RUI DIVING CENTRE

Boat Diving Policy

English Version | Rui Diving Centre

Important notice: This Policy does not replace any diver medical statement, physician’s clearance, liability release, assumption-of-risk form, vessel document, or other form required by a training agency or operator.

1. Scope

This Policy applies to recreational boat-diving activities organized, sold, coordinated, or led by Rui Diving Centre, including local and destination-based single-day and multi-day trips.

If a trip confirmation, vessel rule, dive-site rule, or training standard imposes a stricter requirement, the stricter safety requirement applies.

2. Eligibility and Certification

Participants must hold valid diver certification appropriate for the planned depth, environment, and activity and must present certification and identification when requested.

• Some dive sites may require advanced, deep, drysuit, wreck, drift, or other specialty qualifications;

• Participants must have recent diving experience and be able to assemble equipment, complete a buddy check, enter the water, ascend, and exit without unreasonable assistance;

• A participant with insufficient experience, a long period of inactivity, or an inability to demonstrate the required ability may be required to complete a refresher, evaluation, or additional training at extra cost;

• An instructor, divemaster, captain, or crew member may restrict depth, change the dive site, or refuse entry into the water based on certification, experience, performance, equipment, or conditions.

3. Health and Fitness to Dive

Participants must accurately complete all required medical statements and determine that they are physically and psychologically fit to dive.

• Where a medical questionnaire or the operator requires physician clearance, valid written clearance must be submitted by the stated deadline;

• Participants must promptly report any health change, injury, medication, or recent illness that may affect diving safety;

• Participation while affected by alcohol, recreational drugs, or any substance that impairs judgment, coordination, or response is prohibited;

• An instructor, divemaster, captain, or crew member may refuse participation or require a diver to end a dive when the diver is considered unfit.

If a participant cannot take part because health information was not disclosed, required clearance was not obtained, or the participant is not fit to dive on the activity date, the applicable cancellation and no-show terms apply.

4. Registration, Payment, and Fee Components

A space is held only after Rui Diving Centre confirms the registration and receives the required payment. Prices, taxes, number of dives, and selected services are governed by the written trip confirmation.

Boat-diving charges consist of three separate components. Divers must select the services they need based on their certification, experience, equipment, and circumstances:

• Boat fee: reserves the boat space and vessel service;

• Dive-guide fee: applies when the diver selects guide service or when a guide is required because of the site, certification, experience, or safety requirements;

• Equipment-rental fee: applies when the diver needs available rental cylinders, weights, BCD, regulator, exposure protection, or other equipment.

Divers must review and confirm their selected fee components before payment. Dive-guide and equipment-rental services must be reserved in advance and remain subject to staff and equipment availability and the confirmed price.

Unless the written trip confirmation states otherwise, these charges do not include transportation, parking, lodging, meals, gratuities, personal purchases, insurance, medical care, search and rescue, evacuation, or other emergency expenses.

5. All Fees Are Final:  No Cancellation, Refund, or Exchange

Once payment is made, all fees are final. This includes the boat fee, dive-guide fee, and equipment-rental fee. No paid fee may be cancelled or refunded, and no paid fee may be exchanged for another date, trip, course, product, gift card, store credit, or account credit, except as expressly provided in Section 6 for a weather or vessel cancellation.

• A participant may not cancel the boat space because of scheduling, transportation, travel documents, seasickness, health, equipment, certification, or physician-clearance issues;
• Late arrival, absence, failure to board, inability to enter the water, or voluntarily missing one or more dives does not create a right to a refund or exchange;
• A boat space may not be transferred without the written consent of Rui Diving Centre and the vessel owner;
• Dive-guide and equipment-rental fees are also final and remain non-refundable and non-exchangeable if the participant cancels, arrives late, does not board, does not dive, or does not use some or all of the reserved services.

6. Weather, Vessel Conditions, and Trip Changes

Boat diving is affected by weather, wind, waves, visibility, water temperature, current, port or site access, vessel mechanical condition, and other uncontrollable factors. The captain makes the vessel-safety decision, and an instructor or divemaster may impose stricter limits.

For safety or operational reasons, Rui Diving Centre, the vessel operator, or the captain may:

• Change the meeting time, departure time, vessel, dive site, dive order, or planned depth;

• Reduce, delay, end, or cancel one or more dives;

• Move the activity to another date or provide another treatment permitted by the vessel owner’s rules;

• Require a participant to remain aboard or end further diving after diving has begun.

If weather prevents the vessel from departing, the paid boat fee will be handled strictly in accordance with the vessel owner’s requirements. The vessel owner will decide whether the amount becomes a credit for future boat diving or is returned to the original payment method. The participant may not choose the treatment.

The treatment of dive-guide and equipment-rental fees following a weather cancellation depends on whether the service was provided and on Rui Diving Centre’s written notice. Except where mandatory law provides otherwise, Rui Diving Centre is not responsible for transportation, lodging, lost income, or other indirect expenses.

7. Meeting Time, Late Arrival, and No-Show

Participants must arrive at the notified place and time with enough time to complete paperwork, move equipment, and attend the safety briefing. The vessel is not guaranteed to delay departure for an individual participant.

