So Cal Pelagic Birding
Pelagic Trips And Deep Water Expeditions

Reserve your trip on Grande three ways directly with Point Loma Sportfishing (the landing):

1.  On the landing’s website.

2.  Telephone any day 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.   (619) 223-1627

3.  Mail a check to the landing.

PLEASE READ BEFORE MAKING YOUR RESERVATION

WHAT ARE ANGLERS?  Some pages of the landing’s website refers to “customers” (you) as anglers.  Consider yourself an “angler” while making your reservations on the web.  ;-)

QUESTIONS ABOUT BIRDS?  Please don’t ask the landing about seabird status.  They are highly knowledgeable fishing experts, not birders.  Here is a link to SoCal seabird distribution.  Please direct birding questions to any leader or to thunefeld@gmail.com

INTERNET SIGNUP:  Click the following link to be taken directly to the landing's signup page for our boat Grande.  To sign up for a trip, scroll down to the date of the trip you wish to reserve (they say "BIRDWATCHING") then click the yellow icon to the left of "Grande" for the date you wish to reserve.  If the website reservation process gives you any difficulties, please call the very helpful landing staff any day between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. and reserve by phone.   (619) 223-1627

RESERVATIONS BY PHONE:  Telephone the landing any day from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.   (619) 223-1627  If you’re making reservations for more than one trip, please tell them when they answer the phone.  “Hello, I’d like to make reservations for 2 bird watching trips on Grande on (date) and (date).”  

PAY IN FULL:   Some fishing trips allow "anglers" to pay 50% at signup and the balance the day of the trip.  The landing can not change the whole website for 6 birding trips, so that language may appear.  Regardless of what the boiler-plate language on the site says,  all Grande trips require payment in full even if the website or telephone rep gives you an option to pay 50%. 

REFUND POLICY:  All requests for refunds must be directed to the landing.  You may cancel any Grande birding trip 21 or more days before the trip and Point Loma Sportsfishing will refund your payment less a $10 handling fee per ticket.  This is the policy I’ve worked out with them even though their website says “no refunds.”  There are no refunds less than 21 days before the trip, but you can make a substitution up to the day of the trip.

SOLD OUT TRIPS & BACK-UP LIST:  When a trip is sold out, it will no longer appear on the landing's website.  At that time the landing will maintain a back up list. To be placed on the list, you must phone the landing.  Only the landing can take back up reservations.  The fact that a trip is sold out and has a back up list is no guarantee that if you cancel 6 or 3 or 2 (!!) days before the trip that you will receive a refund because many people on the list have already made other plans when it's less than a week before a trip. Read and understand the refund policy before making your reservation!  The landing will make its best efforts to find you a replacement from the list, but if you cancel less than a week before the trip it is not very likely that they will be able to find a replacement. 

SUBSTITUTIONS:  If you find someone else to take your place, telephone the landing and they will make the name change for you free-of-charge anytime up to the day of the trip. 

SLEEPING QUARTERS:  Sleeping quarters on overnight trips are bunkhouse style.  Yep, we’re all together in a co-ed bunk room.  Your personal bunk is 6’ 3” long and 2 feet wide with a mattress, pillow with fresh pillowcase and a wool blanket.  The rest is up to you.  Reminds me of my days in the U.S. Army.  I don’t know about you, but I’m  bringing earplugs.

PAY BY CHECK: 
Write one check payable to Point Loma Sportfishing for each trip you wish to reserve and mail to:
Grande Birding Trips
Point Loma Sportfishing
1403 Scott Street
San Diego, CA  92106

Include the following information:

1. the date and name of the trip
2. the name of the boat: Grande
3. your name
4. your mailing address
5. your telephone number

If the trip you request is sold out, the landing will telephone you and ask if you wish to reserve a different trip.  If not, your un-cashed check will returned to you.

Suggestions?

If you have any suggestions about how to improve the reservation process, please email thunefeld@gmail.com so that I may share them with the landing staff.  This is the first time the landing has ever handled bird trips of this magnitude and they want to learn how to talk our language.  Grande’s Captain James McDaniels and the landing staff want the reservation process to be easy and pleasant. 

Questions?  email thunefeld@gmail.com

See you aboard Grande!

Terry Hunefeld
Life is short.
Bird often.