E-Fishinsea Sportfishing is the cleanest way to book a Virginia Beach canyon trip, an owner run offshore boat with the highest rating in a deep field and its offshore price posted up front. Captain Greg Weaver runs the Waypoint himself out of Rudee Inlet, fishing the canyons 50 to 70 miles offshore for tuna and marlin, and the boat carries one of the longest, almost spotless review trails in the port, a 4.9 across more than 230 trips. It tops our Virginia Beach field on the strength of the captain, the record, and a transparent all in rate, with one honest limit: at 35 feet it is on the smaller side for the long offshore run.
The verdict and where it ranks
At the top of the port, E-Fishinsea is a strong choice and our first ranked boat in Virginia Beach. It earns the spot on the factors that decide most offshore days, the captain and the record, backed by the rare combination of a near perfect rating across a deep review base and an offshore rate stated plainly rather than quoted. The caveat is the boat: a 35 foot hull makes the 11 hour canyon run, but the bigger sportfishers in the port ride a heavy sea more comfortably, and the offshore season is May through October. Book it for a dedicated tuna and marlin day with a captain who is on the boat every trip. For the most fishing room on a long offshore day, the AquaMan Game On is the bigger platform, and for a nearshore day closer in, the Marcia B is the best run boat in the port.
The boat
The Waypoint is a 35 foot offshore six pack, rigged for the canyon run with the electronics, the outriggers, and the cockpit a tuna and marlin trip needs. It is a capable, well kept boat for its size, and it fishes up to six anglers. The honest qualifier is the length: 35 feet is on the smaller end for a boat that runs 50 to 70 miles offshore, so on a marginal forecast the ride out and back is more of a factor than it is on the 54 and 61 foot boats in the port. For a settled summer day in the canyons, it does the job well, which is what the long record reflects.
The fishing and what you target
E-Fishinsea is built around the offshore canyon trip. The long run out targets yellowfin, bluefin, blackfin, and bigeye tuna, mahi mahi, and wahoo, with white and blue marlin and sailfish in season, the billfish mostly caught and released under the boat’s federal permit. The tuna show off Virginia Beach in mid June and the canyon fishing holds through the fall, which is why the offshore season runs May through October. The boat also runs shorter inshore and nearshore trips for cobia, Spanish mackerel, king mackerel, bluefish, and spadefish when the offshore weather does not cooperate, but the deep trip is the reason to book it.
Trips and prices
E-Fishinsea sells by the whole boat, private only, and the offshore rate is posted rather than quoted, which is the exception among the canyon boats. The offshore canyon trip is $2,900 for the boat for 11 or more hours, with all gear, ice, bait, and tackle included and the catch cleaned and bagged for free at the dock. Inshore and nearshore trips run shorter and start around $450 for the boat on the booking platform. A full day in the canyons is a real cost, but it is in line with the fuel and crew of a 70 mile run, and the transparency lets you compare it cleanly against the boats that quote by phone. Our cost guide sets the offshore tier in context against a nearshore trip or a head boat seat.
The crew
Captain Greg Weaver owns and runs the Waypoint, so the same captain meets you at the slip every trip, which the head boats and the bigger multi boat operations cannot promise. The reviews, more than 230 of them at 4.9, return again and again to his offshore knowledge and a boat that puts people on tuna, and the record is consistent across the seasons rather than a recent spike. The one honest note is the shape of the record: it sits heavily on the booking platform, where reviews come from completed trips, so the near perfect rating is lightly tested by the open sites. Read the recent reviews and the picture holds.
Booking and what to know
Book through the operator’s site or its FishingBooker listing. The boat leaves from Rudee Inlet at 527 Winston Salem Avenue, and the offshore trip sails before dawn for the long run to the canyons, so plan an early arrival to load and park. No fishing license is needed, the boat covers it, and the crew cleans your catch for free. Bring food, drinks, sunscreen, and motion sickness medication, since 50 to 70 miles offshore on a 35 foot boat is a long day in open water if the sea is up.
How we scored it
E-Fishinsea scores at the top of the Virginia Beach field: an owner captain with the highest rated deep record in the port and a posted offshore rate, the cleanest dedicated canyon boat to book, held off a higher number only by a 35 foot hull that is small for the long run and a May to October offshore season. Captain and crew, value, and track record are its strongest factors. See how we scored this boat for the full rubric, and compare it against the rest of our Virginia Beach rankings.