Whale Watching Season
April – November
The team
Christian Cavanaugh
Captain, Owner
As a young boy Christian lived to fish. Every chance he had, he was down at the docks working his way onto one of the charter boats. In 2005 he left the Bay Area to attend the University of Maine.
After college he was lucky enough to spend four seasons playing professional basketball in Europe. Throughout it all, he never lost his love for fishing and is thrilled to be back on the waters he's always called home.
Christian has been a deck hand on the Outer Limits and several other Sausalito party boats for over 15 years. Being 6'8" with a 7 foot wing span, he's earned the nickname "stretch" for his ability to net fish, long distances from the boat. In 2013 he passed his 100 ton masters exam and became a licensed captain. His passion and dedication show in his work as well as his catch success rate!
Ryan Ash
Captain
Captain Ryan has been fishing since he could walk. During his college career at CSU Sacramento, where he finished his bachelor of science in recreation & leisure studies, he was introduced to chasing fall run salmon on the local Sacramento and American Rivers.
It wasn’t long before he chased these hard fighting salmon to the source and made his way to the Pacific ocean where he found his passion and love of fishing on the big blue. Working with customers on a one on one basis, and his proficiency of catching fish has landed him a top spot with renowned Charter Boat Operation, Big C.
Captain Ryan has found his home on the Chasin Crustacean where he has transformed his experience, knowledge and passion into being a driven and results oriented Captain.
Court Mast
Captain
Court moved to San Francisco in the 1970 where carved out a niche in the ‘80s as a freelance photojournalist covering news and sports. Between photo assignments, Court was in the water—bodyboard surfing at Ocean Beach and whitewater rafting on Western rivers.
In the ‘90s he founded a commercial photography company catering to Dot-Com corporations and moved to a houseboat in Sausalito. By 2000 he was fishing for salmon on party boats, and after retiring from photography in 2010 Court became a regular salmon fisherman on the Outer Limits. He earned his captain’s license driving many OPBs (Other People’s Boats), and now he’s come full circle—driving the Outer Limits!
Court considers himself a craftsman and an improviser. So being a boat captain is a perfect fit, requiring technical, mechanical and people skills … AND … a love of the water.
Matt Zidek
Captain
Matt starting fishing on the Outer Limits when we was 12 years old. A Marin County local Matt is one of the most accomplished fishermen for his age on the west coast. He’s the proud owner of the commercial crab boat Crown Royal out of San Francisco. Matt is passionate about working hard. He has 10 plus years experience deck handing on charter boats all over the Bay Area. He also has a 100 ton masters captains license.
Colby Ralls
Deck Hand
Colby’s love for the water began as a young child and today, is exemplified in his passion for fishing, surfing, boating and being in or on the water for hours on end.
He began fishing at the age of 3, and now hits up any ponds, lakes, rivers, oceans and jetties, whether at home or on vacation. He loves to learn about new techniques on YouTube and sharpens his skills after school and on the weekends with his dad on their Grady White, catching everything from salmon, halibut and crab to stripers and recently, a 130 lb Blue Fin tuna. When he’s not fishing, he’s surfing and will stay in the water all day if given the choice.
He began working for the Outer Limits and Chasing Crustacean in 2022 and is hooked. He’s extremely personable, knows his way around a fishing boat and is at home on the water. Colby loves to share his passion for the water and everything that comes with it.
Alisa Keenan
Naturalist
Alisa is an ecologist and marine naturalist, with a decade of experience leading whale watching trips in the San Francisco Bay Area. She loves to engage and educate passengers on the natural history of the incredible wildlife found in the Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, and is particularly passionate about seals, sea lions and humpback whales. Alisa holds a B.S. in Biology from Sonoma State University and an M.S. in Environmental Management from the University of San Francisco.
