About Fun Charters is not a typical Gulf County charter business. Its owner is not the typical charter boat captain either.
Charlene Burke is a Coast Guard-licensed captain who has turned a childhood love of fishing into a career focusing on more than reeling in a good catch.
Growing up on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Charlene began fishing and navigating a boat at a young age.
“My first vehicle was a boat,” she says, noting her passion for being on the water has never waned. “My dad would take me fishing. He’d knock on my door in the morning and say, ‘Charlene, if you’re going fishing with me, you’ve got five minutes. The truck is running.’ My mom would be standing at the door with a can of vienna sausages and a Coke.”
They commonly trolled for speckled trout and redfish.
“We lived right on the Gulf Coast, so we would do a lot of saltwater fishing,” she says. “But when I’d go see my grandpa, he was inland. He taught me how to fly fish.”
After attending college on an athletic scholarship, then entering the workforce, Charlene’s desire to spend more time on— and gain more knowledge about—the water inspired her to return to school.
“When I was younger, I was an avid diver,” she says. “I loved to see all the sea life. I just didn’t know the names of the things I was seeing. I didn’t know why they were doing what they did. I didn’t know hardly anything, but I loved it. I loved fishing, but I loved diving, too. When I went back to school, I knew what I wanted to do.”
She earned a marine biology degree, then a master’s in marine biology and coastal zone studies from the University of West Florida. Coupled with her love of the water and a passion for sharing its wonders, her degrees led to her not-so-typical career on the waters surrounding Port St. Joe on Florida’s Gulf Coast.
For years, Charlene ran a successful charter business that offered fishing and other trips. She then acquired a boat rental business. When Hurricane Michael destroyed both businesses and her home in 2018, she relocated to work on the water in Alabama while rebuilding in Florida.
In 2020, Hurricane Sally slammed into the Alabama coast and destroyed the RV Charlene was using as a home.
That winter, she moved back to Port St. Joe and reopened About Fun Charters. Last April, Charlene began offering only non-fishing, customized charters aboard the Saint Misbehavin’ III—a 28-foot vessel.
Excursions are as varied as the interests of her patrons. They include snorkeling trips, sightseeing tours, sunset cruises, ecotours, birding trips and photography outings around Port St. Joe, Cape San Blas, Indian Pass and Mexico Beach.
“Before, most of my trips were really just fishing,” Charlene says. “I wanted so badly to offer other things, but I was afraid I wouldn’t succeed with it. I was afraid that people wouldn’t be interested in what I knew out there. Now, I’m offering only those things—and I’m as busy, or busier, than I’ve ever been. I’ve found a new niche.”
Many of her customers are couples or friends—often groups of women who want to spend time on the water while their husbands are fishing.
Her largest customer segment is families, including all ages, from infants to college students and older adults.
While the focus of each charter is set based on the customers’ interests, Charlene says the natural elements often dictate the particulars of a given trip.
“I’ll do whatever you want to do,” she says. “If you want to snorkel for two hours and then go for a boat ride and then go picnic, you can stay on the boat, or we’ll find a little spot and you can get off the boat. I don’t do any kind of a regimented cruise or ecotour. Every day is different out there, so whatever I see is what I talk about. It also depends on the conditions.”
Customer interest varies by season. Most summertime trips involve snorkeling in St. Joe Bay.
Charlene says it is a great way for even novices to enjoy the water and gain comfort and knowledge about the waters and marine life.
The bay is home to sand dollars, sea urchins, starfish, giant conchs, lightning welks, seahorses and puffer fish.
“Snorkeling here is not like snorkeling in the Keys,” Charlene says. “We have grass beds. We do not have any kind of coral reefs. When I take folks snorkeling, it’s not like you’ve got to dive down 10 feet to see anything. They’re in a sandy area and can just lay over the grass beds. It’s the most simple snorkeling you could ever want.”
At other times of the year, customer interests are more diverse, with ecotours, birding and photography.
No matter the season or the specific interests of her customers, Charlene is enjoying this new phase of her business.
After weathering storms and breaking out of the typical charter business mold, she has found many people share her passion for discovering the variety of ways to have fun enjoying Gulf Coast waters.