly where to go to catch halibut and striped bass! We went home with 10 fish, AND they even cut and filleted them for us for easy transport! It was fun and exhilarating, yet the ocean was beautiful and peaceful. This experience is highly recommended! Just be prepared for the cold, so you can fully enjoy your time! read more

Riptide Charters - Fishing Near Me - Half Moon Bay, California

I was able to go on the Riptide Charter with a great Captain & Crew. They taught us to fish for Salmon and let us do as much as possible increasing our chances to catch fish. The Captain stayed on the fishing grounds when other boats called it a day because of the slowdown in catching, he told us to be patient and we would catch fish, and we did! We stayed until our Charter done and we had caught our limit of two huge Salmon each. Everyone was able to reel in a fish as we shared the rods until all of us brought in their first catch. Captain Smitty has the experience to help you catch fish when others give up. I would recommend Riptide Charters for your next fishing trip if you want to catch fish, in fact I hope to do it again. I will go with Captain Smitty on the Riptide or I will skip it until the next season. Thank you Captain and the Crew for giving me the experience of a lifetime. read more

Riptide Charters - Great day fishing - Fishing Near Me - Half Moon Bay, California

See all

Seems the WORD has DEFINATELY gotten out about ALL the Far Superior Partyboats in Half Moon Bay...As EVIDENCED that Rip Tide HASN"T posted a fishing report SINCE September 2023. The Paying Fishing Community is BEST SERVED if Capt smittie & the Rip-Off Tide is best kept....TIED TO THE DOCK!!!....Mark J read more

I didn't personally go on this fishing trip (sea and me don't do well together), but as a wife, I never want my husband to miss out. So him and his buddy went out today 6*29*19. Ya know, as a wife/mom, I was super excited that we got a girls day out shopping (shhhh, don't tell hubby ) that was until my husband text me and said they were on the way back to the dock... Why? Because they limited out! (Great for him, bad for me! Haha) Now I'm scrambling to finish my shopping, get back home and hide the evidence 5 hours ahead of schedule! However, this isn't about my day, this is about his day. And let me tell you what my life has been like the past 3 hours.. He came home, woke up our 14 month old (could've beat him with one of those rock cod he caught), rushed us both outside to see his bounty. I ain't gonna lie, I was shocked, impressed and by far the proudest wife ever. The rock cod he caught were on the smaller size, but he limited out, now the ling cod, that dang fish, was as big as our 14 month old and absolutely beautiful (minus the teeth ). He had a smile from ear to ear when he picked it up to show us. He told us of the experience he had with the captain, the crew and the other anglers. Captain and crew were amazing. Very experienced, prompt and awesome. Now the anglers, I understand that you're out there to have a great time, but drinking at 7am, drunk by 8am is quite frankly, disturbing. Not only was my husband smacked with a fishing pole, shoved and fallen into, he came pretty close to losing his own balance and he was SOBER. Drunken idiots on boats cause catastrophes. I would prefer my husband to have any amazing time but safely! So to all you other anglers, who want to fish on charter.. #1. I HIGHLY recommend Riptide Charters, Captain Smitty is awesome! #2. Please do it safely. Everyone would like to get home safe and sound. #3. Get some damn dramamine! No one wants to fish next to a chummer (puker). Thank you Capt Smitty, crew and Riptide Charters. My husband will fish with you again, and has already hinted what he wants for his birthday! read more

See all

FISH ON!! Thats pretty much the excitement you hear the whole time. Captain and crew were precise and to the point, you can tell they mean business when running around helping everyone NON STOP. The captain took us to the sweet spot and we were the first ship to arrive. When we left all the other fishing boats were just pulling in! For a $100 it was pretty good deal and included preset up bait as needed. I caught 3 and my buddy took in 8!! Of course you only keep 2 Salmon per the limit, we snagged the bigger of the ones we caught. The rest get divided up to those who didnt catch their limit, so on this trip at least everyone went home with fish.. Bring your own food, bottle water and snacks. Also bring cash, remember to tip the guys for their hard work, and if you need weights captain definitely prefers cash. Overall good experience and I will definitely book a trip with them in the future read more

