True Blue Fishing Charters Reviews

Thanks so much for sharing your experience with us, John! 🌊 We're really glad you enjoyed your day, even if the fish were a bit shy that time. Our team always aims to make trips enjoyable by being friendly and supportive. We can't wait to have you onboard again soon for another wonderful day out!

Firstly, this review is written under a pseudonym rather than a real name. I provided a polite and factual response to the original review to clarify several incorrect and misleading statements. Instead of accepting that clarification, the edited response continues to repeat claims that demonstrate a clear lack of understanding of offshore boating and fishing operations.

For clarity: I am the owner of the business and the skipper who operated the vessel on this charter. I was not “safely on land,” as claimed.

Before departure from the pontoon, a comprehensive safety briefing was conducted for all passengers. This included the location and correct fitting of lifejackets, abandon-ship procedures, man-overboard procedures and the location of the life ring, the location and use of onboard safety equipment (including two life rafts, fire extinguishers, first-aid kit and EPIRB), as well as instructions for the marine toilet and the location of drinking water. Upon arrival at the fishing grounds, the deckhand also delivered a fishing and safety briefing, including how to safely secure hooks and sinkers to prevent them swinging dangerously. To state that the crew “made no effort to ensure safety” is a blatant lie.

Regarding the claim of “holding on for dear life”: sea conditions on the day were very calm by offshore standards, with light winds of around 10 knots and swell well under half a metre. At no point were conditions unsafe. Some vessel movement is normal in open water and should be expected on an offshore fishing charter.
You made the comment about holding on for dear life, I addressed it and you have since edited it out.

Offshore boats are not “parked.” The vessel was correctly anchored. Once anchored, a boat naturally aligns according to wind, swell and current — not skipper preference. The boat was bow-to the prevailing conditions, which is standard and safest offshore practice.

Accurately anchoring over small reef systems requires precision. The correct procedure involves locating fish on the sounder, accounting for wind and current direction, positioning the vessel well up-current (often over 100 metres), deploying the anchor and allowing the vessel to settle back onto the mark. Many reefs are small — often less than half the size of a football field — and this is the only reliable way to fish them effectively.

Claims about advice from “other charter operators” are unsubstantiated. No experienced offshore operator would attempt to hold a vessel sideways or deploy a second anchor in 40–50 metres of water due to the very real risk of fouling anchor lines and disabling the vessel. Suggestions to the contrary demonstrate a lack of understanding of offshore safety and anchoring procedures.

In relation to crew interaction: both skipper and deckhand are available throughout the trip to assist when required. Assistance is provided as needed without unnecessarily hovering over passengers. Our crew also work long offshore days and are entitled to brief meal breaks while maintaining customer safety and service at all times.

Fishing can be unpredictable. On this particular afternoon the bite was slower than hoped, so multiple locations were tried. For the final part of the trip, the decision was made to switch to trolling lures — a proactive and common strategy aimed at targeting larger pelagic species such as mackerel or marlin. This was explained onboard at the time and is done to maximise opportunity rather than simply returning early.

For balance, another customer on the same charter left the following 5-star review:
“Skipper did well, tried heaps of spots but no luck today. Will still be back to try get the big ones we got last time. Deck hand was also great.”

We stand by the professionalism of our crew, the safety of our operation and the decisions made on the day. Readers with experience in boating and offshore fishing will understand the explanations above.

Thanks a million for sharing your experience with us! It's wonderful to hear you had a memorable day out on the water, and those fishing stories are definitely ones to remember. We're happy Liam had his first deep-sea adventure with us and hope the King Fish curry hits the spot! Can't wait to have you back for another adventure soon.

We really appreciate your kind words, Mick! It's fantastic to know our crew made your trip enjoyable. Looking forward to welcoming you back for another day of fishing soon! 🎣

Thank you for your fantastic review! We're thrilled to hear you had a great day with us. We look forward to welcoming you back on another adventure soon!

Thank you for the fantastic review! We're thrilled to hear that you had an amazing trip with us and enjoyed tackling a bronze whaler. Our skipper and crew loved having you on board. We hope to see you again soon for another exciting adventure!

Thank you for your 5-star rating, Steve! We're thrilled to know you had a great experience with True Blue Fishing Charters. Looking forward to seeing you on board again soon!

Hi Lu
I am sorry we had to turn you away at the wharf this morning. Unfortunately, when the crew tried to start the boat this morning at 5:20am. It would not start. They called me immediately and I tried to run through some fault finding with them in an attempt to rectify the problem and save the trip. It's a relatively new modern engine controlled by an ECU (computer). It was running fine when the guys got back yesterday afternoon and there was absolutely no indication that it would fail to start this morning. I understand your disappointment, but this is just an unfortunate situation beyond our control. If we had of been aware of the problem yesterday, we would have called you to cancel.
You were advised to call our office after 8am once it opens. At which point you will be offered a full refund or the option of rescheduling your trip to another day with a discount applied. There was an explanation given and you were advised that a refund would be available to you. Its disappointing that you have left a review before even calling our office so we can offer a solution.

Thank you for sharing your fantastic experience. We're thrilled that you and your friend had a great time with us and congratulations on landing a 14kg Kingfish! We hope to see you both again for another exciting adventure.

Thank you for your wonderful review! We're thrilled to hear that you enjoyed your time with us. Our team always strives to provide the best fishing experience possible, and we're glad our efforts made a positive impact on your trip. We look forward to welcoming you back for that private all day charter soon!

Thank you for sharing your concerns. We are truly sorry to hear about your experience and take safety very seriously. Boating conditions and the weather are unpredictable, and we always aim to make decisions with the safety and enjoyment of our guests in mind. Your feedback will help us in our continuous efforts to improve. We hope you will consider giving us another opportunity in the future.

Thank you so much for the fantastic 5-star rating! We're thrilled to hear that you had a great experience with us. We look forward to welcoming you on another adventure soon!

Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We're thrilled to hear you had a fun day out and caught plenty of fish. Our crew aims to provide the best experience possible, and it's great to know we hit the mark during your trip. We really appreciate your kind words and look forward to welcoming you back on board for another adventure!

Thank you for your wonderful review! We're thrilled to hear you had an awesome morning and enjoyed catching big fish. Our crew takes great pride in ensuring that everyone, regardless of skill level, has a fantastic experience. We look forward to welcoming you back soon!

Thank you for the 5-star rating, Douglas! We're thrilled you had a great experience with us. Looking forward to having you aboard again soon!

Thank you for your fantastic review! We're delighted to hear that you had a great morning with our skipper and crew. Your recommendation means a lot to us. We look forward to welcoming you back on board for another adventure soon!

Thanks Scott

Thanks Peter, love your pic

Thank you for the 5-star rating, Anthony! We're thrilled to know you enjoyed your experience with us. We look forward to welcoming you aboard again soon!