2025 Spring Repo Cruise Date Set!

We have received several inquiries about future cruises after our successful repositioning cruise this spring aboard Sapphire Princess. Heeding this interest, Oregon Pelagic Tours has set the date for our repositioning cruise next spring. Join Tim, Russ and Leisyka aboard the Zaandam as we depart San Diego on May 3, travel over to beautiful Catalina Island, then have two days of pelagic birding as we head north to Vancouver, B.C., arriving on May 7. More details to follow soon, including the name of our cruise consultant at Holland America. (Please wait to sign up with our consultant, as there are benefits to traveling as a group.)

June Updates

Tamara from Garibaldi Charters informed me that the 2 1/2 Three Arch Rocks NWR ecotours sign-ups are doing well, and she thinks it likely some of the four may sell out. See the OPT Schedules page for dates, but conatct Garibaldi Charters to sign up. 

Oregon Pelagic Tours has an agreement with our charter office partners that if we cancel a trip due to lack of interest, we will do so no later than three weeks before the trip. This allows the charter to use the boat for other trips, such as fishing. So when our newest offering, the July 13 six-hour trip from Newport, only had three paid pasengers about a month before its scheduled sailing, the decision was made to cancel this trip. While there were other passengers who said they wanted to go, paid passengers guarantee a sailing. Moral of the story: anyone who is serious about going on a specific trip should commit with a payment as soon as convenient. 

The next three trips (8/18 Garibaldi, 8/25 Newport Deepwater, 9/7 Newport) are all about halfway to making their boat costs. Given that Oregon Pelagic Tours passengers have a history of signing up later, I am still hopeful all three of these will go. 

We hope that you will be joining us this season on the ocean! 

Repo Cruise (Personal) Aboard Nieuw Amsterdam

I just got off the Nieuw Amsterdam on Sunday (4/27), having enjoyed a repositioning cruise. Because of the stops on the itinerary, we had two sea days. I was traveling with a friend and chose to limit my birding, but still had a great trip -- highlights included 113 Leach's Storm-Petrels, 53 Murphy's Petrels, and 1 Cook's Petrel. I am looking forward to the Oregon Pelagic Tours guided repositioning cruise on Sapphire Princess, May 7-11. Spots are still available, but you'd have to move fast to contact me.

WOS Pelagics, April 26 and 27: One going, one canceled

The pelagics arranged for the Washington Ornithological Society on Friday, April 26 and Saturday, April 27 have a mixed result. Friday's pelagic reached full status relatively quickly, while Saturday's pelagic did not register enough passengers to even get halfway to the minimum number needed to run the trip. With less than two weeks to go, we had to cancel the pelagic and release the boat's availability back to the charter office. Never a decision to make lightly, some trips just do not get enough sign-up to justify the great expense of chartering a boat, and I hope all participants attending the WOS Meeting find other enjoyable field trips and birding opportunities. 

OPT Update -- Repo Cruise, Ilwaco Tour and more

Oregon Pelagic Tours is poised for a great year, starting this month. We will be providing pelagics out of Ilwaco for the Washington Ornithological Society on April 26 and April 27. The Friday trip is full, but the Saturday trip has plenty of spaces. Cost will be $257 per person ($200 for WOS members attending the conference). Don't pass up this chance to do some pelagic birding in Pacific County, WA waters. 

The guided repositioning cruise with Russ and Tim aboard the Sapphire Princess May 7-11 from Los Angeles to Vancouver, B.C. has eight birders plus the guides. We will have three full days of ocean birding. Highlights are Murphy's Petrel (likely), and possibly Hawaiian and Cook's Petrels, as well as other species. We would be happy to have one or two more birders join us. 

This summer, in addition to our regular tours August through October, Oregon Pelagic Tours will be offering a short pelagic in July for those people who are not certain they want or are able to spend a full day on the ocean. This trip fits in well with summer vacations, and while not offering all the seabird diversity of our later trips, still offers a very good chance at seeing albatross. This trip will be Saturday, July 13, and will leave from Newport. 

And this year, we are again offering trips out of both Garibaldi and Newport. Book your trip today! 

Oregon Pelagic Tours Schedule Set

 Please go to the Schedule and Prices page to see our complete 2024 schedule. 

Besides our normal 8-hours trips out of Newport and Garibaldi, we offer the following special trips:

April 26-27  Ilwaco Pelagics for WOS Meeting (Meeting attendees only, please. This may change.)

May 7-11  Accompanied Cruise Ship birding on Sapphire Princess. LA to Vancouver. 

July 13  6-hour Newport Pelagic. Great for beginners, and we should still see albatross! 

August 25  Newport Deepwater Trip. A 12-hour pelagic heading out to the real "blue water". 

OPT to provide WOS Meeting pelagics this April

Oregon Pelagic Tours is happy to announce that we will provide two pelagics at the Washington Ornithological Society Annual Meeting this spring. The 8-hour pelagics will be offered on Friday, April 26 and Saturday, April 27, leaving from Ilwaco. Registration is currently open only to WOS meeting attendees. Cost will be $200 for adults, and $100 for young birders. Email Tim @ tim.oregonpelagictours@gmail.com for young birder defintion or with questions.  

Join Russ and a Tim for a Spring Repo Cruise!

Join experienced seabirders and Oregon Pelagic Tours guides Russ Namitz and Tim Shelmerdine on the Sapphire Princess May 7-11 for a guided repositioning cruise. Russ and Tim are among the most experienced seabirders on the West Coast and are familiar with all expected seabirds of the Northeastern Pacific (and many other parts of the world). 

On this cruise, we may see up to three species of pterodromas (Murphy's, Cook's and Hawaiian Petrels), two species of albatross, storm-petrels and more. Parakeet Auklet has been seen on other spring cruises. 

Our price of $300 for three days of birding is a great bargain. Compare with Wings at $525. To sign up, email Tim at tim.oregonpelagictours@gmail.com.