Squid Night: sunset, a line in the water, supper on deck

Squid fishing at night is a newer thing on Phu Quoc than the pepper farms and the fish sauce houses, but it has become one of the island's standard evenings, and for good reason: it combines a sunset, an easy kind of fishing that works for beginners and children, and a supper that could not be fresher. The boats go out from the harbours at Duong Dong on the west coast and An Thoi in the south. When the wind blows hard from one side of the island, the other harbour is usually the calmer one, and the crew picks the harbour on the day for that reason.

The fishing itself is simple. Once it is fully dark, the boat stops over a fishing ground and switches on a row of bright lamps that hang over the water. Squid rise towards the light. You drop a weighted lure on a short rod or a hand line, twitch it gently, and wait. Some evenings the squid come in a rush, some evenings slowly; the crew shows everyone the movement in the first few minutes and then moves along the rail helping whoever needs it.

Supper is the point of the trip for most people. The cook on board takes the squid straight from the bucket and cooks it two or three ways - grilled over charcoal, steamed with ginger and lemongrass, and in a pot of rice porridge that is the classic end to a night on a squid boat. If the catch is small, the crew cooks squid and fish bought at the harbour that afternoon, so supper never depends on luck alone.

You choose when you book, and the price follows the choice.

• Private boat - the default. The boat, the crew and the guide are for your group only, from two people to twelve. You set the pace: stay out longer if the squid are biting, come in early if a child is tired. The price per person falls as the group grows, because the boat costs the same whether two people are on it or twelve.
• Joined group. If you are happy to share, you join other guests on the same boat. A joined departure runs once at least three guests have booked it and never takes more than twelve. If your date has not reached three guests two days before, we offer you a private boat at the private rate, another date, or a full refund.

Solo travellers can join a joined departure, or ask us for a private quote.

The best months are November to April, the dry season, when the sea is flat and the sky clear. From May to October the boats still go out, but more evenings are lost to wind and rain, and the crew decides at the harbour whether it is safe. If it is not, you choose between another evening and a full refund.

Squid are drawn by the boat's lamps, so a bright full moon means fewer bites. It does not stop the trip, and supper does not depend on it, but if you are flexible on dates, ask us which evenings fall away from the full moon.

• Anyone who gets badly seasick even on calm water.
• Children under six - the boat is out after dark.
• Strict vegetarians: supper is built around squid and fish, though rice, fruit and vegetables are always on the table.
• Anyone with a shellfish or squid allergy.
• People who want a quiet, romantic dinner: a joined boat is sociable and a little noisy when the squid start biting. Book a private boat instead.