Terms & Conditions

Reservation Policy:

• A reservation is valid only after an official booking was done, and after having received our invoice for prepayment.
• A booking is confirmed only upon receiving prepayment of 25% of the charter rate
• Full payment is due latest 30 days before embarkation

Confirmation of sailing for safaris with individual bookings always depend on reaching the required minimum number of paying guests, as stated on the price lists.
Cancellation Policy:                                                                                                                       

All cancellations must be made in writing to contact@seaqueens.com and must be reconfirmed by reply from Sea Queen office

Cancellation fees are as follows:

• 10% of charter rate due for cancellation at or up to 12 weeks before embarkation date
• 25% of charter rate due for cancellation at or up to 08 weeks before embarkation date
• 50% of charter rate due for cancellation at or up to 06 weeks before embarkation date
• 75% of charter rate due for cancellation at or up to 03 weeks before embarkation date
• 100% charter rate due for cancellation at or up to 02 weeks before embarkation date

Note: the above percentages are of total booking cost, not on deposits received.

If your country’s Foreign Office issues a travel warning and advises against travel to a specific destination we will change or cancel your booking free of charge.

 

Force Majeure:

In case of a last minute cancellation of a safari due to Force Majeure circumstances, Sea Queen will refund the charter rate after subtracting costs incurred; the above cancellation fees do not apply.

Supplement clause:

We reserve the right to charge an additional supplement, if the general price for fuel or catering in Egypt does increase significantly, due to cuts of subsidies or taxes or other reasons.

 

• A CHARTER week includes 8 days and 7 nights. Embarkation is at or after 18h00 (6 PM) before dinner and disembarkation latest at 08h00 (8 AM) after breakfast.
• Cabin Occupancy:
  All individual rates are for accommodation in double cabins, single cabins might be available against an additional cost, depending on the booking situation. Without pre-booking and paying for a single cabin, individual guests might have to share the cabin with a person of the same sex, assigned by the booking department.
• Accommodation in the 7th night might be on board of the dive boat or in a hotel (min. 3*, on HB meal plan, no extras included), depending on following bookings.
• Nitrox is available upon pre-booking and against extra payment.
• Itineraries/choice of dive sites are depending on weather and sea conditions, and on the experience of participating divers. Any route may be altered due to sea or weather conditions or mechanical problems, although Sea Queen will go out of its way to ensure that this does NOT happen. A route might also be altered based on the diving abilities and experience of divers on board at the discretion of the responsible dive guide of the trip.
  In the unfortunate event that dives are missed or itineraries must be changed due to weather conditions, divers conditions or other unforeseeable changes, no refund or compensation can be granted.
  National or Marine Park and Coast Guard fees are non-refundable in any case, once the permission is done.
  All routes are subject to official approval (coast guard, marine police).
• We strongly recommend a minimum of 20 logged dives for the Best of Sinai/Classic Sinai itinerary and min. 25 dives for the Wreck Route.
  Divers can be excluded from certain dives, or the trip itinerary can be altered, due to non-sufficient experience of divers, at the discretion of the responsible dive guide of the trip.
  Guests who have not been diving for 1 year or longer should complete a scuba-review signed in their logbook before the trip.
  Diving activities can be restricted if the responsible dive guide has any doubt about diver’s qualification, safety or ability to cope with the situation at hand.