See all

I worked with Captain Smitty to book a boat ride/whale watching excursion for our staff retreat in the area. We actually had so many people sign up, he had to enlist a 2nd boat. He was responsive and made that whole process smooth and seamless. While I didn't go on the ride, the group leader said it was "about perfect." They saw lots of whales and had a great time. (Yes, a few people got seasick, but...) read more

We hired Riptide to scatter my fiancé's daughter's ashes out at sea. It was scheduled for departure time of 2pm. I understand your on a time crunch. I had specifically told everyone that they needed to be on time. But as you know it's hard to get a total of 12 people to be somewhere at a specific time. I think we did great! My mother in law showed up at 2:05 pm- we were out of the dock by 2:07. Mr Smitty never gave his condolences to my fiancé. Did not show any kind of compassion or empathy at all! In fact he was very irritated and did not hold back in letting everyone know. He made my nieces feel horrible. We basically drove the boat out to scatter her ashes asap. And return back to the dock. We were back by 2:55..So if you're looking for some kind understanding or compassion..This is not the company I would recommend. As a business owner you should give yourself 15 minutes wiggle room. They should just stick to non sensitive events. Fishing and whale watching. read more

Riptide Charters - RIP Analisse ‍ - Fishing Near Me - Half Moon Bay, California

I think we chartered with him before for... yes, another scattering. The last one was just off the reef ( just off the harbor ). This time we went up to Montara since we had laid my dad there. I called 4 or so times, each time, the guy was super scattered. I went over and over that were were going to South Montara. He seem's overwhelemed, so watch yourself. We paid for 2 hours for the trip since he said it would take that much time ( confusing since we live there and have done the route many times, but ok.. ), and were back in under an hour- at $500 an hour. Overall the ride was pretty good, and most importantly the ceremony was nice- all us and the ocean- the deck hand was helpful, the captain was at the wheel smoking his ciagar. His deck mate was really good. He as professional, but a little surley and overwhelmed. We went up to south Montara beach, had a nice, but vert short, maybe 20 minute ceremony, and were back within an hour of when we left. There was another big party waiting for the boat when we got back, even though we were supposed to have it for two hours. So.... be careful. read more

If you have your own gear, know what you're doing, want to catch your limit (10 fish), and don't mind second hand smoke, stop reading now cuz this is a 5 star must try. They did a good job of taking us to multiple spots to make sure we catch our limit. So my sister and I wanted to take our 73 year old dad fishing for the first time along with our friends and we would have had a good time if it weren't for the captain and crew. First off don't fall for their "biggest fish of the day" contest cuz cuz you'll just be wasting money since you'll be fishing against the crew not just the other customers. Secondly, I was trying to fish next to my dad to show him what to do, but the captain didn't let us stand next to each other and put himself between me and my dad and worried more about catching fish himself than helping out people that paid to be there. I get he wants to fish too, but your first priority should be the customers, right? Usually I can stand people smoking, but whatever he(captain) was smoking reeks sooo bad that my throat was itching and I had to walk away a few times from our group to get fresh air. These guys didn't let us throw over the smaller fish that I didn't want to keep and made us keep all of it then yells at us at the end if we miscounted and had more than 10 in our bag. By the end of the day I only had 4 fish I wanted to keep out of 10. We notice they like to complain A LOT too. I like cutting my bait according to what I'm trying to go for at the moment so I didn't pay them to pre cut for me and all I heard for half the day was, "see, you should have had us cut it for you earlier instead of wasting your time now"...and they kept nagging like a wife you're about to divorce. Like dude, shit the hell up, I don't care... not sure if you can tell cuz I'm trying to ignoring you! We did find that the people we paid and talked to over the phone was really nice and extremely helpful, but I won't be fishing with them in the future. read more

Riptide Charters - Fishing Near Me - Half Moon Bay, California

My son and I went chartered Riptide around the Thanksgiving Holiday and had a great time. We found the ship and crew to be professional, helpful, friendly and well run. Captain Smitty was very knowledgeable about the area and found all the good fishing spots for Rock Fish and Cod. First Mate Lee did his job of cleaning the fish, untangling lines from our faults, and put on our fishing setups. I plan on using them again. read more

My wife and I had a GREAT TIME fishing for King Salmon with Riptide. Terrific boat and even better crew. Every thing you need can be provided or bring your own stuff. Will definitely come here again. Be sure and book your next trip here. You won't be sorry. read more

