Policies

 

Blue XT ~ Sea Diving
Terms and Conditions

 

Deposit & Booking Procedures:

For multi-day packages, a deposit of 25% or a $100pp minimum is required to secure your reservations (or as indicated on your invoice).

For one day divers, a deposit of 50% or $50 per person minimum is required to secure your reservation.

Once your deposit and written confirmation are received, you will be notified via email, with a formal confirmation from us that your reservation is set.   Please understand that we cannot hold spaces indefinitely without a deposit, so until your deposit is received we cannot guarantee your reservation.

All dives are confirmed for the morning dives unless otherwise stated.

Deposits can be made with any major credit card via paypal by clicking the paypal link on our home page.  No paypal account is required.   Personal checks (drawn on a US bank) are also accepted at our US address.  Mailing address will be provided upon request.

All packages with Blue XT~Sea include:

  • Tanks, weights (Nitrox available at additional cost, proof of EAN certification required)
  • Purified bottled water, juice and light homemade snacks
  • Fresh water camera rinse on board (upon request)
  • Dry towels and Rain/wind parkas
  • In-water divemaster
  • Fully Covered boats (Bandida II has a full canopy as of May 2009)
  • Dry storage on the boat
  • Hotel pier pick-up (downtown pier and all hotel piers south of town)
  • Complimentary valet gear service includes rinsing and storage each day (except wetsuits)
  • Computer diving (bottom times are based on individual air consumption and computer allowances)
  • Fast boats, maximum 6 divers (larger groups can be accommodated upon request)
  • Divers are grouped by experience levels to the best of our ability
  • Long, relaxing surface intervals at the beach
  • Personal service from myself and my team
  • Flexible scheduling (when possible)
  • No additional charge for Columbia, Maracaibo, or northern reefs with a minimum of 4 divers (based on experience levels and conditions)
  • Boats are equipped with DAN O2, first aid kit, cell phone, and international marine band VHF radio

Nitrox is available for $11 per fill (32% or 36%), and we also have a limited number of AL 100’s available for heavier breathers at $5 per tank.

Equipment rental is available for $20 per set per day, although having your own personal equipment (mask, fins, snorkel, wetsuit)  is highly encouraged and recommended.

Check-In Procedures:

We request that all divers call our local office number upon arrival to the island to check-in.  At that point, we will coordinate a meeting time for us to come meet you at your hotel, condo, villa or the pier to complete paperwork and pick-up your gear if needed.  We will also confirm your pick-up time for your first scheduled dive day.

The local office telephone number is 

869-8574

Payment of Final Balance:

Final balance is requested on or before check-in for all reserved and confirmed dives.  Any add-ons or extras can be taken care of at the end of your dive week with us.  We accept the following payment methods.

  1. Cash – USD or MX pesos
  2. Personal check - We can accept a personal check for your balance if mailed to our USaddress and received no later than five business days prior to your arrival.   (address provided upon request)  We can only accept checks in Mexico if drawn on a MX bank and made payable in equivalent pesos (based on current exchange rate).
  3.  Direct Bank Deposit – You may make a direct deposit to either our US bank account (Bank of America) or our MX Bank account (HSBC).  Account information will be provided upon request.
  4.  Master Card/Visa - This payment method is offered as a convenience to those who prefer not to bring cash or to use the ATMs; however, we must charge your card in MX Pesos.  The exchange rate for credit card transactions varies based on exchange rate fluctuations.  Charges will be converted based on the current FOREX rate on the day of payment.

***Paypal is ONLY accepted for deposits to secure your reservation.  We can no longer  accept paypal for full or final payment.

New Divers and Junior Divers:

We reserve the right to require a private divemaster for the first day (and subsequent days if necessary) OR a refresher dive with an instructor at the diver’s expense if:

  • A diver has not made a dive in more than 18 months
  • a new diver with less than 10 ocean drift dives
  • a nervous diver needing special attention
  • a diver cannot maintain a safety stop at 15ft on his/her own without assistance

Per local marine park regulations, all dives must be guided by a local divemaster or instructor and the dive groups must stay together at all times. The depth limitations for Junior divers under the age of 15 cannot be imposed on the entire group, therefore a private divemaster is required for Junior Divers (12 to 14 years old) at the divers expense.  Again, we stress that this policy is for the safety and enjoyment of all divers on board.  Exceptions to this may be made if your group fills the boat (5 to 6 divers) and agrees to a 60 foot maximum depth or if the diver holds a Junior advanced open water certification.