• Each diver must provide upon arrival:
  • Valid passport with a full (!)Egyptian visa (often called “Cairo Visa”)
  • Diving license (card or digital) and logbook
  • A medical clearance form/ medical statement, which certifies the state of being “Fit to Dive”
  • Proof of a valid diving insurance (not mandatory by law but highly recommended!)
• All divers are required to show valid certification, a logbook and a signed medical statement and fill in a liability release form prior to the boat’s departure.
• If any doubt about the medical statement, the client must arrange medical clearance by a medical doctor before embarkation. Sea Queen Fleet is not responsible if anybody cannot dive during the safari, due to doubts about his/her medical condition or being “Fit to Dive”.
• All divers should hold a valid diving insurance, with all details per person (translated in English by your insurance company if not already) stating the start and ending date of insurance coverage, with the exact diving related subjects covered by the police. However, such a insurance is not mandatory, just highly recommended! Divers without proof of insurance must sign a waiver.
  As Egyptian company Sea Queen comes under Egyptian law. There is no third-party liability insurance of European standard available in Egypt, which is why we strongly recommend holding sufficient and adequate personal accident, medical and travel insurance to cover all diving and non-diving risks involved with a boat trip.
• Guests that have not been diving for more than 1 year before check-in should complete a scuba review or refresher course signed in their logbook.
  Diving activities can be restricted if the guide has any doubts about diver’s safety and/or qualifications.
• LIABILITY RELEASE: All divers are required to sign a completed registration form/waiver prior to commencing diving activities.  Students are also required to fill in an additional PADI liability release. Forms can be seen and downloaded on the following link: http://www.seaqueenfleet.com/downloads
• Names and passport numbers must be sent min. 10 days before departure, or Sea Queen cannot guarantee putting the boat out to sea on time.
• All required details to book the airport transfer must be sent a minimum of 10 days before arrival or Sea Queen cannot be held responsible for punctual airport transfers.
• Diving:
  • Our dive guide will present a detailed and comprehensive dive briefing for each dive site visited. The participation at the dive site briefings is mandatory for any person who want to do that dive.
  • All divers are required to dive in a buddy team; for single divers a buddy will be allocated on board. The maximum depth for diving in the Red Sea is 40 meters unless you are a qualified Technical diver with an equally qualified buddy, and unless a diver specifically booked a “TECHNICAL SAFARI”. However, the individual maximum diving depth will be always dependent on the level of training and experience of each diver.
  • On a normal charter booking technical dives are NOT allowed.
  • Decompression dives are not permitted during recreational diving safaris.
  • Solo diving is strictly prohibited.
  • Sea Queen’s dive guides are the only responsible guides on board, only they can decide, whether, where and how sites are safe to dive, and only they can decide, whether individual divers can join certain or all dives or not, out of safety considerations.
    The decisions of Sea Queen’s dive guides regarding dive plans, dive participation and dive conduction are binding for all divers on board, their instructions must be followed always.
    Sea Queen’s guides will go out of their way to make a safari exiting and fun for everybody. If requested, they will allow independent dives as much as possible, if they can be done within the normal safari and boat schedule AND within all safety considerations, and pending sea, weather and all other relevant considerations.
  • Maximum 4 dives per day are offered during any safari, of which maximum three dives are conducted during the day, and only one dive might be done as night dive. On the last day of each safari there is no night dive, and maximum 2 day-dives (or less pending No-flight times. After daily consecutive diving during the safari, the last dive must be finished latest until 24 hours before flying.
    All the above numbers are the maximum numbers; there might be days with less than 3 dives, and there might be days without night dives. The responsible dive guide on board can restrict the amount of dives on a certain day out of safety considerations or for other important reasons, for example due to National Park restrictions (e.g. night dives are not allowed inside the Marine Parks), timing, weather conditions, diver’s level/abilities, flight or disembarkation times.
  • Courses are available onboard to increase your training, pending routes and availability and should be booked in advance, if possible.
  • All our tanks have DIN fittings and International adapters are provided onboard.
    The boats have ample storage space for your equipment and there is a spare box on board. Please note that spare equipment is limited. For your own equipment please make sure it is well maintained and bring some essential basic spare parts for the brand used (e.g. O-rings, mask + fin straps…)
• Safety Equipment:
  • Each diver must use a PERSONAL dive computer with every dive!
  • Each diver is advised to carry a Surface Marker Buoy. (On night dives EVERY diver must carry at least on torch!)
    At least on SMB per buddy team is mandatory for any buddy teams, which do not dive under DIRECT supervision of the dive guide.

