Swoop Deep Sea Fishing

If you keep in mind a few fundamentals, you’ll have good time, to be sure!
Here are the basics for those who’ve never gone out before, (like myself):
1. Take and use non-​spray sunscreen. (The spray kind makes the boat deck slippery.) Apply liberally throughout the day.
2. Bring your own bottled water, snacks, and other non-​glass drinks. None are available from the crew on board.
3. Wear a sun hat, and bring layers such as a windbreaker and a tank top — you’ll probably need them all at some point.
4. Bring fishing gloves and a washcloth or towels as well as hand sanitizer for holding hooks, fish, bait, etc.
5. Bring a utility knife if you have one.
6. Wear good boat shoes so you don’t slip and slide on deck.
7. Take motion-​sickness medicine at least an hour before you go aboard, and avoid, if possible, drinking too much the night before, as well as eating too much for breakfast, because you might see it again. (2 people on our boat did!)
Arrive on time to the boat, as they sometimes leave early, and if you forgot your water, Starbucks should be open in the big hotel to buy some nearby.
Good luck! And above all, have fun! I certainly did.

I’ve been using the Swoop since 2010 and I’ve got to say, it always makes my Destin vacations that much more enjoyable.
I started taking my son last year, when he was just 8 years old. He was perfectly fine on the boat; didn’t get seasick. I think it’s a pretty large boat and the motion-​sickness just doesn’t affect you as harshly. It’s a great way to introduce your younger children to fishing too because the crew really tries to get the younger kids involved. If any member of the crew hooks a fish, sometimes they’ll call over for the kids to help them reel it in (they’re usually larger fish). They always help unhook the fish and always give you an opportunity to take a picture with your fresh catch!
The staff’s friendly and plentiful. Don’t forget to tip them well, because they sure try to earn it!

My sister has gone on this trip five times. She has lived here for five years and I try to visit for a few weeks every summer, and she suggested coming here. Honestly one of the worst experiences of my life. Not because it was so bad, but because I had to pay for it.
Before we reserved our spots, the unpleasant «receptionist» warned us they had cancelled trips all week, and our trip might be cancelled. This should of been a hint to us, but wasn’t. Trip started at 7 am and we were supposed to be there at 630. We woke up at 500 and kept calling to confirm. No answer until after 6. I think courtesy call day before would be appropriate. Couldn’t imagine waking up at 5am on a Saturday, getting ready to go fish, and then have it cancelled.
Trip out wasn’t bad, kind of fun really. Sat in the very front, and was completely soaked by the time we stopped. Difficult to keep the salt water out of my mouth, which at first I thought was the reason for my queasiness, but I laughed to myself and was ready for a good time. My girl friend headed to the back at nearly the start of the trip because she felt sick, I went to check on her when we stopped and all hell started.
I got sick and half way through nearly the whole boat was sick. A crew member said out of 39 fishing lines (39 paying customers) only 13 were in the water. There wasn’t enough room for us all to lay down and try to deal with it. I’ve never experienced high tide or motion sickness, but now I know.
My issue though, is I feel taken advantage of. I think taking money from all of us was unethical. If we were warned about what might happen before the trip, and still continued at our own risk, or offered a refund, I wouldn’t have any issue. If I was the only one sick, or even just a few of us, I’d be upset, but mostly with myself. When over half the boat is sick and my entire party didn’t even fish one time. When they are keeping $ 90 from 26 people who all paid to fish but instead spent the entire trip puking or feeling nauseated, there is a serious issue.
As I said earlier, my sister, a locale, has been on the trip many times. Mostly positive, and we came on her advice. This was the first time she has ever gotten sea sick. Point being, this wasn’t just normal sea sickness. We talk to the owner in a week for a refund, we’ll see.
If high tide, I would advise to avoid extended boating. I’d also recommend staying away from swoop. I despise unethical business. I’m pretty positive they knew of the situation, and decided not to cancel because they had a full reservation of unsuspecting customers. Captain didn’t even acknowledge the issue, and had the audacity to tell us we should tip the crew. Why, because he’s too greedy to pay his «employees?» Preying on tourists isn’t enough? They hardly did anything, considering only a third of the deck even fished. Classic tourist trap, they didn’t want to lose money, and took advantage of us. They give a terrible experience, doesn’t matter because they got their money, tourists leave, and they don’t give a f because next week they have an entire new population to to prey upon. DON’T SUPPORT

07/​23/​2015. We did an 8 hours deep sea trip. The staff was friendly and on schedule. BUT they made a big deal about catching 6 – 10 inch fish and that was the only keepers we had. No one on the boat caught much of anything. Wouldn’t waste $ 90 on it. Go somewhere else.

My review here is specifically directed at the boat and its crew since the experience itself for my family was awful due to the weather and unexpected severe sea sickness. The «mates» on the boat were all super helpful and attentive and even offered me some homemade Cajun dessert made for them by one of the mates’ moms. We chose the 5 hour trip and it was a good length for novices like us. Severe waves caused severe seasickness for my daughter and so she spent the entire time hanging over the edge. If you are the least bit prone to motion sickness do something for that before you go.
Don’t sit at the front of the boat; you’re likely to get sprayed and we did and got soaked since the waves were so high. Take a cooler of drinks and a bag of snacks for your group — you’ll want that.
Arrive early for the afternoon excursion because the parking situation is pretty dire. I’m not sure how this compares to other excursions but try it at least once to say you’ve done it and this group is pretty good at finding fish and making your trip as pleasant as possible.

