Oceanside Sea Center runs six open-party vessels out of 315 Harbor Drive South in Oceanside Harbor, the south-marina counterpart to Helgren's on the north side. The landing was assembled when Captain Joe Cacciola of Sea Star Charters and Captain Ernie Prieto of Chubasco Sportfishing combined operations into a single dock — a North County SD landing covering half-day rockfish runs out to overnight trips for yellowtail, bluefin, and yellowfin.
Fleet
Six boats run under the Sea Center flag:
- Southern Cal — 65 feet, 40-passenger half-day boat (captains Ernie Prieto, Tim Linskey, Bryan Stressly, David Yumori).
- Chubasco II — 60 feet, 32-passenger 3/4-day boat with side-scanning sonar (captains Ernie Prieto, David Yumori).
- Sea Star — 60 feet, run by Captain Joe Cacciola.
- Blue Horizon — 55 feet, half-day, 3/4-day, and overnight trips (Captain Jim Sharp).
- Pronto — 45 feet, overnight accommodations for up to nine anglers, large bait capacity.
- Effishency — Captain Dan Higley.
Trip types
The published schedule is half-day AM (10 a.m. to 3 p.m., 5 hours) and 3/4-day (7 a.m. to 4 p.m., 9 hours), with Friday and Saturday twilight trips and overnight runs added in season. Whale watching, eco-tours, floating science programs (run with the Pfleger Institute of Environmental Research), private charters, and burials at sea round out the calendar.
2026 published pricing on the booking system: half-day adults $80, half-day seniors 63+ and juniors 15-and-under $70, 3/4-day adults $105, 3/4-day seniors and juniors $95. Rod rentals run $17. California licenses are sold at the on-site tackle shop.
Recent reports
A four-boat morning on April 25, 2026 logged 198 rockfish, 92 sculpin, 44 whitefish, 16 calico bass, 4 sand bass, 4 sheephead, and 4 sanddab across 64 anglers — a typical North County half-day spread tilted to bottom species. 2026 year-to-date totals on Sportfishing Report: 4,226 California scorpionfish, 2,273 rockfish, 1,629 ocean whitefish, 751 sanddab, 709 barred sand bass, 483 kelp bass, and 221 California sheephead.
Reviews
TripAdvisor rates the operation 4.5 out of 5 across 13 reviews. Ben I (August 2021) booked the Pronto as a private charter and credited deckhands Nick and Brian for handling "our needy group at all times." Kelly Kel (August 2020) named Captain Ernie and deckhand Bryan for a trip where the group "learned, laughed and had a blast." Crowding on bigger half-day loads and added rod-rental fees show up as recurring critiques.