• Boat Changes: In the unlikely event that we, Sea Queen Fleet, must change the boat which has been booked -for reasons beyond our control- we aim to provide a boat of the same standard.
• Please note that diving after the consumption of alcohol is not allowed; divers should drink beer etc. only in the evening after the last dive, and also then only in moderation for those divers, who want to join the morning dive. Our dive guides are instructed to expel a diver from the morning dive, if there is the possibility of him/her being under the influence of alcohol from heavy drinking in the evening or night before.
  Note that our compulsory Boat Accident Insurance does not cover any accidents, which occur under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
• Nitrox is subject to availability and availability is not guaranteed. In case of technical problems refunds will be done only for the amount prepaid for Nitrox, no refund will be given on the charter price.
• Boat and dive crew tips are not included in the invoice. Please see recommendations further below.
• Itineraries:
  All Liveaboards itineraries are subject to sea & weather conditions and upon receiving permission of the Egyptian Marine authorities.
  .
  Sea Queen Fleet will always make every effort to keep to the agreed itinerary, however we cannot always guarantee neither diving at specific sites nor the scheduled days. Pending sea and weather conditions the guides and captain of the boat will have the final decision, as to which dive sites are suitable to ensure that the safety of guests, staff or boat are never compromised in any way.
  The dive guides can also exclude certain persons from a dive, if they feel that the weather/sea conditions and/or  the diving abilities and experience of those divers are not sufficient for the given conditions.
  In the unfortunate event that dives are missed or dive sites not reached, Sea Queen Fleet will not offer a refund or compensation.
  .
  Please note that all itineraries from/to DAHAB are strictly subject to Sea Queen Fleet obtaining security clearance and marine police permission to operate the entire length of the route!
• The staff of Sea Queen fleet will make every effort to ensure safe diving holidays for all our guests; however, we urgently recommend a valid accident and medical insurance for all eventualities from every client. Baggage and term cancellation insurance is also recommended, just in case of unexpected problems before or during the journey.
• National Park Rules: National and Marine Park rules must strictly be obeyed. Any kind of fishing is strictly forbidden during a safari, regardless of the route.
• Children: No children under the age of 4 will be allowed on the boat. Children over the age of 4 years and up to 15 years must be supervised by a at least one parent or designated responsible adult AT ALL TIMES.

• In case our boats are not available for some reason (e.g. malfunctioning) we reserve the right to supply another boat with similar standard, depending on availability at that time. In the very worst case, if no other adequate boat is available, Sea Queen will provide hotel accommodation and daily diving.

 

• It is possible that accommodation for the first or the last night of a safari can be in a hotel and on ‘Half Board’ base, depending on the booking situation.

• To enter Egypt a visa is required, which one can either buy at the airport upon arrival (NOT for all nationalities!), or one must get it from the Egyptian embassy in the home country. If you want to buy your visa on arrival in the airport, please note that you must pay for it in cash, currently US$ 25 for most nationalities (update August 2017). Please have the exact amount of money handy, preferably in Dollars, as change is often not available; this will assist you in getting through immigration as quickly as possible. Stick the visa stamp inside your passport on an empty page before you proceed through Immigration Control.  For more information about Egyptian visa application procedures, including the price, please contact your local Embassy.
  If your transfers are booked by Sea Queen Fleet, we will try to provide not just the transfer, but also ‘Help & Assistance’ by an travel agent inside the airport.
• IMPORTANT note for trips out of Sharm el Sheikh: A full Egyptian visa is required, the so-called Sinai Only visa is NOT sufficient!  (If in doubt, ask for a “CAIRO visa” at the airport).  The price for the full visa at the airport in SSH is currently US$ 25 (update 08-2017).
• Divers must ensure to leave a minimum of 24 hours between their last dive and their flight departure or going to altitude.
• We highly recommend the use of a personal dive computer during any dive; also every diver should carry a Surface Marker Buoy and a torch. At least one person in each buddy team must carry a computer and an Surface Marker Buoy.
• With a booking on a Sea Queen boat most services are included, however there might be a few extras to be paid in cash upon arrival:

Park and Jetty Fees:

Marine & National Park Fees and Coast Guard & Jetty fees are not included in the charter rate, see rates below.

National and Marine Park Fees (prices are governmental fees and might be subject to change)
Ras Mohamed National Park (as of 15.01.2022) – € 70 per person per week
Coast Guard & Jetty Fees (as of 01.07.2024) – € 20 per person per trip

These fees are payable locally for government permits which are required for divers and non-divers.  Payment for government fees are NOT REFUNDABLE under any circumstances.

Accepted forms of payment on board:  Euro, EGP, US Dollar, only cash payment.

