Offshore Hunter Charters is one of the most professional deep sea fishing operations in Fort Myers, a fast 36 foot Yellowfin center console run by the father-son team of Captains Veiko and Chris Kreis. It posts its offshore prices, it spells out its deposit and weather policy plainly, and Chris holds a Coast Guard 100 ton master license. The boat is well suited to the long Gulf runs that the Fort Myers offshore fishing needs. It ranks in the strong tier, just short of the boats above it because a good share of its business is inshore and shelling rather than deep sea.
The verdict and where it ranks
At 7.7 Offshore Hunter is a strong choice and the third ranked boat in Fort Myers, the pick for an angler who wants a fast, capable offshore boat and a booking process with no surprises. It sits just behind Charters N Paradise and ahead of Always Fun. The clear posted prices and the written deposit and cancellation policy are the best in the port. What holds it a notch back is that the operation also runs inshore and shelling trips, so it is not a dedicated offshore boat the way a long-range sportfisher is. Book it for an 8 or 10 hour snapper and grouper run. Compare the field on the Fort Myers ranking.
The boat
The boat is a custom 36 foot Yellowfin center console with triple 350 horsepower outboards, fast enough to make the long run to the offshore ground and back inside a day. It carries up to 6 anglers, with the trips priced for 4 and anglers 5 and 6 added on. A center console this size is a capable offshore platform for southwest Florida, quick and seaworthy, though as an open boat it offers less shelter than a cabin sportfisher on a long, hot, or wet day. It is one of the better boat-and- equipment packages in the port for the money.
The fishing and what you target
Offshore Hunter runs out to the Gulf reefs and wrecks for the bottom spread: red grouper year round, mangrove and other snapper, amberjack on the wrecks when the season allows, and American red snapper on its dedicated summer trip. It also fishes inshore for trout, snook, and sheepshead, and runs shelling trips, so the offshore fishing shares the schedule with other products. The 8 and 10 hour offshore trips are the ones that reach the productive deep ground, since the Gulf here is shallow and the better fishing is a long way out.
Trips and prices
This is a strong factor for Offshore Hunter. The offshore rates are posted on the operator’s own site, by the boat for up to 4 anglers: $1,900 for an 8 hour snapper trip, $2,300 for a 10 hour grouper and snapper trip, and $2,000 plus fuel for the 10 hour red snapper trip, with anglers 5 and 6 at $100 each. Inshore trips run $600 to $1,200. A Tarpon Point Marina pickup adds $100. The deposit and cancellation terms are written out plainly: a 50% deposit holds the date, a cancellation 7 or more days out is fully refunded, and the captain makes the weather call. Our cost guide sets those numbers in context.
The crew
The father-son team is the heart of the operation. Captain Veiko Kreis has fished southwest Florida since the 1990s, and Captain Chris Kreis holds a Coast Guard 100 ton master license. The reviews, with a 5.0 rating across roughly 78 TripAdvisor reviews, credit a knowledgeable, friendly pair who put clients on fish offshore and inshore and adapt to the conditions. The record is clean, with no recurring complaint in the reviews we read, though the volume is moderate rather than deep, which is why track record is scored strong but not top.
Booking and what to know
Book online through the operator’s site, which takes a 50% deposit, or by phone. The written cancellation and weather policy is a real plus: you know the terms before you pay. Bring food, drinks, and a cooler, since it is an open boat. Confirm you are booking the offshore trip rather than an inshore or shelling trip, given the mixed schedule, and budget for the fuel add-on on the red snapper run.
How we scored it
Offshore Hunter scores 7.7: a capable fast offshore boat, licensed father-son captains, posted prices, and the clearest booking policy in the port, marked down on trips and access because much of its schedule is inshore and shelling rather than deep sea. Value and transparency is its strongest factor. See how we scored this boat and compare it across the Fort Myers charters we rank.