Curated Dive Trips — Terms & Reservation Policy
These terms explain how iDive curated group expeditions work — how you reserve a slot, when (and whether) you pay, the 100-day lock-in, the minimum-headcount guarantee, and what happens if a trip is cancelled or disrupted. Please read them before reserving.
1. What a reservation is
Each curated expedition has a fixed number of slots and a published minimum number of divers required for the trip to run (the “guarantee line”). When you reserve, you join the list for that expedition and authorise iDive to contact you to verify your certification and confirm the trip. No money is collected at the point of reservation.
2. Deposits and payment
Each expedition shows an indicative trip price and a 20% reservation amount. During this launch phase, the 20% is shown for transparency and is not charged at reservation; a iDive dive pro will confirm the payment schedule with you once the trip is verified and on track to be guaranteed. When the secured-escrow payment facility goes live, the 20% reservation will be held in a regulated escrow / nodal account and released to the end-supplier only when the trip is confirmed — it will not be pooled into iDive’s general operating account.
3. The 100-day lock-in
Each trip has a lock-in deadline set at 100 days before departure. This is the point by which the group must reach its guarantee line for the expedition to be secured with the end-supplier (the liveaboard operator or resort). The live countdown on each trip page shows the time remaining.
- If the guarantee line is reached: the expedition is confirmed, supplier blocks are secured, and confirmed divers are invited to settle the remaining balance on the published schedule.
- If the guarantee line is not reached: the expedition is cancelled. Any amount you have paid towards it is refunded in full to your original payment method, with no platform fee or deduction.
4. No-drop-out lock-in clause
Once a trip is confirmed at the 100-day mark and you elect to proceed, your committed amount becomes non-refundable, because we secure non-refundable blocks with the end-supplier on the strength of the confirmed group. If you can no longer travel, your only option is to transfer your slot to another qualified diver of the same certification level (see §6). iDive will help facilitate the transfer but cannot refund a confirmed, committed slot.
5. Force-majeure buffer
If an expedition is confirmed but is later disrupted by an event outside anyone’s reasonable control — for example a natural disaster, volcanic ash grounding flights, a cyclone, civil disruption, epidemic measures or a supplier’s operational failure — the treatment of your funds and any rebooking or refund is governed by the master booking, insurance and cancellation terms of the end-supplier (the liveaboard operator or resort), not by iDive as the technology and coordination platform. We will pass through whatever protection the supplier and your travel/dive insurance provide, and assist you in claiming it. This is why comprehensive travel and dive insurance is required for every international expedition.
6. Slot transfers
A confirmed slot may be transferred to another diver who meets the same certification and experience requirements for that expedition, subject to the end-supplier’s name-change rules and any fee they levy. Contact iDive to arrange a transfer; the incoming diver must complete eligibility verification before the transfer is finalised.
7. Eligibility and certification verification
Each expedition lists the minimum certification and experience required. You self-declare that you meet these requirements when you reserve. iDive verifies your certification before confirming your slot (for example by reviewing your certification card and logbook over WhatsApp). If you do not meet the requirements, your reservation will not be confirmed; we’ll instead help you build the necessary experience — including courses and fun dives at our Goa centre — so you can qualify for a future expedition. Diving carries inherent risks; you remain responsible for diving within your training, certification and personal limits, and for following the dive professionals’ briefings on the trip.
8. Pricing, inclusions and surcharges
Trip prices are indicative “from” per-person figures and exclude, unless stated, international flights, visas, government and marine-park fees, equipment rental, gratuities and travel/dive insurance. Final pricing is confirmed in writing before you commit any balance. Prices may be affected by currency movement, fuel surcharges or supplier changes; any material change will be communicated before you are asked to pay.
9. Who you are contracting with
iDive curated expeditions are operated and coordinated by iDive Ventures Private Limited (“iDive”) as an aggregator and travel coordinator. The in-water diving services are delivered by certified end-suppliers (liveaboard operators and resorts). iDive is the only brand presented to you; supplier relationships are managed on your behalf.