Terms & Conditions – Sea Queens

TERMS & CONDITIONS

Content:

Reservation & Payment Conditions
- Payment Conditions
- Cancellation Conditions
Charter Conditions
Requirements
General Terms
Disclaimer
Useful Information

1 – Reservation and Payment Conditions:

Reservation Policy:

A reservation is not valid until an official booking has been made and our invoice for the advance payment has been received.
A booking is confirmed only upon receiving prepayment of 25% of the charter rate.
Full payment is due no later than 30 days prior to embarkation.

Confirmation of travel for safaris with individual bookings is always subject to reaching the required minimum number of paying guests.

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 lastminute 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 for extra costs, if the general prices for operating the boat and offering safaris do increase significantly, due to cuts of subsidies or a raise of implementation of taxes, or new taxes!

2 – Charter Conditions:

A CHARTER week comprises 8 days and 7 nights. Embarkation is at or after 18.00 h before dinner and disembarkation at the latest at 8.00 h after breakfast.
Cabin Occupancy:
All individual rates are for accommodation in shared double cabins. Single cabins are available at an additional cost, depending on the booking situation (see price lists). Without pre-booking and paying for a single cabin, single guests may have to share the cabin with a person of the same gender 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 the itinerary has to be changed due to weather conditions, diving conditions or other unforeseen changes, no refund or compensation can be given.
Fees for national parks or marine parks are not refundable under any circumstances once the sailing permission has been done (normally 2-3 days before departure).
All routes are subject to official approval (Coast Guard, Maritime 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.
It is at the discretion of the dive guide in charge to exclude divers from certain dives or to change the itinerary if divers do not have sufficient experience.
Guests who have not dived for one year or more should complete a Refresher Dive Course and get it stamped in their logbook before the trip.
Diving activities may be restricted if the dive guide in charge has doubts about the diver’s qualification, safety or ability to handle the situation at hand.

3 – Requirements & Rules on Board:

Each diver must provide upon arrival:
- Valid passport with a full (!) Egyptian visa (often called “Cairo Visa”)
- Diving license and logbook or other proof
- 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 be in possession of a valid diving insurance policy, with full details per person (translated into English by your insurance company if not already done), stating the start and end dates of cover, with the exact diving related issues covered by the policy. However, such insurance is not compulsory, only highly recommended! Divers without proof of insurance will be required to sign a waiver.
As an Egyptian company, Sea Queen is subject to Egyptian law. There is no liability insurance according to European standards in Egypt, which is why we strongly recommend taking out sufficient and adequate accident, health and travel insurance to cover all diving and non-diving risks of 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.seaqueens.com/downloads, or send to you on request via email.
Names, passport numbers and copies of the passport 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 7 days before arrival or Sea Queen cannot be held responsible for punctual airport transfers.
Diving:
- Our dive guide will give a detailed and comprehensive dive briefing before each dive. Attendance at the briefings is compulsory for all persons wishing to do this 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 of each dive will be always dependent on the level of training and experience of each diver, and on local conditions. The dive guide on board is setting the maximum depths for each dive, and his limits have to be followed.
- On a normal charter booking technical dives are NOT allowed.
- Decompression dives are not permitted during recreational diving safaris.
- Solo diving is strictly prohibited.
- The Sea Queen dive guides are the only responsible guides on board, only they can decide if, where and how it is safe to dive, and only they can decide if individual divers can or cannot participate in certain or any dives for safety reasons.
  The decisions of the Sea Queen dive guides regarding dive planning, participation and execution are binding on all divers on board and their instructions must be followed at all times.
  Sea Queen dive guides will out of their way to make a safari exciting and enjoyable for all. If requested, they will allow as much independent diving as possible if it can be done within the normal safari and boat schedule, AND taking into account all safety considerations, and depending on sea, weather and any other relevant considerations.
- During a safari, a maximum of 4 dives per day will be offered, of which a maximum of three dives will be conducted during the day, and only one dive can be conducted as a night dive. There will be no night dive on the last day of each safari and a maximum of 2 day dives (or less) will be offered according to the “No-flight times”. After consecutive daily dives during a safari, the last dive must be completed no later than 24 hours before departure.
  All the above figures are the maximum figures; there may be days with less than 3 dives and there may be days with no night dives. The responsible dive guide on board may limit the number of dives on a particular day for safety or other important reasons, e.g. restrictions in national parks, schedule, weather conditions, level/skill of the diver, flight or disembarkation times.
- Courses are offered on board to enhance your education, subject to itineraries and availability, and should be booked in advance where possible.
- All our tanks have DIN fittings, 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 must carry a Surface Marker Buoy.
- On night dives EVERY diver must carry at least on torch!

4 – General Terms:

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 even then only in moderation for those divers who wish to participate in the morning dive. Our dive guides are instructed to exclude a diver from the morning dive if there is a possibility that he/she is under the influence of alcohol due to heavy drinking 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 to the approval of the Egyptian marine authorities.
Sea Queen Fleet will always make every effort to adhere to the agreed itinerary, however we cannot always guarantee neither diving at specific sites or the scheduled days. Depending on sea and weather conditions, the dive guides and the boat captain have the final decision on which dive sites are suitable so as not to jeopardize the safety of guests, staff and the boat in any way.
The dive guides may also exclude certain persons from a dive if they consider that the weather/sea conditions and/or the diving skills and experience of these 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 be strictly followed. Any kind of fishing is strictly prohibited during a safari, regardless of the route.
Children: Children up to 15 years must be supervised by a at least one parent or designated responsible adult AT ALL TIMES. The Sea Queen crew and the guides cannot be responsible for minors on board.

5 – Disclaimers:

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.

6 – Useful Information:

A visa is required to enter Egypt, which can either be purchased on arrival at the airport (NOT available for all nationalities, in doubt please check!), or via the Egyptian embassy in your home country. If you choose to buy your visa on arrival at the airport, please note that you will need to pay for it in cash, currently US$25 for most nationalities (as of August 2017). Please have the exact amount of money ready, preferably in dollars, as change is often not available; this will help you get through immigration as quickly as possible. Stick the visa stamp in your passport on a blank page before you go through immigration. For more information on the procedures for applying for an Egyptian visa, including the price, contact your local embassy.
If you book your transfers with Sea Queen Fleet, we will try to provide not only the transfer but also “help and assistance” through a travel agent at the airport.
Note for trips out of Sharm el Sheikh: A full Egyptian visa is required, the free so-called “Sinai Only” visa is NOT sufficient! (If in doubt, ask for a “CAIRO visa” at the airport!). The price for the full visa at the airport in SSH is currently US$ 25 (update 08-2017).
Please note that without this visa you will NOT be able to join a liveaboard starting from any port in Sharm el Sheikh. Guests without a visa will not be allowed to get on board, and no refunds can be given!
Divers must ensure to leave a minimum of 24 hours between their last dive and their flight departure or going to altitude.
The use of a personal dive computer is mandatory on every dive, as is the carrying of a surface marker buoy and, for night and wreck dives, a torch.
With a booking on a Sea Queen boat most services are included, however there might be extras to be paid in cash on board:

Park and Jetty Fees:

Marine & National Park Fees are not included in the charter rate. We need to charge:

National and Marine Park Fees
‘Coast Guard & Jetty Fees’ (€50 per person per trip, as of 4.12.2025)These fees for official permits, which are required for divers and non-divers, must be paid in cash on the ship. Payments for official fees will not be refunded under any circumstances. The above prices are subject to change without notice.

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