Deep Sea Fishing In Cancun With The Old Man

“Why do men wake up so early? Is it to have one longer day?”

Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man And The Sea

If you ever read the great american writer´s book, you know that “the sea” is feminine in spanish and is called “la mar”; fishermen talk about her with great love and respect when its quiet and beautiful and with some desdain when the tide is high and rough, let´s say it´s a pretty rocking love/hate relationship.

Fishermen are also a rare breed these days, you won´t see them as much, you won´t get tonight´s dinner directly from their roughed hands, you wouldn´t know about the fight they just had to get that beautiful marlin… or would you? Unless you go deep sea fishing in Cancun of course!

These days fishermen can look a little bit different thought, unless you live in a remote island or a secluded village off the coast, you buy your fish mostly at the supermarket or if you are lucky to have a fish market nearby, that´s where you´ll get it, not directly from the ocean, not as fresh as it was in the past.

If you (your father or both of you) are open water fishing die hard fan or even a fresh fish enthusiast, there´s nothing better than the incredible waters of the mexican caribbean for a fishing trip, isn´t it? Well, that´s what you get when you sign in for a deep sea fishing in Cancun.

Just before we go on, there are a few “rules” that we feel should be clear:

1st Rule: You DO NOT go partying the night before a deep sea fishing.

2nd Rule: You DO NOT go drinking the night before deep sea fishing.

3rd Rule: If you have a tendency to get seasick, have a banana and dramamine before you leave.

4th Rule: You can have as many fishing lines as you are able to have on the boat.

5th Rule: Only two fishermen at the time.

6th Rule: Don´t use your fingers to hold the lines of your rod.

7th Rule: Reeling the fish will go as long as it has to.

8th Rule: If its your first time deep sea fishing you have to fish (or at least try even if you don´t catch anything).

After you wake up before the sun comes out and get to the marina, you will leave on a 34ft boat all geared up with rods, baits, hooks, lures, well, you know; pretty much everything you need to help you reel as many fish as you can. You will also have a very nice supply of beverages as well to keep you hydrated.

The captain and his crew are super mega helpful and will answer every question you need, these guys know their stuff and will get the boat as far as 6 miles from the shore, to the real deep water in front of Cancun and the boat will start wandering in circles, looking for the seagulls because these birds know where the good fish is.

What are the catches of the area? You may ask. Well, around Cancun and Isla Mujeres there´s a pretty big chance to catch Black Fin Tuna, Mahi Mahi, Blue Marlins, White Marlins, Snappers, Sailfish, Barracudas and Catfish among other species. You can also do some Tag&Release fishing so you can try to “catch up” with your fish in your next trip… wouldn´t that be cool?

If you are a newbie (just like I was) keep in mind that all this time you are going to be exposed to a great amount of sun so you better put sunscreen on, bring a hat with you, shades and be in the best disposition to get wet from head to toa because sometimes the waves can be pretty rough. The same goes for people who often suffer from seasickness.

When Mr. Hemingway wrote “Everyday is a new day. It is better to be lucky. But I would rather be exact. Then when luck comes you are ready.” I´m sure he was reffering to the fighting chair, when you really feel you need to be ready and that´s when you are trying to reel in a fish and it won´t matter if it s a tiny fish or a 12lb barracuda, the excitement and adrenaline rush is the same.

Anyways, if you were thinking about a great father´s day present for your dad, this is an unbeatable present, even you never ever get out to the sea again in your life, you will definitely have a great story to tell about that summer vacation when you and your dad went deep sea fishing in Cancun, looking the sun rising over your heads, feeling the cool ocean breeze, by the end of the day it doesn´t even matter if you catched anything really or waking up at the wee hours of your vacation, just treasure that moment and remember when you and your old man tried to catch the Big One.