See all

One of the worst fishing trip I've ever went on. Yes, I understand once the boat catches the limit we head back. The trip was a little over 2hrs and quality of fish caught were smaller than I've ever seen from my 5 years of fishing. They don't spend time to take you to good fishing spots. It seems they were in a hurry to head back or something. Spoke to others on the boat and they said the exact some thing. I suggest paying a little more and enjoy your fishing trip elsewhere. I don't recommend and will not return for sure. read more

Had great time! Staff was helpful and friendly. Although we didn't catch much, given we were at the end of salmon season. we still have a great time and weather was almost perfect. Only thing I dislike was the boat was messy, not enough seating space. But I guess that's how them boats roll.. hahaha read more

Wanted to go fishing with a friend and our sons. Due Diligence showed the Riptide "Fish Reports" with all or close to all limit days and tons of fish being caught. Booked a party if five and we were off. Boat is old and in need of work, not a big issue. Captain Smitty smoked cigars the whole day, not bad unless you like fresh sea air. Everytime there was a fish on the deck hands were grabbing poles and very aggressive, bit of an issue. My main issue is that our boat of 12 caught four Salmon, my party of five caught none. I get it, not every day fishing is a winner, but our day didn't show up on their "Fish Report". They ONLY report the good days. I think that's bad practice and sets high expectations. Won't be going back. read more

just a killer time on the Riptide. The captain knew exactly where the fishes were. We caught our first lincod ever and also hit our limits on rockcod. Big thanks to Lee the deckhand for being super helpful and professional. Shout out to season fisherman Ted for being super helpful to me and my girl. I'm definitely going back to the Riptide for my next fishing trip! read more

Riptide Charters - Fishing Near Me - Half Moon Bay, California

I was talking and this guy was so rude I called to see if he has a jet ski and he said no ohh no Nd hung up after I was still talking bad Business person I own my own company and I would never treat my customers like that horrible service read more

Had a blast on the trip with Riptide! Managed to land my pb cabezon 22" and lingcod 32" on swimbait. The captain and deck are really chill people. If y'all in Half Moon Bay check em out! read more

Riptide Charters - Fishing Near Me - Half Moon Bay, California

Worst 8 hours of my life + rip-off First thing you need to know if you decide to go aboard this ship is - CHECK THE WEATHER BY YOURSELF. You can find it here for Half Moon Bay http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=46012 . Rule of thumb - wind up to 20 kt. and the waves up to 6 ft. Unfortunately I trusted captain's judgement and checked weather only when we came back, so it was "NW winds 15 to 25 kt. Wind waves 3 to 5 ft. W swell 6 to 8 ft at 13 seconds and W 3 to 5 ft at 21 seconds.". Pay attention to swell waves, because according to http://www.stormsurf.com/page2/papers/category_short.html - it was CATEGORY 4 up to 12 feet. As a result, it was a roller-coaster with permanent sea sickness and real danger to fall overboard. Obviously captain forgot to mention weather forecast, because losing money from 13 people was more important, then our well-being or safety. As the result, when we came to the fishing place, most people didn't care about fishing. Also, the rip-off part: This trip was advertised as: boat ($100) + fishing rod ($10) + license ($20) per person, which wasn't that cheap to start from, but become $169.54 per person. Btw, we didn't catch much fish, but I don't consider this to be the captain's fault, just mentioning. Summary: Check the weather by yourself, be ready for price to go up and best of luck read more

