The Ultimate boating Experience
Book now for the best fishing and wildlife adventures
The Ultimate boating Experience
Book now for the best fishing and wildlife adventures
About Crusader
Our Story
At Crusader, we are passionate about fishing and wildlife tours, and sharing our knowledge with our customers. We started as a charter business in 2007 and have since expanded to become a go-to destination for all things boating. Crusader is a purpose built 38' Evolution. Maintaned to the highest standards she is big, comfortable, and fast. Inside and outside seating are complemented by hot water boiler, microwave, and clean deck-entry toilet.
Our team is made up of fully qualified skppers, crew, angling coah, rescue swimmers and guides all working tirelessly to ensure your day on the water is one to remember.
Our Products
We offer a wide variety of boat trips, from part day inshore fishing to Big game Tuna fishing, and 4 hour to 10 hour wildlife tours and snorkeling with sharks. Our trips are hand-crafted by our expert staff to ensure that our customers have access to the best possible experience. As a WISE acreddited wildlife tour opperators you can rest assured you are in the best hands.
Pick up and drop off from the Barbican Events Pontoon and Mount Batten Pontoon. Check out our range of tours below.
Our Products
Plymouth Marine Safaris - Shark Swims
The team at Crusader are the longest serving Plymouth vessel offering trips to swim with wild sharks. Each summer the team repurpose waste products from the fishing industry to bring pelagic sharks within range of snorklers - an experience not to be missed.
TRIP ADVISOR RATED TOP 10% OF THINGS TO DO WORLDWIDE!
Bookings taken for trips Mid June to September. Come join the original and best Shark swim operator from Plymouth.
These trips are for those who have previous snorkelling and open water experience, and are confident swimmers. Our guides and rescue swimmers accompany you in the water whilst our skipper and crew stay aboard.
£115 per peson.
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Plymouth Marine Safaris - Wildlife Tours
Four and eight hour guided boat tours show case what is on offer around the shores of the National Marne Park and wider Plymouth coastline. A huge variety of bird life complements the viewing of seals, dolphins, and whales all through the season.
4 hour morning, afternoon, and sunset tours are perfect for the family, corporate entertainment, or photography enthusiasts.
£60 per person with a 4 person group booking of
£220.
8 hour ocean explorer days are a fantastic opportunity to witness species of whales and tuna not normally seen so close to shore.
£100 per person.
Big Game Bluefin Tuna Fishing
Crusader and the team of skippers and crew have been tagging and releasing Giant Altlantic Blue Fin Tuna for the past three seasons. Not only have they been a leading charter boat in this fishery but their work has contributed to the management and stock recovery of this iconic species through careful recovery protocols and tagging. We hold tags for NOAA and wll continue to tag these fish for future research and stock management.
Our tuna fshing trips are 10 hours long and we can provide all the necessary kit free of charge. Full tuition is given and fishing is from the custom built fighting chair or stand up.
In 2024 we will utilise a range of techniques including lures and baits to target these huge tuna. We will be able to cater for all experence levels with a wde variety of kit and approaches.
In the 3 year CHART tagging seasons Crusader tagged hundreds of tuna to an immense size of 110" 935lb!
Up to 4 anglers are catered for, £900 for the full boat, £225 per person for indviduals.
Shark Fishing
Blue sharks are the predominant species of sharks in our local waters. However, also caught and released are Porbeagle sharks and Thresher Sharks. Crusader opperate a 100% catch and release policy and sharks are not removed from the water unless absolutely necessary. Sharks are recorded for the Pat Smith Database and regularly tagged for NOAA.
Every year hundreds of blue sharks are brought to the side of Crusader and data is collated to share with research organisations to better understand the migration patterns and growth rates to better plan for their protecton and stock management. Amongst these Blue sharks are regularly seen Porbeagle sharks and the occasonal Thresher sharks. The latter are a very prized target amongst anglers due to ther insane fightng skills and arial acrobatics.
Full boat charter is £600, indivduals priced at £150 per person. Full kit is supplied at no extra cost.
Bookings vis our contact page or 07975875073 / 07841678297.
Fishing Trips
Crusader charters offer the widest range of trips to best suit anglers needs. The team of skippers and crew lead the way in show casing what Plymouth has to offer. Wreck, reef, banks, species hunt, and inshore fishing trips provde a huge range of species. Anything kept for the pot is dispatched, cleaned and stored in the on-deck commercial grade ice hold.
Wreck fishing in the famous English channel provides unrivalled sport for Pollack, Coalfish, Cod, Bass, Ling, and Conger eels. These long range charters take place when the weather allows and the tides are suitable. £800 full boat, caterng for 8-9 anglers.
General distance charters can fish over the war tme wrecks and famous reefs of the Eddystone, Rutts, Hands deeps, Brendons, Hatt, for Pollack, Coalfish, Cod, Bass, Ling, Conger eels, Bream, Spurdog. These are our most popular trips throughout the year. £650 full boat, £85 per person.
Banks fishing trips are superb for Rays, Tope, Smooth hounds, Spurdog, Flatfish. £650 full boat, £85 per person.
Tuna Training
2024 will see the Marine Management Organisation and DEFRA open a recreational fishery for Bluefin tuna - the first of its kind from our shores since the fish required specialist management to bring them back from the brink of extinction due to over exploitation.
The Recreational Bluefin Tuna Fishery will not require training, though demand for permits is expected to exceed supply and the consultation indicated proven, demonstrable experience would be a factor. Training, in any case, should be seen as a positive step, and may in time be required by insurers. These fish demand huge respect and should not be targeted lightly, as such we are offering training sessions to boost your confidence and skills and most importantly safety.
Special care must be taken to ensure maximum survival rates post capture. CHART skippers demonstrated that with the correct equipment, procedures, and care these tuna can be caught, tagged, revived and released safely and with the lowest of mortality rates. If the recreational fishery does not keep the mortality rate low, the quota will not allow for as many permits.
The team at Crusader charters include skippers and crew with three years' CHART experience, a Sport England qualified Angling Coach and QTS qualified teacher. A bespoke programme of training and coaching is ready to aid in your quest to successfully and legally fish for Bluefin Tuna in UK waters.
The course consists of hands on practice with rigging rods and reels, tackle requirements, knot tying, crew deployment, and specialist demonstrations of harness set ups and boat handling.
If you plan to fish for tuna in 2024 and beyond, hands on coaching and training is the sensible option - be sure that your set up, boat drills, and kit is up to the challenge with first hand practice before you set off on your quest.
Private tuition for up to 6 clients £500, (Individuals
£90pp) full day, £300, (Individuals
£60pp) part day . Discounts available for Charter businesses.