We hate this part too. We really want you to come and have a great time diving with us. We do understand though that unforeseen things happen and sometimes plans must be changed. With that in mind, here is our cancellation policy and some helpful hints for travel and boat diving.
When you make your reservations, we will ask you for your credit card number as a guarantee for your spaces and dates. Once you have guaranteed your spots, you will be responsible for payment unless you give us a full 48 hours notice for changes to or cancellations of your reservations. This means you need to notify us at least 2 days prior to your booked activity if you need to cancel or change your reservation. Your business is very important to us and we will be sad to not have you with us for your dives but we will be even sadder if we cannot refill the spaces you have left in our schedule. With 48 hours, you are giving us a reasonable amount of time for that. If you know even earlier than that, please let us know. More time is even better for us but remember…48 hours is the minimum for a full refund of your $$. If you give us less notice but we still manage to refill your space then we won’t charge you. And yes, we will be truthful about that.
Some of the things that you might consider when you prepare for your dives with us:
Sea sickness is a bummer. It makes your day miserable and we all feel bad for you. If you even suspect that you might suffer from the “mal-de-mar” please take medication, get patches, use sea bands, bring ginger, drink ginger tea, whatever it might take to keep you happy and able to enjoy your day on the water DO IT. I guarantee you won’t regret being prepared. If you want to take medication, try less drowsy formulas and make sure you take them the night before and the morning of your boat trip. Your MD can help your decide what is best for you and your situation.
We understand that sometimes our guests aren’t feeling well on the morning of their dives. Hopefully you will still be able to join us and we will do our very best to keep you comfortable during your trip. Try to be careful about what you eat and drink prior to your boat trip. Super spicy or back alley BBQ might be best left to the day after diving…not the day before. Go easy on those mai tai’s and remember to stay hydrated and get a good nights sleep prior to your dives. Celebrate after diving but take it easy the night before.
Colds and flu are a divers worst fear when it comes to travel. I can remember going to the doctor before my dive trips and begging for any super-duper cold pill that she could send me away with. I hated the thought of waiting all year for my vacation and then getting sick on the flight to my dive trip. If you find yourself fighting the flu or a bad cold, call us when you get in, let us know that you are unsure about your recovery and that you might need to cancel or postpone to a later date. We can always start a wait list so another diver could be ready in case you aren’t feeling good enough to make your dives.
Yes, you can still dive when you are having your period. No, it doesn’t attract sharks. Just let Patrice or any crew member know that you might need a trip in to the harbor between dives. We will discretely accommodate that and no one will even know . Same goes for those miserable times when your digestive tract just won’t listen to reason and scheduling. Hey, we have all been there and completely understand.
Immodium, Bonine, Sudafed, Affrin, Scopolamine, Tagamet, Tums, Pepto Bismal, Robotussin and extra strength Tylenol all have made their way into my travel bag at one time or another.
Give your gear a once over before you head to the boat for your day of diving. It helps to be prepared for those little things that might need to be checked and replaced before your dives. We have a lot of save a dive stuff on board but we don’t have everything. For instance I have AAA – D batteries on board but not computer batteries If we don’t have what you need you might have to really get creative (I do have Ducktape!). It never hurts to make sure your batteries are changed/charged and all your gear is present and accounted for. Scrub out those masks if they have been sitting for a year in your bag or if they got foggy on you at your last snorkel/dive day. Toothpaste, or that gritty orange hand cleaner both work really well.
Please try to be on time. It's even ok to be a little early. If you get lost, give us a call. We meet in a parking lot so we don't have a GPS or cross streets for you. Sorry about that. We sure can talk you in though. Just call us. The phone is with us on the boat. 808 334-1750
These are just a few of my musings, the little things that over the years have come up enough times to warrant a mention. If you can think of anything else you would like to see in the ETC. pages let me know. I would love to hear your great stories and diving adventures.
For now, aloha, happy travels and hopefully you will have a wonderful dive trip! Patrice