Our surf store sits in Nuevo Vallarta, a two-minute walk from the Nuevo Vallarta beach break where most of our students catch their first wave. It is also a two-minute drive from Marina Nuevo Vallarta, which means that for years the answer to "what do we do on the day we don't surf?" has been the same: walk over to the marina and get on a boat.
The boat, specifically, is one of three that belong to Ol' Salty's Ranch, a family-run charter operation that does something most boat tours in this bay refuse to do: they rent you the whole boat by the hour, with a captain and a mate, and let you decide what the day is. Fishing, snorkeling, beaches, whales, sunset — or all of them in one run. This guide is the version of the pitch we give in the shop, written down with the details we usually forget.
Why a private boat charter beats a tour in Banderas Bay
Banderas Bay is one of the largest bays in Mexico — roughly a hundred kilometres across — and the best of it has no road. Colomitos, Majahuitas, Las Ánimas, Yelapa: you arrive by water or you do not arrive. The standard way to see them is a shared tour: a big boat, a hundred people, a microphone, fixed stops of exactly forty-five minutes and a return time nobody chose. We covered that world honestly in our guide to boat tours and yacht rentals in Puerto Vallarta.
A private boat charter in Nuevo Vallarta is the opposite format. The boat leaves when you arrive at the dock, goes where you point, anchors as long as the snorkeling is good, and comes back when the hours are up. If the sailfish are biting, you stay on them. If a whale surfaces, you stop. If the kids want the beach, you beach. The price is per hour for the boat — not per person — which, for a group of six or more, usually works out cheaper than a tour anyway.
Private Boat Charters in Nuevo Vallarta: the three boats
Ol' Salty's fleet is three real boats for three sizes of group. Rates below are the hourly prices published on their site at the time of writing; the minimum is four hours and departures run between 7:00 am and 7:00 pm.
Peaceful Easy Feeling — 32' super panga, up to 8 guests
🚤 What it is: a centre-console super panga with a shade canopy, outriggers for trolling and twin 300 HP outboards — the fast, nimble one.
👥 Best for: couples, small families, a fishing-first morning that turns into a snorkel afternoon. Gets to Los Arcos or the south-shore beaches quickest.
💰 Rate: from $4,000 MXN per hour. Full page: Peaceful Easy Feeling.
Guanatuna — 34' Gulfstream, up to 15 guests
🚤 What it is: a 34-foot sport fisher with a full shade canopy over the main deck, a tower for the captain to spot fish, and room for a proper group.
👥 Best for: the classic mixed day — a bit of fishing, a lot of beach — for a big family or a surf-camp group. The most-booked boat for a reason.
💰 Rate: from $3,200 MXN per hour, with a standing promotion of five hours for the price of four. Full page: Guanatuna.
Steel n Time — 53' Hatteras, up to 22 guests
🛥️ What it is: a classic 53-foot Hatteras sport fisher with a tuna tower, an air-conditioned salon, cabins that sleep eight and a fighting chair in the cockpit.
👥 Best for: serious offshore fishing at Corbeteña and El Banco, overnight and multi-day trips, and big celebrations that want a real yacht.
💰 Rate: from $7,000 MXN per hour. The only boat in the fleet that does multi-day. Full page: Steel n Time.
What is included, and what is not
- Included: the boat, captain and mate, fuel for normal bay trips, rods, tackle and bait, life jackets, shade.
- Not included: the Mexican fishing licence (required per angler), food and alcohol — bring your own cooler — and a fuel surcharge on long-range runs to Corbeteña or El Banco.
- Booking: a 30% deposit confirms the boat and the hours; the balance is settled on the day. You can pay the deposit by card on their site.
Fishing Charter in Puerto Vallarta water: the hours decide the fish
Most fishing charters in Puerto Vallarta are sold as fixed packages — a four-hour trip here, an eight-hour trip there, each locked to a destination somebody else picked. Ol' Salty's fishing charters flip it: you book hours, and the hours decide how far out you can go and therefore what you can catch. From the shop we explain it like a swell forecast — the further out, the bigger it gets.
🎣 4–6 hours · inside the bay. Jack crevalle, bonito, sierra, roosterfish along the beaches, and — more often than people expect — sailfish. Perfect for kids and first-timers; the water stays flat and the beach is right there for the afternoon.
🎣 6–8 hours · 5 to 8 miles out. Dorado (mahi-mahi) and yellowfin tuna on the current lines. The sweet spot for a group that wants to actually fish and still be home for sunset.
🎣 8–10 hours · Corbeteña. The famous rock offshore: blue and black marlin, big tuna, the day that ends up in the gallery.
🎣 10+ hours · El Banco. The bank further out. Committed anglers only, and a fuel surcharge applies.
🛏️ 1–3 days · Steel n Time only. The Hatteras has the cabins and the range for overnight trips.
The species we have seen come back to the marina — from the operator's own photos and from students who went — are sailfish, blue and black marlin, dorado, yellowfin tuna, bonito and jack crevalle. Sailfish and marlin are released. Dorado and tuna are dinner; the crew will fillet them at the dock and more than one beach restaurant on the south shore will cook them for you.
Snorkeling and the boat-only beaches of Banderas Bay
This is the part we push hardest in the shop, because it is what the bay does better than almost anything. The whole south shore from Los Arcos to Yelapa is jungle falling into the sea, with coves that have no road and a few that have no name. Ol' Salty's has a page for each of their twelve beach stops; these are the ones we send people to first.
