I’m Josh Captain Sapp, second in command at Blue Sky Fishing Charters. Captain Nick and I go way back. As a matter of fact, our relationship began offshore where we both rocked out and toured together in a band.
I grew up fishing, but it wasn’t something I had a passion for until a few buddies took me on a hunting trip that changed my whole perspective on the outdoors (and yes, fishing) forever.
It all started when a few friends invited me out to Alabama on a hunting trip where I shot my first deer.
The experience was something I’d never forget and it completely changed my perspective on the outdoors.
From then on I was heavily involved in outdoor activities and began to think of all the endless possibilities that came with it, like feeding my family through hunting.
I couldn’t believe I’d been missing out on this my whole life.
Shortly after, I began rekindling my relationship with the sea and started fishing every chance I got.
By 2016, I began questioning why I wasn’t doing this for a living.
This all led me to Nick and Blue Sky, and later that year I began running fishing charters.
Isn’t it funny how God will open doors for you when you’re right where he wants you to be?
In January 2019, I decided to take things a step further and began taking classes and working towards my upgraded license.
A few months later I received my 25 Ton Masters Captain License.
With that license I was finally able to operate a boat that carried more than 6 people, like party fishing boats or big dolphin tours.
With my license in hand, Captain Nick and I we’re ready to set sail and take our families out on the water for a trip of a lifetime.
Every day is an adventure when we’re out on the water.
And Nick and I have found ourselves in quite a few crazy situations while out there.
Like the one time we had a close encounter with a few sharks.
It all happened when we were out fishing for snapper. When we finally caught one on the line and leaned over to grab it, an 8 ft bull shark appeared out of nowhere and snatched the snapper off of the line.
It was completely wild.
And that isn’t even the most shocking thing.
A few years back, Nick and I decided to go diving during Amberjack season. When we came to the top of the water to do our safety stops, we realized that our buoys drifted 100 yards away from the boat.
Crazy, right?
Quickly, we began swimming against the current to make our way back to the boat. As we were frantically trying to get back, we realized that we weren’t making much progress in our swimming efforts.
Just when we thought it couldn’t get any worse, Nick turns around, wide-eyed, looks at me, and exclaims that three, eight-foot bull sharks were right behind him.
I couldn’t believe it.
At the time we were holding on to a string of fish while the sharks began circling us.
One shark even began thrashing his tail around me, which meant he was about to make a move and grab my fish or he was trying to assert dominance.
Either way --I definitely didn’t want to stick around and find out. We had to move quickly and get back to that boat.
During the 20 minutes it took us to find our vessel and return, we realized that we’d sucked all the air out of our tanks.
We literally had to swim on top of the water to get air.
By the grace of God, we made it back to the boat safely.
These experiences, although totally crazy, have shaped us into the captains we are today (plus they give us pretty awesome stories we can tell our grandkids one day).
We take what we’ve learned from our adventures at sea and bring that to our fishing charter to enhance everyone’s experiences when aboard.
At Blue Sky we’re all about conservation and customer service.
To me, it’s important that every single one of our customers not only have a good time, but understand the importance of being respectful to the ocean.
Unfortunately, a lot of that seems to be lost in our industry today.
Now, it’s all about catching and keeping as many fish as you can. One of our goals is to help people understand that you can enjoy your time aboard a charter while also being respectful of the resources in the ocean.
Nick and I love giving groups of families and friends a memorable time on the water and catering to their needs no matter what their fishing background is.
For us, it’s what you’ll experience when sailing with Blue Sky that separates us from other charters. Not only will you have a great time on the water, you’ll be doing it in a fun and ethical way.
Signing off,
Captain Josh