Owner/Capt. Marc Blackburn

When the islands call, you must answer.

And Marc Blackburn, owner of Ocean Surfari in the U.S. Virgin Islands, did. He sold his home and business on the U.S. mainland and set sail south, on a 37-foot sailboat.

Marc’s story reads like a novel. Born in Columbus, Ohio, he grew up in Syracuse, NY, and had a life-changing experience at the age of 14 when his dad took the family for a vacation to Fort Meyers, FL. Renting a Hatteras fishing boat, they set a course past Sanibel Island and ventured 100 miles out into the Gulf of Mexico. Suddenly, they got into some grouper and the family began reeling in fish after fish. “The deck was covered in grouper and snapper,” said Marc. “We filled the holds with fish and ice, until finally, the captain told us to stop as he could not hold any more fish. We landed over 1,400 pounds of fish that day, and that is when I decided I wanted to be a fishing charter captain.”

At 19, Marc earned his captain’s license and has been living the dream for more than 40 years. After a short career in the grocery business, then running a successful charter fishing business in Florida, sailing all the way to Australia and back and living on a boat, Marc took an opportunity to work for Kurt Richardson, the man behind OtterBox and LifeProof cell phone cases, at his charter business in the USVI — Ocean Surfari.

After a few years as a team member, Marc decided it was time to own a business again and bought Ocean Surfari, growing it into one of the most successful charter and apparel companies in the Virgin Islands. With charter fishing, the island’s newest snorkel boat, and a line of apparel that practically flies off the shelves, Marc has realized the dream he had at 14 many times over.

“I have taken tens of thousands of happy clients fishing,” he says, “At Ocean Surfari, we keep clients coming back by always treating them fairly, and like friends. Letting them experience our island life. A life that doesn’t require shoes – although, I think I do have a pair, somewhere. A life that flows with the breeze and the waves. But also, a life that can be very exciting at times. We offer a taste of this wonderful life on every excursion with Ocean Surfari … and thankfully, it keeps clients coming back for more.”

Captain Marc has built a life that many only imagine, turning his passion for fishing, adventure and island life into a thriving business.

Marc’s philosophy is simple: live with no regrets.

As he likes to say, his gravestone will read “No Coulda, Shoulda, Woulda” because he’s lived life to the fullest, seen the world, and done it all on his own terms.

At Ocean Surfari, Marc invites you to join him on that journey and experience the beauty, excitement and freedom of island life, where every day is a new adventure.