John Mayer and Mat Arcoleo came together to buy the historic Randy’s Fishing Trips in 2017 and transformed the company into what it is today. They both share a passion for working out on the water and this has been a lifelong dream for them both. They are also both licensed Captains and frequently run whale watching trips.
MONTEREY, CA. (March 23, 2017) — One of Old Fisherman’s Wharf’s venerable institutions, Randy’s Fishing Trips & Whale Watching, has been purchased and divided into two new outfits, Discovery Whale Watch and J & M Sport Fishing.
The two companies, one focusing on whale watching, the other on sport fishing, will officially open on April 1, with a public ribbon-cutting ceremony set for May 9th at 5:00 p.m..
Randy’s Fishing Trips & Whale Watching, which has been operating on the wharf since 1949 and since 1981 by Peter Bruno, was one of Monterey Bay’s top whale watching and sport fishing outfits, with two boats operating, the 61-foot Chubasco and the 53-foot Sur Randy.
Discovery Whale Watch offers daily 3-4-hour whale watch trips narrated by a marine biologist/naturalist as well as ash scattering trips, private charters and other outings. Their mission statement is: “We strive to provide our passengers with an inspiring, educational experience on Monterey Bay.”
Trips are weather permitting and travel to different locations within the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary to view whales and dolphins and other wildlife throughout the year.
J & M Sport Fishing specializes in sport fishing trips for a variety of species, including salmon (in season), rock cod, ling cod, Dungeness crab, sand dabs, squid, mackerel, halibut and albacore.
The new owners of the two outfits are John Mayer and Mathew Arcoleo. They are currently updating the Chubasco to make it more comfortable and accommodating as a whale-watching and fishing vessel and continuing to make updates and improvements to the New Horizon, the renamed Sur Randy. As of spring 2019, their plan of adding a third boat to the fleet, the Pacifica, officially came to pass.
About John Mayer
John Mayer was practically destined to become an owner of Randy’s Fishing Trips & Whale Watching.
At age 14 he got his first job washing boats at Randy’s Fishing. Within a couple of weeks he became a deckhand and by the time he was 18, he had logged enough hours on the ocean to apply for a captain’s license. And he got it.
He continued to crew on Randy’s boats as well as fill in as skipper when needed. He spent almost a dozen years working at the Fisherman’s Wharf institution.
In his late-20s, John decided to join Monterey Bay Whale Watch, where he ended up spending seven years and logged 3,000 trips out into the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.
“I adapted quite well,” he says of the transition from mostly fishing trips to whale watching. “Whale watching was just as interesting to me, if not more. What really gets me going is I really like to try and figure out what’s going on in the ocean. All the little things out there and how it all fits together.”
Born in Santa Cruz, but raised in Pacific Grove, John, now 36, has always had a deep and abiding interest in the ocean. So being a partner in both a fishing and whale-watching enterprise is a dream come true.
“It’s something I’ve been dreaming about since I was a deckhand with Randy’s Fishing,” he says. “I’ve always admired and respected the people doing this. But this is an expensive business to get into and I said I would only do it if the right person came along. And in Mathew, I couldn’t ask for a better partner.”
John actually met Mathew through Mathew’s daughter, who was an intern with Monterey Bay Whale Watch. When Mathew came to Monterey with his daughter, the two men got to talking and found out they had similar visions.
The result was Discovery Whale Watching and J&M Sport Fishing (J&M taken from their first names, of course), in which they are 50/50 partners.
“We want to educate people and provide a great experience for them,” he says. “We want to tell the story about the ocean, its animals and its environment. And we’re putting together an all-star cast to do that.”
About Mathew Arcoleo
Mathew Arcoleo has spent almost 30 years in the high-tech industry in the Bay Area, but his roots are in Monterey and especially on Fisherman’s Wharf. You could say it’s in his blood.
Mathew’s great-grandfather was the first person to start a sport fishing enterprise on Fisherman’s Wharf and his grandfather and father both owned Frank’s Fishing Trips on the Wharf.
Not only that, young Mathew was affectionally known as a “wharf rat,” hanging out in his dad’s shop and working as a deckhand on his boats as a teen-ager before he left for college.
Born and raised in Monterey, Mathew attended Monterey schools as well as Monterey Peninsula College before he left to attend San Jose State, where he got a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. He also got his MBA at Santa Clara University and was well on his way to a thriving career in the semi-conductor industry.
But he also knew that he would be drawn back to Monterey some day.
“It’s something I’d always thought I’d do one day,” he says about his return to Monterey and a business partnership on the Wharf with John Mayer, a fellow “wharf rat.” “I always thought of Monterey as my home. I even have a boat that I take out fishing or whale watching with my daughter, sons and friends.”
And to solidify the Monterey connections even more, John Mayer was captaining the boat for Monterey Bay Whale Watching when Mathew scattered his dad’s ashes at sea; one of the principals of MBWW, Richard Ternullo was a cousin of his; and his daughter, Brooke, worked as a summer intern on one of MBWW’s boats, which also happened to be captained by John Mayer.
