Deep Sea Fishing is not particularly dangerous, particularly as compared to other action and watersports. The boats and captains are forced to comply with strict United States Coast Guard regulations, that dictate required safety equipment, for boats and training programs, physical testing, and drug testing for captains.

The most common risks of deep sea fishing are actually sunburn and dehydration, both are easily preventable with a bottle of sunscreen and a bottle of water.

Less common risks include, scrapes, scratches, and bruises, allergic reactions, and unlikely but possible: falling overboard.

Children are required to wear life jackets and it is recommended that adults who are not strong swimmers wear life jackets as well. If you are bringing children aboard, contact the captain ahead of time to make sure he has appropriate life jackets for the size of your child.

Tips and gratuities on fishing boats have gone from being optional to expected. Many crew members work mostly or entirely for tips and most will work as hard as they can to impress you. Like any gratuity, however, if you receive bad service it is well within your right to withhold some or all of the crews tips.

The customary gratuity is 15-20% of the price of a charter. In other words, $100 for every $500 you spend. If the crew has gone considerably far out of their way for you, you may tip more, just like in a restaurant.

Some people like to associate a gratuity with how much fish they catch. Certainly, if you’re catching a lot of fish that Captain and mate are working extra hard to get the fish in, bait new lines, and filet it back on the dock. Having said that, if you do not catch a lot of fish, it doesn’t mean that the crew wasn’t good or didn’t work hard to make your trip enjoyable. Sadly, there are days where the fish just aren’t biting and that’s why they call this sport fishing and not catching, it's not always the crews fault.

If you don’t catch a lot of fish and are considering an appropriate gratuity, consider how far out of their way did the crew go to try and find the fish or entertain you in other ways. Did the captain move the boat around in search of fish? Did the mate try different techniques, perhaps with different equipment or bait? If the answer is yes, than the crew likely did everything they could, and may have even worked harder than on an ordinary day. In this case it would be appropriate to give them a generous tip.

If, on the other hand, you didn’t catch fish, the crew was sour, or didn’t do anything to try and find the fish, than you probably have a good case for withholding a gratuity.

Compared to many other tourist and recreation activities, deep sea fishing is a fairly affordable activity. Prices for private deep sea fishing charters in Florida vary depending on location, time of year, boat availability and other factors.

At their cheapest, prices for a 4 hour fishing trip on a typical charter fishing boat in Florida start at around $500 and go up to around $800, depending on boat and location. On top of this, it is customary to tip the crew 15% - 20% for good service. Also, on some charters the captain will recommend the use of live bait, the cost of which will be passed through to the customer.

All this might sound a bit pricey, but consider that on most private charters you can bring up to six people along for the trip, so divided amongst a group, the trip is very affordable. The fun and excitement of deep sea fishing is worth every penny and unlike most tourist activities, fishing can pay dividends in the form of delicious fresh fish you can cook up at home or have a local restaurant prepare for big savings and even bigger satisfaction.

As the name implies, Deep Sea Fishing is in the “deep sea” but the word deep is vague and subjective and there’s no definitive answer. Think about it, the “deep” end of most pools is 6 to 8 feet! James Cameron went thousands of feet below the surface, and that’s deep to him.

Jokes aside, Florida deep sea fishing generally implies that you are fishing at any depth in the Atlantic Ocean or Gulf of Mexico. This could be a reef at 30 feet, a wreck at 200 feet, or on a drop off into a thousand feet or more. By contrast, in shore fishing is usually on lakes, bays, and rivers, which tend to be, but are not always, shallower than the depths in the Ocean or Gulf.

The depth at which you fish will depend largely on what fish are being targeted, inside information the captain has to where the fish are biting, or just trial and error. Most deep sea fishing in Florida is in less than 500 feet of water.

My friend who is a marine shared a saying they have in the military that I love to quote. It's called the 7 Ps and it goes like this:

Proper Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance

Deep sea fishing is a fun and enjoyable activity and generally doesn’t require much special preparation, but there are some good things you can do before hand and bring on the trip with you so that you are best prepared.

For starters, make sure you get plenty of rest and drink plenty of water the day before the trip. Fishing can be a physical activity and the Florida heat, even in the winter months can contribute to dehydration and exhaustion.