• Tipping
  Boat and dive crew tips are not mandatory but most welcome. Remember dive guides and crew are 24 hours on board for their guests, working hard. (We recommend a tip of min. €15-€20 per diver per safari-day for crew and dive guides.)
• Food & Drink:
  The meals onboard are usually buffet style with a variety of meat, chicken, fish, pasta, rice and vegetable dishes, plus a choice of salads. In the afternoon cookies or cake are served, biscuits and fruits are available 24 hours.
  We cater for all different preferences; please inform us prior to arrival about any special dietary requests, such as vegetarian, or about allergies.
  Mineral water, soft drinks, tea and Nescafe are complimentary and available 24 hours. Espresso coffee is available against extra payment.
• Alcohol
  Drinking alcohol is allowed on board, however in moderation please.
  It is forbidden for all our divers to drink alcohol during the day, as long as dives are still planned; only after the last dive of the day moderate drinking can be accepted. Please note that we have and use the rights – with regards to international standards – to prevent any client from participating in diving activities, if he/she is considered a risk for him/herself or for the rest of the group.
  These rules follow the ISO standards and recommendations by diving insurances and diving medical doctors.
  Following the EUF regulations our dive guides will be held responsible if any dive or boat accident should occur, because a diver was not fit to dive due to alcohol influence. Therefore the dive guide has the right to restrict anybody from diving, if he/she is drinking any alcohol before diving. (It is very difficult to estimate, which person can tolerate which amount of drink, therefore we must put straight rules for everybody.) Also, please note also that our boat accident insurance does not pay in cases of accidents happening due to the influence of drug or alcohol consumption!
• Smoking
  Smoking is strictly forbidden in all cabins and the aisles (severe fire risk!), and, out of courtesy for other divers, also in the salon and dining room. Shisha (water pipes) are not allowed on board (fire risk + burning coal destroying the deck). Please do not toss cigarette butts into the sea!
• Boating attitude
  On a liveaboard safari different individuals stay together on a limited space for a longer period, some or all of them without knowing each other. This requires a certain care and politeness from everybody, staff and clients. Anti-social or aggressive behavior will not be tolerated and individuals who cause a disturbance to other guests may be removed from the boat.
• Entertainment
  By default the nightly entertainment on a liveaboard is limited, ranging from night dives to watching films or simply relaxing on the sundeck while watching the night sky. Clients are welcome to bring favorite music or movies on board to watch and share; all Sea Queen vessels have a sound system, DVD player and Flat Screen TVs with USB connection.
• Electronic devises
  Please take care when charging electronic devises, as laptops, smart phones, torches, etc. Often the charger and/or the devise get very hot and can pose a severe fire risk, especially when placed on the mattresses in the cabins or the upholstery or cushions in the salon, as e.g. laptops overheat when put on a soft surface.
  Never leave a charging devise unattended in your cabin! Preferably charge all devises in the salon, where you find a lot of sockets; torches can also be charged in the ‘pigeon holes’ on the dive deck.
• WiFi
  We do not have WiFi on board, so if divers want to be online while on safari, we recommend to buy a SIM card at the airport (the best network coverage at sea is with Vodafone). But please be aware that several dives sites of our route are outside any network coverage, or have just a very weak signal.
• Air-conditioning
  South Moon is equipped to provide 24h air-conditioning in cabins or the salon. During the day and during tank filling time it is normally restricted to either cabins or salon. But please note that efficiency may vary at times; there might be unexpected conditions, which can restrict power availability, so we cannot guarantee cooling around the clock. However, under normal circumstances full air-conditioning can be supplied during the whole trip.
• Linen service:
  We provide every guest with a face and a shower towel for each trip. Out of environmental concerns we change towels only once during a one-week safari, but you can request more changes, also of bed linen, if you want!
  The housekeeping crew will clean the cabins daily, generally after the first or second dive.  If you require any additional cleaning or if you have a complain, please tell it dive guide, who will try to solve the problem ASAP.
  We advise to bring a personal ‘beach’ towel to use for the dive and sun deck.
• Transfers:
  Depending on your booking agent, airport transfers might be included in our service, if all flight details are given to us min. 3 weeks in advance.
  If Sea Queen transfers are included in your package, you will be met at the exit door or inside the arrival hall of your final airport in Egypt by a travel agent, holding a sign “SOUTH MOON”.

Estimated transfer times:

• Airport SSH to port Sharm el Sheikh: 30 min (15 km)