Hi Neil,
Seelife Paulagics list the possibilities for there late October trip as follows (also supposed to be a good company) - the Oct trip was cancelled this year but was going from Lewes DE - Luke:
This time of year at sea is very poorly birded. We are running this trip to see what might be out there. New Jersey's only record for Buller's Shearwater was seen on October 28, 1984, just 31 miles from shore.
Northern Fulmar, Greater and Manx Shearwaters, Northern Gannet, Red and Red-necked Phalaropes, Pomarine and Parasitic Jaegers, South Polar Skua*, Herring, Iceland, Lesser Black-backed and Greater Black-backed Gulls, Black-legged Kittiwake. This is also a good time to catch good numbers of coastal migrants such as Common and Red-throated Loons, and Surf and Black Scoters.
There is no way we'll see ALL these birds, but these are the birds we would expect to see if we went out several times in winter. Some are virtually guaranteed (e.g. Herring Gull) and others are much less expected (marked with *).
We will also be looking for marine mammals. Some of the possibilities at this time of year are Fin Whale, Humpbacked Whale, Common Dolphin, and Risso's Dolphin.
website
www.paulagics.com