Los Arcos — the classic first stop
The rock arches and sea caves off Mismaloya are a protected marine park and the most reliable snorkel inside the bay: parrotfish, angelfish, rays, sometimes a turtle, and the drop-off on the seaward side for the confident. It is also where we run paddle board tours, so a lot of our students have seen it from the top; the boat shows you the bottom. Page: Los Arcos.
Majahuitas — the captains' number-one snorkel stop
Further down the south shore, past Las Ánimas, the water clears up noticeably. Majahuitas is a small cove with a white beach, no road, and — on the right morning — the clearest water in the bay. Ol' Salty's captains call it their number-one snorkeling stop, and it is ours too. Page: Majahuitas. For the wider list, see snorkeling charters and our own top 10 snorkeling spots in Puerto Vallarta.
Colomitos — the tiny cove with the impossible water
A pocket of sand the size of a living room, jungle on three sides, water that looks edited. You can hike to it from Boca de Tomatlán — we wrote that up in the hiking trails guide — but by boat you arrive with a cooler and leave when you want. Page: Colomitos.
Las Ánimas and Yelapa — lunch on the sand
Las Ánimas is the beach village with palapa restaurants and fresh fish on the sand — the natural lunch stop, and where the crew will hand your morning's dorado to the kitchen. Yelapa is the boat-only village at the very end of the bay, with a waterfall walk and a slower clock; it wants a longer charter. Both are on the beach charter page with the rest of the south shore.
The surf-and-boat day: running north instead
Here is the version nobody else writes, because nobody else runs a surf school next to the marina. Ol' Salty's beach list also goes north: La Lancha, Punta Mita and Sayulita. That is our home water. La Lancha is the wave we teach on most, and some of the Punta Mita breaks — Bahía, "The Cove" — are only reachable by boat in the first place.
So the day we like best for a mixed group looks like this: leave Marina Nuevo Vallarta early, run north along the coast, anchor off the break, surfers paddle in from the boat with a board and one of our instructors, everyone else swims and snorkels off the stern, and the boat runs back with a stop for lunch and a sunset off the Nuevo Vallarta shoreline. Tell the captain you want to surf when you book, and tell us the date — we will bring the boards. If you are not sure which break, start with the Punta Mita surf spots guide.
Whales, sunsets and the run home
From December to March humpback whales are in the bay, and we have written about how it feels to surf with them blowing outside the lineup in Surfing & Whale Watching in Puerto Vallarta. Ol' Salty's does not sell a separate whale tour, and we think that is the right call: on any winter charter the captain simply slows down, keeps the legal distance, and gives the animals the time they need. Their whale watching page explains the etiquette.
And then the run home. Ask any group what they remember most about a charter and it is almost never the fishing; it is the last hour, music low, sky on fire behind Punta Mita, everybody salty and quiet. If you only have four hours and want the best of them, book the sunset cruise window and go out at three.
Practical: booking from the surf store
- Where: Marina Nuevo Vallarta, Nayarit — ten minutes from Bucerías, about twenty-five from downtown Puerto Vallarta, two minutes from us.
- When: departures 7:00 am to 7:00 pm, four-hour minimum. Mornings are flattest; afternoons get wind, exactly like the surf.
- How: pick the boat and the hours on olsaltyranch.com, pay the 30% deposit by card, bring your cooler and your fishing licence.
- Pair it with surf: book a lesson with us the morning before or the morning after — or ask for the surf-and-boat day above. Our surf lesson packages and board rentals are two minutes from the dock.
- What to bring: reef-safe sunscreen, a hat that stays on at speed, a rash guard, your own mask if you have one, and dry clothes for the sunset run — it gets cool on the water in winter.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a private boat charter in Nuevo Vallarta cost?
Per hour for the whole boat: Peaceful Easy Feeling from $4,000 MXN (8 guests), Guanatuna from $3,200 MXN (15 guests, five hours for the price of four) and Steel n Time from $7,000 MXN (22 guests). Four-hour minimum, 30% deposit. Rates as published on the operator's site; confirm when you book.
How many hours do I need for a fishing charter in Puerto Vallarta?
Four to six for the inside of the bay, six to eight for dorado and tuna five to eight miles out, eight to ten for Corbeteña, ten-plus for El Banco, and one to three days on Steel n Time only.
Where is the best snorkeling from Nuevo Vallarta?
Majahuitas is the captains' number-one stop; Los Arcos is the classic first stop; Colomitos is the swim you will talk about. All on the south shore, all easiest — or only — by boat.
Can the charter take me surfing?
Yes. The northern run covers La Lancha, Punta Mita and Sayulita, and breaks like Bahía (The Cove) are boat-access only. Say so when you book and let us know the date so we can meet you with boards and an instructor.
What is included?
Boat, captain and mate, fuel for normal bay trips, rods, tackle, bait, life jackets and shade. Not included: fishing licence, food and drinks, and a fuel surcharge on long-range trips.
When is whale season?
Humpbacks are in Banderas Bay from December to March. Any winter charter becomes a whale trip when one surfaces; there is no separate tour.
Where does the boat leave from?
Marina Nuevo Vallarta, on the Nayarit side of the bay, between 7:00 am and 7:00 pm.
References: Ol' Salty's Ranch — Private Boat Charters in Nuevo Vallarta & Puerto Vallarta · The fleet · Experiences · Fishing charters · Snorkeling · Beaches of Banderas Bay. All photographs courtesy of Ol' Salty's Ranch.
