About Rivers & Oceans

Rivers & Oceans started in 1987 in Grand Canyon and today we offer more than 60 unique adventures worldwide. With decades of travel experience, we are a service-oriented team connect to the best outfitters around the world.

Advantage in using Rivers & Oceans

We know that the decision to go on an adventure is the easy part. Wading through websites and brochures can be overwhelming and time consuming. Think of us as a friend you can call who already knows the terrain. We’ve got the connections, we take the time to listen so we can offer an adventure that best fits you. There is no fee for our service, ensuring the cost of your expedition is the same as booking direct.

We value sharing the world’s wild places which is why many of us spent years as guides. Now find reward in using our knowledge of all the trips and outfitters that are available to help you find your right trip.

Shaped by Love: Our Founders’ Story

Just as a river shapes a canyon, the love of Tim and Pam Whitney has shaped Rivers & Oceans. Tim and Pam met in 1984 in Marble Canyon, Arizona as adventure travel was just beginning to take off. Pam was a manager for a Grand Canyon rafting company when Tim applied for a job as a guide. Tim loved to tell the story of how he got the job…and the girl!

In the 80s’, the Grand Canyon rafting options were growing but information on how to book trips was hard to find. The couple saw a need for a travel company that could help people find their best water adventure. They started Rivers & Oceans together in 1987 to book trips on the Colorado River and to the Sea of Cortez.

World travelers themselves, Tim and Pam have explored rivers from Arizona to Papua New Guinea to Zimbabwe. The two have dove in all the oceans of the world from Borneo to Baja. Over the years as the adventure travel industry grew and Rivers & Oceans did as well. R & O became the best source for information and reservations on river trips in the American West and select water adventure travel worldwide.

In 2012 Tim passed away leaving a lasting impression in the hearts of those who knew him. A few years later Pam retired leaving Robby Pitagora, a dear friend and fellow river guide, at the helm of Rivers & Oceans. Today, Rivers & Oceans continues to grow from the steady stream that started it 30 years ago, powered by the love of people, water, adventure, nature, and the love of Tim and Pam Whitney.

Meet Our Team

Michelle Pappas – Adventure Booking Specialist

Water has always been a way to connect with family and friends for Michelle. Her childhood in Arkansas was spent water skiing, swimming, canoeing, and boating with her family. Later, she met her husband, Sam, on a rafting trip through the Grand Canyon. Her most memorable adventure was a month long stay in Belize learning how to scuba dive and snorkel. The trip left her with a deep connection to the ocean and the friends she met along the way.

Why I love my work

I love helping make people’s travel dreams come true! After years of pairing people to their ideal trip, I still enjoy the process of getting to know someone’s ideal vacation and then using my knowledge to provide them the best available options. There is nothing better than hearing from people after their trip about the extraordinary time they had!

What travel has taught me

You must have patience and a sense of adventure to enjoy the ride of travel!

How I am a friend to the environment

I want to respect what nature has to offer and believe even the smallest efforts can make a huge difference. I recycle, pick up trash whenever I see it and always leave no trace when hiking or camping.

Jeremy Sjodin – Custom Adventure Booking Specialist

Growing up in Southern California, Jeremy spent summers camping along the beaches in San Diego County for weeks at a time and going on weekend trips to the Southwest with his family.

In 2015, he decided to take a break from his job as a Civil Engineer to attempt a thru-hike of the 2,600 mile Pacific Crest Trail. Since then, he’s accumulated over 9,000 miles of hiking – walking from Mexico to Canada, from Georgia to Maine, through the Pyrenees Mountains in Europe, and across the entire state of Arizona (south to north).  Time spent sleeping under the stars and living out of a backpack has taught Jeremy to slow down and appreciate the little things. 

Why I love my work

I get to help people create and undergo a life-changing experience in nature.  I am lucky to be able to have a career centered around outdoor adventure with colleagues full of positivity and enthusiasm.  

What travel has taught me

The majority of perceived limitations are self-imposed. I’ve learned to shed expectations, focus on being present, and open myself up to whatever opportunities the adventure provides.

How I am a friend to the environment

I am conscientious of waste and try to minimize my impact on the environment.  I promote Leave No Trace Principles during wilderness ventures.  While hiking the Arizona Trail in 2017, my partner and I picked up, carried, and disposed of 98 lbs of trash along the trail. 

Clint Diveley – Adventure Booking Specialist

What is raised in Vegas doesn’t always stay in Vegas! After graduating from college and working at a five-star Las Vegas Resort, Clint caught the travel bug and left Las Vegas for the Pacific Northwest. While up north his love for the outdoors and nature grew. His next adventure took him to the tiny town of Poapayán, Colombia where he lived and taught English at a local public high school. Since then, Clint’s travels have taken him from the glamour of Dubai to the beauty of the Andes Mountains in Ecuador and have taught him that although it is a small world, it is vital to explore, share, and care for it.

Why I love my work

I love helping our clients get out of their comfort zones and have exciting experiences in nature. It is rewarding to be part of a journey that started with a single click or phone call and ends with rafting down the Grand Canyon and camping under the stars.