It was on one of these excursions that Mathew and John started talking about their own venture on the Wharf.
With Randy’s for sale, Mathew and John thought it was their chance to fulfill that shared vision, but only if they could do it the right way, and that was with two separate outfits and another boat added to the fleet.
“We believe in having two companies, each one focusing on its core,” says Mathew, who currently lives in Campbell, California. He has a wife, Carrie, an elementary school teacher, daughter and two sons. Mathew hopes to return to Monterey one day. “Discovery Whale Watching is for whale watching. The boats used will be clean and set up for that. J&M Sport Fishing is all about fishing.”
Our whale watch captains have been working in the Monterey whale watching industry for years. They know the features of the bay and are able to anticipate the most likely locations for whale sightings. They are committed to ensuring passenger safety on board and strive to make the trip as comfortable as possible as well. We know that getting good views of whales and lining up the boat for photography are essential to having a good trip. Our captains love what they do and it shows!
Name: JJ Rasler
Years on the ocean: 15+ years
Hometown: Seaside, CA
Specialty: Captain
Favorite Hobby: Fishing
Name: Danny Frank
Years on the ocean: 25+ years
Hometown: Pacific Grove, CA
Specialty: Naturalist & Captain
Favorite Hobby: “I like raising baby goats and practicing my archery, but not at the same time.”
Name: Rod Stoltz
Years on the ocean: His whole life
Hometown: Martinez, CA
Specialty: Captain
Favorite Hobby: SCUBA & free diving and playing the drums
Our marine biologists and naturalists are passionate about the oceans and marine life. They will teach you about our local ecosystem in Monterey Bay while out on our daily whale watch trips. Our marine biologists and naturalists either have a degree in marine biology, marine science, and/or have a true passion for the ocean and it’s inhabitants. We strive to inspire the next wave of ocean enthusiast while out on our trips. You will learn about marine life and experience hands-on demonstrations and have an opportunity to interact with your crew one on one. Feel free to ask questions and expand your knowledge about our wonderful marine life with our crew! Our marine biologists and naturalists are also dedicated to marine research; they will be collecting research data while out on the trips for our collaborators on the west coast.
Name: Sophie Plant-Darling
Years working on the ocean:
Hometown:
Specialty: Naturalist
Favorite Hobby:
Name: Isaiah Foulks
Years working on the ocean: 7 years
Hometown: Mariposa, CA
Specialty: Naturalist
Favorite Hobby:
We have a very versatile crew here at Discovery. You may notice that some crew members have multiple specialties in their bio.
Check out all the staff members throughout the page to see all the roles we each fill on the team!
Our deckhands are a crucial part of our team onboard, during our whale watch trips. They are your go-to crew member on board throughout the trip. They are happy to help you in any way they can during the trip, by answering your questions and by helping point out the wildlife to you. Our deckhands are ocean enthusiasts and love to share their excitement about Monterey Bay!
Name: Britt Simon
Years on the ocean: 8 years
Hometown: Los Angeles CA
Specialty: Fleet Manager
Favorite Hobby: “Watching Hockey – Go Kings Go”
Name: Andrew Boushka
Years working on the ocean:
Hometown:
Specialty: Deck Hand and Naturalist
Favorite Hobby:
Name: Caila Devlin
Years working on the ocean: 7
Hometown: Alameda, CA
Specialty: Deck Hand
Favorite Hobby: Crabbing & Sailing
Name: Andrew Zazeski
Years on the ocean: 10 years
Hometown: Bremerton, WA
Specialty: Deck Hand & Naturalist
Favorite Hobby: Fishing
Name: Daniel Gross
Years on the ocean: 10 years
Hometown:
Specialty: Captain & Deck Hand
Favorite Hobby:
Our office staff is there to welcome you from the very start! If you call, email, or walk-in, our team is happy to answer your questions and help you sign up for a whale watch trip. We are dedicated to customer service and very knowledgeable about whale watching in Monterey Bay.
Name: Evyn Essert
Years in the industry: 1 year
Hometown:
Specialty: Office staff
Favorite
Name: Briana Garcia
Years in the industry: 1 year
Hometown:
Specialty: Assistant Manager
Favorite Hobby:
Name: Amanda Urena
Years in the industry:
Hometown:
Specialty: Guest Experience/Office Operations, Photographer, Naturalist, Social Media Guru
Favorite Hobby:
Name: Kaila Marsden
Years in the industry:
Hometown:
Specialty: Guest Experience & Office Operations
Favorite Hobby:
Name:
Years in the industry:
Hometown:
Specialty: Guest Experience & Office Operations
Favorite Hobby:
Our photographers are experts in photographing whales and other marine life. We will have several photographers on board throughout the week to document our trips and capture those memorable moments with wildlife.