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Booking terms
The short version: a 30% deposit holds your date, you settle the balance with Captain Thao on the dock, and you can cancel free up to three days before the trip. Everything below is the detail behind that.
Last updated 14 October 2026.
Who these terms are between
These terms cover charters booked with Seattle Nautic Fishing & Boating Charter, operating out of Dock V, Shilshole Bay Marina, 7001 Seaview Ave NW, Seattle WA. When we say “we” or “us” we mean Seattle Nautic. When we say “you” we mean the person who made the booking, on behalf of everyone in the party.
Booking a trip through this site means you accept these terms for yourself and for your guests.
Booking and payment
A booking is confirmed once the deposit is paid and you have a confirmation on screen. Until then the date is not held.
- Deposit: 30% of the trip price, taken online at the time of booking.
- Balance: paid directly to the captain on the day. Cash, Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Zelle, Venmo, PayPal or bank transfer. Paying the balance by card adds a 3% processing fee.
- Sales tax: Washington retail sales tax is added to the trip price and collected with the balance onboard. Tax is not charged on gratuity.
- Gratuity: entirely optional. The suggested amounts on the booking page are a prompt, not a charge, and you can decide after the trip.
- Pay in full: if you choose to pay the whole trip online, tax is included in that payment and only any gratuity is left for the day.
Card payments are processed by Square. We never see or store your card number. See our privacy page for what we do hold.
Prices
Private charters are priced for a set number of guests with a per-guest charge above that, up to the boat’s six-guest limit. The price shown on the booking page for your party size is the price you pay, before sales tax and before any gratuity you choose to add.
Prices can change, but never for a booking already confirmed.
Cancellations and refunds
- More than 3 days before your trip: cancel for any reason and your deposit is refunded in full.
- Within 3 days of your trip: the deposit is not refunded. Nothing further is owed.
- If we cancel: you choose. Either we move you to another date, or we refund everything you have paid, in full.
Refunds go back to the card used for the deposit and usually land within a few business days, depending on your bank.
Weather and the captain’s call
Puget Sound weather turns quickly. The decision to run, shorten, or cancel a trip for safety belongs to the captain and no one else, and it can be made before departure or once you are out on the water.
If a trip is cancelled for conditions, the previous section applies: reschedule or full refund, your choice. If a trip is cut short for conditions after it has started, talk to the captain; he will sort something out with you.
Changing your date
Call or text 206-371-6465 and we will move you if the date you want is open. The trip and the price stay the same. Changing a date is not the same as cancelling, and the three-day rule above applies to cancellations only.
What is included
- Rods, reels and tackle
- Live bait and lures
- Coast Guard-approved life vests
- Cleaning and filleting of your catch
Not included: your fishing licence, food and drink, and gratuity. A one-day Washington fishing licence can be issued onboard for $13 per person if you have not bought one.
Fishing licences, seasons and limits
Everyone fishing needs a valid Washington fishing licence. Seasons, daily limits, size limits and which species may be kept are set by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, not by us, and they change from year to year and sometimes mid-season.
We fish within those rules without exception. We cannot promise a particular species, a particular number of fish, or that a season will be open on your date.
Your catch
Fish you catch and are legally entitled to keep are yours, cleaned and filleted before you leave the dock. Catch is subject to the limits above. Fishing is fishing, and no trip comes with a guarantee of one.
Your party
- Six guests maximum, including children. The boat is a 21′ Grady-White centre console.
- Children are welcome and must be accompanied by a responsible adult in the party.
- The number of guests you book for is what the price is based on. Tell us if it changes.
On the day
Trips depart from Dock V at Shilshole Bay Marina (winter salmon trips from November 15: Point Defiance, Tacoma) and run for the hours booked from the scheduled departure time. Please arrive with time to spare; a late arrival shortens your own trip rather than pushing the finish back, because the next booking may be waiting.
Safety and conduct
Captain Thao is certified by the U.S. Coast Guard to carry passengers, holds First Aid, CPR and AED certification, and the operation carries commercial liability insurance.
As master of the vessel, the captain has final authority over everyone aboard. Safety instructions are not optional. Anyone who is unsafe to themselves or others, or who is intoxicated to the point of being a hazard, may be refused boarding or returned to the dock, without a refund.
Risk
Recreational fishing on open water carries risks that cannot be removed: weather, sea state, moving equipment, hooks and knives, slippery decks, and seasickness. You take part voluntarily and accept those ordinary risks for yourself and your guests. This does not limit any liability that cannot be limited under Washington law.
Tell us before you book if anyone in the party has a medical condition, a mobility limitation, or is pregnant, so the captain can tell you honestly whether the trip is suitable.
Personal belongings
Phones, cameras, keys and anything else you bring aboard are your own responsibility. Boats are wet and things go over the side. Leave what you would hate to lose in the car.
Changes to these terms
We may update this page. The terms that apply to your trip are the ones published when you booked, and the date at the top tells you which version you are reading.
Governing law
These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Washington, and any dispute belongs in the courts of King County, Washington.
Questions
Call or text Captain Thao on 206-371-6465, or email opulentfish@gmail.com. Easier to ask before you book than to wonder on the dock.