Captain Smitty = Captain S**tty Our story is almost exactly as in the review by Bruce J. We booked Captain Smitty's boat to scatter the ashes of my stepfather who held a special place in his heart for Half Moon Bay and the moments he spent there with my mom. We booked Captain Smitty for a 4PM charter. We were told the boat ride would be just about an hour, so we booked a dinner reservation for a restaurant across the street for 5PM, which would allow us just enough time to scatter the ashes with our family members that were in town to celebrate my stepdad's life, enjoy dinner together and get everyone to the airport in time for their flights. Before the scheduled date, my mom was told by someone from the booking office that we could arrive between 3:15PM and 3:30PM and if the boat was ready and we were ready, we could leave early. We weren't told that we had to come early, just that it was an option. Even though most of our party arrived in HMB long before 3PM, my brother and sister-in-law, who had the ashes with them, got caught in a terrible traffic delay due to an accident and couldn't arrive until 3:30 (and they were then delayed a few more minutes). Around 3:30, we went to the boat to see if we could start boarding, and a very rude, very cranky, Captain Smitty told us we had to leave right away because he had another funeral booked at 4PM. What the?!?! But, how is that possible when our charter was booked at 4PM?!?! The "Captain" had the other family board early, they departed at 3:48, just as my brother arrived to the dock. We were now in a quandary as to what to do with 14 people who were there for this special occasion. Nobody wanted to give this guy our business, but it was so important for my mom to have family there for this special occasion. So, we found a nice Harbor Patrol officer who went dock to dock, to try to find us another boat. He found us an available boat, but that boat captain called Smitty who said that he was "on his way back in" and so the guy wouldn't take us out because of loyalty to Smitty. Smitty doesn't deserve that kind of loyalty. He had already screwed us, and the only decent thing he could have done at this point was to let the other guy take us out. We ended up leaving at 4:30 with Captain Smitty and we couldn't go out as far as my mom wanted to go (she had a special spot in mind per my stepdad's request) due to the timing issue, we were late for dinner, had to rush through dinner, and the whole thing left a bad taste in our mouths. Additionally, we paid $435 (which includes an extra per person charge - really?), for barely a thirty minute boat ride that was supposed to be an hour. We weren't even offered a discount by Captain Smitty for the double booking error on his part. Captain Smitty, you're a schmuck. This was our opportunity to honor a Navy and World War II Veteran, retired firefighter and grant his final wishes. You blew that, and you should be ashamed of yourself. Apart from your rude and mean behavior, you took advantage of people who are grieving, which makes you the worst kind of person. read more

Our captain Smitty was very knowledgeable on where to stop for quality fish. We all were able to catch a few big ones and went home with the limit at the end of the day. The deck hand was a huge help. Always on top of everything and helping us get larger fish into the boat. He also filleted all of our fish for us on the boat ride back. The boat was nice and clean and (we rented our poles and gear) all the poles were set up and ready to go before we even boarded. It was a great experience. read more

Riptide Charters - Fishing Near Me - Half Moon Bay, California

See all

After reading mixed reviews, I gave Riptide Charters the benefit of doubt for the scattering of my sister's ashes. I spoke to Captain Smitty over the phone and he was very pleasant at the time of booking. He told me he had an opening at 3pm in his calendar for the day I requested. He walked me through process. He said check in was from 2pm to 2:30pm and our ride would take place 3-4pm. Price was $400 and $2.50 per passenger - up to 17 passengers. He also allowed us to bring our two small dogs aboard. Yesterday we arrived a few minutes before 2pm and found Captain Smitty and his partner on deck ready to go. At 2:15pm he called me and told me we needed to get everyone checked in and begin the scattering because he had another funeral at 3pm. He had double booked himself and was adamant I misunderstood. There was no apology or accountability for the mistake. He was callous, bleak, and straightforward. The boat was very clean and comfortably sat 8 of us. Riptide Charters fell short of what we expected for ash scattering. For families looking for someone who is cognizant of bereavement, Capt Smitty is not someone I would recommend. read more

Riptide Charters - Fishing Near Me - Half Moon Bay, California

so me and my buddy went fishing 7-27-22. We had a trip of a lifetime. The caption was very good at his job. And the two deck hands were fabulous. Lee and Antonio were totally different personalities, but they were great at their job. We caught a limit of salmon for all 9 people plus a limit for the crew. And we topped that limit off with a 16 lb striper as an added bonus. Just an amazing day. So awesome were going back out 8-4-22 When I get on a boat and fish, we don't always catch fish. sometimes the fish are hard to find, and sometimes its lights out. But if the fish are there and I get bit, I land them. With that being said, don't blame the captain or crew if you don't pay attention to the instructions. Its not their fault when you tangle everyone up. Follow the plan and it will work. And remember that this is a fishing charter, not a preschool. If you go fishing to be babied, then don't go. But if you go fishing to learn and to catch fish, this is the boat for you. read more