If you are prone to seasickness, hydration and rest is even more important, and it’s a good idea to pick up some Bonine or similar anti-motion sickness pill and take it the night before the trip. You should also consider getting a prescription for a seasick patch, which usually is applied the day before.

On the trip, bring plenty of water (some boats supply it, but most don’t) and other food, drinks, and snacks. In addition, sunscreen is essential no matter where or when you’ll be fishing. The most common mistake my passengers make is assuming that if it’s cloudy they won’t get sunburned. Big mistake!

For clothing, you should bring a few layers, including a waterproof jacket in case there is rain or splash. It’s a good idea to call the Captain the day before the trip to find out what weather is expected so you have the appropriate clothes.

Most crew members work for tips, so plan the gratuity ahead of time and bring cash. 15% - 20% of the price of the charter is the customary gratuity for good service. Exceptional service can be rewarded with a higher tip and subpar service can be discounted.

Like with any small business, Captains of fishing charters preferred to be paid in cash to avoid costly credit card fees. In certain areas, such as Destin, it is common for the boats to charge a credit card processing fee of around 5%. Check on this ahead of time and you could save yourself $25 – $50 on most tips, by paying in cash. Even with the best rewards cards, your rebate and miles are not worth that much!

Fishing charters in Florida and the United States are generally a very safe activity thanks in large due to strict United States Coast Guard (USCG) regulations that govern fishing charter boats. One important thing to ask any fishing charter operator is whether their boats meet Coast Guard regulations and whether their captains are USCG licensed. If the answer to either of these questions is no then the operation is almost certainly operating illegally and you should look elsewhere for a trip. Sadly, there are quite a few unscrupulous, non compliant charter operators so it’s good to get a recommendation from a friend or a service such as ours.

Most fishing charter boats are considered “uninspected vessels”. This is simply a classification based primarily on size and doesn’t mean they are unsafe. In fact, the Coast Guard and other law enforcement agencies regularly board and perform surprise inspections of these vessels, so the word “uninspected” is quite misleading. There are extensive safety regulations in place for uninspected vessels, particularly with regard to fire extinguishers, life jackets, flotation devices, and other safety requirement that is required aboard the vessel.

Some larger fishing boats do have inspected classification. The best way to tell is whether the boat is able to take more than six passengers, as all fishing boats that take more than six passengers must be inspected. Again, if you’re considering going with more than six people, it is important to ask the operator if their vessel is “USCG inspected”.

With regard to captains licenses, the most common license for a fishing charter operator is called an OUPV (Operator of Uninspected Passenger Vessels) often referred to as a “six pack”. Some captains have higher level licenses called a “Master” that allows the captain to operate larger vessels as well as inspected vessels. Training and testing is very similar for both the OUPV and the Master, so you can feel at ease that a captain with either license is extremely experienced and capable.

With regard to risks, any on-water activity has risks. The risk of falling overboard, while unlikely, is the most significant and those who are not strong swimmers (and even those who are) should consider wearing a life jacket while on board any boat. Life jackets are imperative for children and are required by law for children under 12 in most states, including Florida. Your Captain should have an extensive stock of life jackets on board, but if you’re bringing smaller children, you should speak with the captain ahead of time to make sure he has a life jacket on board that will be appropriate for the age and weight of the child.

Fishing line and fishing hooks are sharp and handing line with your bare hands presents the risk of being cut. If you are not experienced handling fishing line, leave that up to the captain or the mate. If you do handle the line yourself, bring a pair of gloves to prevent the line from cutting you.

So now that I’ve scared you with falling overboard and getting cut by line and hooks, let me share with you the two most common “injuries” on a fishing charter that are also the most overlooked and also the easiest to prevent: dehydration and sun burn.

Fishing is a physical activity and in Florida the heat and humidity cause you to perspire quicker than you may be used to. Make sure you drink plenty of water before, during, or after your trip. If you are drinking soda and alcohol, be sure to mix in water as well, as both of these are diuretics and will cause you to dehydrate more quickly.

Even on cloudy days, the ultraviolet rays from the Florida sun can cause sunburn. Regardless of weather conditions and time of year, apply sunscreen liberally multiple times throughout the trip. Since there’s a good chance you’ll be sweating, be sure to use a waterproof sunscreen that will stay on even when you perspire.

So there you have it, the low down on fishing charter safety. If you have any questions, drop us an e-Mail and we’ll be happy to help you out.