• Late arrival, failure to board on time, or absence is normally treated as voluntary forfeiture of the day’s activity;

• Failure to board or dive because certification, identification, medical documents, equipment, or payment are incomplete is treated as a no-show;

• Late arrival or absence does not create a right to cancel, refund, or exchange the boat fee.

8. Equipment, Cylinders, and Personal Property

Participants must bring complete, properly maintained equipment suitable for the planned diving and local environment. Equipment is subject to reasonable inspection by an instructor, divemaster, or crew member.

• Participants must confirm whether cylinders, gas, weights, BCD, regulator, exposure protection, dive computer, and required surface-signalling devices are included in the booking;

• Cylinder and regulator connection, gas analysis, maximum working pressure, and labels must meet vessel and dive-site requirements;

• A participant using enriched air or another special gas must hold the appropriate qualification and personally analyze, confirm, and record the gas;

• Equipment must be secured and stored as directed, and passages, ladders, and boarding areas must remain clear;

• Unsafe, incomplete, leaking, damaged, or unsuitable equipment may be refused.

Participants are responsible for phones, cameras, documents, and other personal property. Except for liability that cannot be excluded by mandatory law, Rui Diving Centre is not responsible for loss, water damage, or other damage.

9. Buddy System and Dive Planning

Except for expressly confirmed training or professional service, boat diving is conducted under the buddy system. Participants must remain with the assigned buddy and jointly plan and execute the dive.

• Attend every safety briefing and follow directions from the captain, instructor, divemaster, and crew;

• Complete a buddy check and confirm entry, meeting, return, and lost-buddy procedures before entering the water;

• Follow the planned maximum depth, time, gas limits, decompression limits, ascent rate, and safety-stop requirements;

• Use an appropriate dive computer throughout the dive and monitor gas, depth, time, buoyancy, and no-decompression limits;

• If separated from the buddy, follow the briefed lost-buddy procedure and do not continue alone;

• A diver may cancel or end a dive at any time for personal safety and must promptly notify the buddy and staff.

10. Dive Limits and Safety Decisions

All dives must remain within the participant’s certification, experience, the day’s briefing, and applicable training standards. Unless expressly arranged, planned decompression diving, wreck or cave penetration, solo diving, collecting, or another activity beyond recreational boat diving is prohibited.

An instructor, divemaster, captain, or crew member may require a participant to change the plan, ascend early, skip a later dive, or end the activity because of weather, current, gas, dive-computer status, equipment, conduct, or another safety factor. Such directions must be followed immediately.

11. Seasickness, Food, and Conduct Aboard

• A participant prone to seasickness should consult a qualified medical professional in advance and arrange appropriate personal precautions;
• Medication must be used as directed by a physician or its label, and the participant must confirm that it will not impair diving safety;
• Participants should bring sufficient drinking water and suitable food and follow vessel rules on food, smoking, and waste;
• Passages, access points, and emergency equipment must remain clear, and conduct that endangers any person is prohibited;
• Missing a dive because of seasickness, fatigue, cold, or personal discomfort normally does not justify a refund.

12. Marine Environment and Dive-Site Rules

Participants must comply with local law, protected-area rules, and low-impact diving practices.

• Maintain proper buoyancy and do not touch, stand on, chase, feed, or harass marine life;
• Do not remove organisms, artifacts, wreck components, or other natural or historical property without authorization;
• Do not discard garbage, chemicals, or pollutants into the water or on the vessel;
• Comply with site restrictions concerning gloves, collecting, anchoring, photography lights, or other equipment.

13. Emergencies, Insurance, and Related Costs

Diving and vessel activities involve inherent risks. Participants should maintain insurance suitable for diving, vessel activities, travel, medical care, search and rescue, and emergency evacuation.

• In an emergency, participants must follow directions from the captain, crew, instructor, divemaster, and rescue personnel;
• Rui Diving Centre may contact the emergency contact and assist with medical, search-and-rescue, or evacuation arrangements when reasonably necessary;
• Except where mandatory law or insurance provides otherwise, the participant is responsible for medical, search-and-rescue, transportation, evacuation, lodging, equipment-recovery, and other emergency costs.

14. Conduct and Refusal of Participation

Participants must respect other divers, crew, staff, and the public. A person who harasses or threatens others, acts dangerously, intentionally disobeys safety directions, or disrupts the activity may be refused boarding or diving or may have participation ended.

A person refused or removed for violating this Policy, vessel rules, or reasonable safety directions normally receives no refund and may be responsible for resulting loss or expense.

15. Acceptance of Policy

By registering, paying, boarding, or participating, the participant confirms that they have read, understood, and agreed to this Policy, the trip confirmation, vessel rules, and on-site safety briefing.

Rui Diving Centre may reasonably update this Policy. The version provided or published at booking ordinarily applies, except where safety or mandatory law requires an immediate change.

Document control: Before publication, add the effective date, version number, and the boat, dive-guide, and equipment-rental fee schedule.