What travel has taught me

Travel has taught me that we are all part of something greater than ourselves. To understand humanity is to understand the cultural context in which it operates in. Imagine how different the world would be if we all took a second to step in each other’s shoes once in a while.

How am I a friend to the environment

By being conscious of food and trash waste in my everyday life. I make an effort to rethink waste, reuse when possible, and encourage others to do the same.

Tess McEnroe – Director of Social Media & Custom Trip Leader

Originally from Minneapolis, Tess grew up playing on the lakes of Minnesota, beginning her life long love for water. At age 17, she moved west to study photojournalism at the University of Montana and (more importantly for us) went to river guiding school. Here she first met Aaron and has enjoyed floating and working on the river with him since.

Fifteen seasons of professional guiding later, from the Western U.S. to Tibet, she is still a dedicated steward working as a rafting guide. While mainly guiding in Idaho and Grand Canyon, Tess has explored and guided over 50,000 river miles in different states and countries.

Between guiding and traveling, Tess sparked an interest to become a teacher. She spent four years teaching art at an independent boarding school outside of Santa Barbara, California, fell in love with the ocean and surfing.

Tess is now aiming to combine her love of guiding and teaching by pursuing her master’s degree in Environmental Education. She is also currently working as “river fellow” in salmon and steelhead conservation on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River. Tess is hoping to articulate her passions of protecting wild places with awareness and education – specifically focusing on combining her love of watersheds and rivers with Indigenous cultural integration and mental health.

Why I love my work

My favorite part of guiding is providing the space and experiences for people to build a relationship with the environment, and the beautiful simplicity of living in the backcountry. On trips I am honored to meet and learn from people from all over the world. I also love to be creative and crave an artistic outlet, so helping Rivers & Oceans in that realm has been fun.

What travel has taught me

I believe travel is the best form of holistic education. It builds resilience, compassion and helps us to push ourselves. It keeps you present and humbled, which is also why I love river travel. We really don’t need much in life!

How I am a friend to the environment

My most recent endeavor in the environmental conservation world is making an effort to write government officials and comment on these issues. Besides being conscious about waste and where my food comes from, I am interested and dedicated to salmon conservation, specifically in Idaho. They are an incredible keystone species that sustain so many parts of the ecosystem and our economic industries. I’m currently creating a project for guides to encourage our guests to also be river stewards through salmon education.

Aaron Cavagnolo – Operations Manager & Custom Trip Leader

Over the past 25+ years Aaron has spent over 2000 nights on 150 different rivers while traveling by raft, kayak and packraft. During this time, he has led rafting trips on many of the world’s remote and prestigious rivers including the Grand Canyon, Cherry Creek, Middle Fork Salmon, Futaleufu, Illinois and Selway. 

While Aaron’s dedication to running rivers is impressive, he’s stayed in the adventure travel industry because of the reward he finds in facilitating outdoor experiences for others. On a river trip he gets to see the best side of people when they are removed from their day-to-day stresses. His favorite trips are charter and custom trips specialized around a group’s needs.

Luckily, Aaron finds nearly the same joy working in the Rivers & Oceans office as he does guiding. His comprehensive knowledge of rafting trips worldwide and experience working for many different outfitters means that he can quickly figure out what people want in a trip and then make that trip happen. 

When Aaron isn’t on a river or talking about rivers he is surfing and trying to keep up on family adventures with his daughter and wife.

Why I love my work

I’m always learning and finding new challenges while helping people connect to our natural world. At the same time I have the comradery of a fantastic group of coworkers. Robby encourages us to work towards a more sustainable, inclusive business that thinks about creating benefit for all our stakeholders including wildlife and the environment.

What travel has taught me

Humans across our planet have much in common. Relationships with friends and family are my most precious commodity. I cherish the opportunities and ability to be present in a moment.

How I am a friend to the environment

Trained as an engineer, I focus on being efficient by making things last and minimizing waste. I’ve done some lobbying in Washington D.C. for rivers and wilderness. Through that process I’ve learned our voices carry weight and now regularly write and call my Senators and representatives regarding river conservation and wilderness protection.

Robby Pitagora – Owner & Custom Trip Leader

Operating customized trips with some of the best crews in the industry for over 35 years has made Robby an expert on river adventures. Having rafted rivers around the world from the Alsek in Alaska to the Zambezi in Zambia, his favorite river is close to home: Grand Canyon’s Colorado River. Robby believes that every trip can be an opportunity to inspire people and build a direct connection with nature.

Why I love my work

Coming in each day and seeing all my motivated, happy colleagues. They all take such joy in helping people find adventures. What I offer is a great attitude and decades of experience in the adventure travel industry.

What travel has taught me

Every step can be an adventure. Meeting new people, going to new places and learning about different cultures is rich and rewarding. The more I learn the more I realize how much I don’t know. It is humbling, eye-opening and exciting all at the same time.

How I am a friend to the environment

When I shop, I consider the resources it took to make the product or service I am buying and who I am buying it from. Are they helping to create sustainable economic situations that help people and our natural environment? We vote everyday with our wallets and how we spend our money. We can make a huge difference for this planet if we make good decisions on how we spend our resources.