White began writing novels while working as a fishing guide. His first seven novels were written under the pen name Randy Striker. After the federal government closed Tarpon Bay to powerboat traffic he became a full-time adventurer and writer.
White has traveled extensively and participated in a wide variety of adventures, including dog sledding in Alaska, helping to re-establish Little League baseball in Cuba, and ferrying Cuban refugees to safety during the Mariel boatlift.
St. Martin's Press published his first Doc Ford novel,
Sanibel Flats in 1990 with a three-book contract and option for the fourth. Dissatisfied with the money paid for and the scant promotion of his first three books, White signed with G.P. Putnam's Sons for the fourth book under much more favorable terms and has been with that publisher ever since.
Fiction by "Randy Striker"
- Key West Connection (1981)
- The Deep Six (1981)
- Cuban Death-lift (1981)
- The Deadlier Sex (1981)
- Assassin's Shadow (1981)
- Everglades Assault (1982)
- Grand Cayman Slam (1982)
Doc Ford novels
- Sanibel Flats (1990, St. Martin's Press, ISBN 0-312-92602-2)
- The Heat Islands (1992, St. Martin's Press, ISBN 0-312-92977-3)
- The Man Who Invented Florida (1993, St. Martin's Press, ISBN 0-312-09866-9)
- Captiva (1996, G.P. Putnam's Sons, ISBN 0-399-14140-5)
- North of Havana (1997, G.P. Putnam's Sons, ISBN 0-399-14242-8)
- The Mangrove Coast (1998, G.P. Putnam's Sons, ISBN 0-399-14372-6)
- Ten Thousand Islands (2000, G.P. Putnam's Sons, ISBN 0-399-14620-2)
- Shark River (2001, G.P. Putnam's Sons, ISBN 0-399-14729-2)
- Twelve Mile Limit (2002, G.P. Putnam's Sons, ISBN 0-399-14873-6)
- Everglades (2003, G.P. Putnam's Sons, ISBN 0-399-15058-7)
- Tampa Burn (2004, G.P. Putnam's Sons, ISBN 0-399-15181-8)
- Dead of Night (2005, G.P. Putnam's Sons, ISBN 0-399-15244-X)
- Dark Light (2006, G.P. Putnam's Sons, ISBN 0-399-15336-5)
- Hunter's Moon (2007, G.P. Putnam's Sons, ISBN 0-399-15370-5)
- Black Widow (2008, G.P. Putnam's Sons, ISBN 0-399-15456-6)
- Dead Silence (2009, G.P. Putnam's Sons, ISBN 978-0-399-15540-6)
- Deep Shadow (2010, G.P. Putnam's Sons
Non-fiction
- Batfishing in the Rainforest (1991, Lyons & Burford)
- The Sharks of Lake Nicaragua: True tales of adventure, travel, and fishing (1999, Lyon's Press, ISBN 1-55821-904-8)
- Last Flight Out: True tales of adventure, travel, and fishing (2002, Lyons Press, ISBN 1-58574-383-6)
- "Dr. Pepper" in Outside 25: Classic tales and new voices from the frontiers of adventure, edited by Hal Espen (2002, W.W. Norton, ISBN 0-393-05186-2)
- An American Traveler (2003, Lyons Press, ISBN 1-59228-033-1)
- A Fishing Guide's Guide to Tropical Cooking (2006, Algonquin Press)
- Randy Wayne White's Gulf Coast Cookbook: With memories and photos of Sanibel Island, photographs by Carlene Fredericka Brennen (2006, The Globe Pequot Press, ISBN 1-59228-096-X)
Contributions to periodicals
- Contributing editor and columnist for Men's Journal
- Contributing editor and columnist for Men's Health
- Contributor to National Geographic Adventure
- An editor-at-large of Outside
Television
- Gift of the Game (2003, Uncommon Productions, produced by Bill Haney and John MacNeil, directed by Bill Haney, written by Bill Haney and Randy Wayne White)
Awards and honors
- "Best of Show" at the Woods Hole Film Festival for the documentary Gift of the Game.
- Sanibel Flats on the list "Hundred Favorite Mysteries of the 20th Century" by the American Independent Mystery Booksellers Association.
- Conch Republic Prize for Literature
- John D. MacDonald Award for Literary Excellence