A private Divemaster for those requesting one or for those who are required to have one per our policies is $50 for a two-tank dive (for up to four divers per DM). This fee simply covers the additional expenses for the private divemaster.

Hyperbaric Chamber and Dive Insurance:

We strongly recommend scuba diving insurance such as Divers Alert Network (DAN)   www.diversalertnetwork.org

This insurance should be secured before your arrival in Cozumel.  Click here to sign up for DAN now: http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/join/index.asp?RC=1846727

Blue XT~Sea is a member of the Meditur Hyperbaric Chamber, located on Calle 6 North at the San Miguel Clinic.  The hyperbaric/diving physician is Dr. Pascual Piccolo.

Blue XT~Sea Cancellation Policy

We realize and understand that you are here on vacation, and want to relax and enjoy yourself.  Since we work on a reservations basis, your spots on the boat have been blocked and reserved for weeks or months leaving those spaces unavailable for us to sell to other guests.  We go to special lengths and expense to have the boat, equipment and crew ready for your dive experience, and therefore we must enforce a firm cancellation policy.   We recommend purchasing travel insurance to cover you in the case of illness during your trip.

Individuals: If a cancellation is made:

  • A full refund (less 5% service fee) will be made for cancellations received 30 days prior to arrival
  • 29 days or less prior to arrival, no deposit refund is available

Groups, full boat bookings (6 divers or more), or private boat bookings, if a cancellation is made:

  • A full refund (less 5% service fee) will be made for cancellations received 45 days prior to arrival
  • 45 - 30 days prior to arrival, 50% of the deposit is forfeited
  • 29 days or less prior to arrival, no deposit refund is available

Canceling Individual Dives once on the island:

  • Blue XT~Sea is not responsible for any dives canceled by the customer (ie: illness, seasickness, inability to equalize, ear problems, fear, hangovers, etc.)
  • All cancellations must be received no later than 5:00 p.m. on the day before your scheduled dive by calling 869-8574. A refund will only be issued, if the space can be filled.  Any cancellations made after 5:00pm the day before the scheduled dive are not eligible for a refund.
  • Changes to your confirmed schedule can only be accommodated provided that your space can be filled and we have availability on the day you wish to reschedule.  Once you reserve space on a specific day, that space is yours and cannot be sold to another diver.  This primarily applies to the morning schedule which stays very full.
  • No refunds will be issued the morning of your scheduled dive should you decide to cancel at the last minute and/or no-show for whatever reason, no exceptions. (*If traveling by cruise ship and your ship does not make it into port, of course you will not be charged and will receive a refund of your deposit).
  • All trips are scheduled as two tank dives unless otherwise specified.  Therefore, should you decide to only dive one tank for any reason you will be charged for a two tank dive as you are still taking a space on the boat that could be used by another diver.  Blue XT~Sea is not responsible for any dives cancelled by the customer (ie: illness, seasickness, inability to equalize, ear problems, fear, hangovers, etc.)
  • If any dives are canceled due to weather conditions and/or port closure by the Harbor Master, we will offer to reschedule your missed dives (based on availability), issue a dive credit for your next visit, or we will issue a full refund for missed dives due to weather.
  • Blue XT~Sea reserves the right to refuse service to anyone at anytime if divers are deemed to be unsafe, irresponsible, do not to follow the dive plans, disobey marine park regulations, or are otherwise disrespectful to the crew.

Exceptions to these cancellations policies will be made by the dive operator on a case by case basis, if needed.  Thank you for your cooperation and we look forward to diving with you!

Hurricane Policy:

The official Atlantic Hurricane season is June 1 through November 30.  It is HIGHLY recommended that you purchase travel insurance if traveling to Cozumel(or otherCaribbean destinations) during this time frame.

In light of the 2005 hurricane season, we have implemented a specific policy for guests whose trip is interrupted or canceled by a named tropical storm or hurricane.  If your trip is interrupted or canceled as a result of a named tropical storm or hurricane making landfall on Cozumel, you will receive full credit of equal value for all deposits paid - good for 24 months.   Due to the devastating financial impact tour operators face in the aftermath of hurricanes, cash refunds cannot be issued for storm cancellations.

If a portion of your trip is interrupted (harbor closed, evacuation orders, predicted landfall of storm on Cozumel) storm vouchers will be issued for each day missed and paid for.

If your entire vacation is canceled (flights canceled, state of emergency declared, tourism on hold, harbor closed)  in advance due to a storm’s predicted path and landfall on Cozumel as forecast by NOAA, you will receive full credit for the amount paid to return within 24 months from the date of the interrupted trip.