We had a great time fishing with Swoop. Wes was especially helpful and kind to our group. We would definitely do this trip again.

This is our 4^th time going deep sea fishing with charter boats, and this time was very disappointing! Only one guy was working the captain and the other guy was too busy fishing for themselves to help anyone else on board. We stayed at the same spot for a long time even when everyone had stopped catching because the captain was waiting for a big fish… It was very frustrating. I will not be fishing with Swoop II again.

I’ve been on a few boats like these. While not the best overall, the service is! The captain will put you on fish, the mates are there to help, and you will catch fish. Pack a lunch and some beer, it’ll take some time to get out. They clean your fish and bag it included in the cost. Just be sure to tip the 20%… at least! They deserve it.

This was a really enjoyable experience. The crew was great — friendly, helpful and and knowledgeable. True fishing pros. The captain was very professional. He put us right on the fish. Special thank you to Kevin who helped my son reel in a big grouper. I would recommend.

The entire crew, but specifically Nick and Ed, made the trip fun and actually worthwhile waking up at 5:30am. Nick was super attentive. He managed the entire front of the boat flawlessly and made it feel like he never left our side. We are total novices, and with his help and advice, we were able to catch some fish and have a blast doing so! He’s awesome at baiting hooks if you’re grossed out by squid guts and he happily untangled our lines whenever they got crossed.
Ed was super friendly, and he made the 1.5 hour ride back to shore awesome by telling us fishing stories and answering all our silly questions about deep sea fishing. He suggested a nearby restaurant that offers «Hook & Cook» service, so we had them cook up the fish we just caught. It was Jackacuda’s (also highly recommended). We even ran into him at the restaurant after our trip!
We chose Swoop II because the fishing charter we originally booked for my bachelorette party was cancelled due to a lack of reservations. Swoop II was about $ 25 more since all that was available was the 6 hour trip, instead of just a 4 hour trip. It was WELL worth the price for the experience you’ll have with them.

Our first time out! Wish I knew it was a LONG ride to the destination, and that’s when we should have wore the poncho! We got soaked! Once at the destination we dropped lines. Everyone caught fish, and had a good time
Everyone from the lady that took our reservation to the Captain and mates were pleasant, helpful, and funny!
Once back, they cleaned the fish for us. We had a cookout later.
A guy on the boat even caught a 67# fish, my fish wasn’t that big, not even 6#!
Have fun!

My 8 yr old son and I went on the 6 hour trip and had a great time. Most people seemed to be going home with about 6 – 10 mingo, but there were about half a dozen larger fish caught, which made the trip more fun for everyone. The crew was fast and polite, and never made us feel like the amateurs we were. Cleaning the fish for us was a big plus. Definitely recommended. Be sure to call ahead a couple of days before you plan to go, they fill up fast.

My family has fished on this boat many times. The captain and crew are friendly and courteous. We have ALWAYS caught a ton of fish. The price includes cleaning your fish at the end of the day which is a nice perk. Most boats charge by the pound for this service.
Find the Swoop online and print a coupon. Bring your lunch. Pack plenty of water to go with your soda/​beer. Seriously, it’s hot so bring water in your cooler.
Kid friendly. The mates ensure a great time by all. Best in Destin. I say this having fished on numerous party boats for the last 30+ years here.

Absolutely 5 Stars. Folks if you haven’t tried this, you haven’t lived. I usually come during Red Snapper summer months but this year we came during Spring Break. I was worried we wouldn’t catch as much. I was wrong. The captain knows what he’s doing and we were on Mingos and Amber Jack all day. I brought home 13 keepers and could not be happier. Ed and the other mates are at your side before you even call them in most cases. Six hour trip is perfect. Trust me you get tired pulling fish up 180 feet with a 1lb weight on there. My wife and kids don’t go because they are worried about the sea. I usually go alone and it’s not boring at all. You always meet interesting people. Retirees to my left and mom with two young kids to my right.
For people considering a trip in March. The weather was pefect. A good 20 degrees cooler than the Red Snapper trips.
Had a blast and memories that will last a life time.
Go Fish!

I have fished many party boats over the years and this boat has it all. The crews on the boats were very good and cleaned the fish at dockside. I did re-​cut the fillets to make them completely bone-​less or you can pay them more and they will double fillet for you. I fished with these boats as the other boat I use was in dry dock and I was happy to try them out. I will be returning in April for Cobia fishing and more Snappers as I think the 120 lbs of fillets I brought home will be gone soon.
The crew were very good with many first timers on their boats and even with old timers to make for an enjoyable trip (s). I fished 5 times on my last trip down.
See you in April 2012!!!
Jerkyman

This was my first experience on a party boat and we had a great time. We went out on an 8 hour trip and visited probably 4 or 5 different spots and reeled in a ton of fish. The troll rods brought in a few barrakudas, wahoos and amberjack which was fun to see for first timers, especially. The staff was on top of things, helping folks bait hooks and remove fish from hooks. From what I understand, our catch was very, very good for a party boat. I’ll gladly recommend the Swoop boats to visitors who want a party boat experience.

Amatures! After an hour and 15 minutes, they turn back. Worst part about it, they knew there was a problem 10 minutes into the trip. They didn’t even let us drop lines. We had to idle back with one motor which took another two hours. Refunded our money, but robbed me of a Saturday.