Last updated 10 September 2026
These terms apply when you book anything with Blue Element Freediving Inc.
— a company incorporated in the Commonwealth of Dominica, operating from Soufrière Bay,
Dominica (“Blue Element”, “we”, “us”). They cover
courses, structured training, private coaching, depth camps, competition entries and
media packages. Booking and paying means you accept them.
1. Booking & payment
All prices are in US dollars and payment is taken by card through Stripe.
We do not see or store your card details.
- A place is only held once payment has cleared. Until then the date, the place or the
competition slot stays open to others.
- Courses, coaching, training and camps are paid in full at booking.
- Competition entries are paid in full at registration and are subject to
the field cap for that event. Fields close when the platform is full.
- Prices are as listed at the time you book. If a price is displayed in error we will tell
you before taking payment and you can cancel for a full refund.
- Unless the listing says otherwise, the fee covers instruction, coaching, safety cover and
the use of Blue Element’s platform and lines. It does not cover
flights, airport transfers, accommodation, food, visas, personal equipment, insurance,
or agency certification fees where those are charged separately.
2. Cancellation & refunds
If you need to cancel, tell us in writing at
blueelementfreediving@gmail.com. The
date we receive your email is the date we use. What you get back depends on how much notice
we have, because a place taken off sale late usually cannot be resold.
Depth camps and multi-day training blocks
| Notice before the start date | Refund |
|---|
| 60 days or more | Full refund, less a $75 administration fee |
| 30–59 days | 50% of the fee |
| Under 30 days | No refund — but your place is transferable (see below) |
Competition entries
| Notice before the entry deadline | Refund |
|---|
| Before the published entry deadline | Full refund, less a $75 administration fee |
| After the entry deadline | No refund — transferable to another athlete with our written approval |
Entries are capped and are usually sold out. Once the deadline passes we have turned other
athletes away and the slot cannot be filled, which is why late cancellations are not
refundable.
Courses, private coaching and single training days
| Notice before the start date | Refund |
|---|
| 14 days or more | Full refund, or reschedule free of charge |
| 7–13 days | 50% of the fee, or reschedule once free of charge |
| Under 7 days, or no-show | No refund |
Transfers
- You can pass your place to someone else at any time, provided they meet the entry
requirements and we approve it in writing. There is no fee for this.
- You can move to another date once, free of charge, with 30 days’ notice for a camp
or 7 days’ notice for a course or coaching day, subject to availability. After that a
move is treated as a cancellation.
Leaving early or missing part of a booking
We cannot refund sessions, days or dives you do not use — including if you leave early, arrive
late, miss a day, or stop for personal or medical reasons. This is what your travel insurance
is for.
How refunds are paid
Refunds go back to the card you paid with, normally within 10 working days of us confirming
them. We cannot refund to a different card or account. Card processing fees are not
recoverable and are deducted where a refund is partial.
Chargebacks
If you think something has gone wrong, contact us first — we would much rather sort it out
directly. Raising a chargeback instead of talking to us does not change the terms above.
3. If we cancel
- If we cancel a camp, course or competition outright, you choose between a
full refund of everything you paid us or a credit valid for 24 months.
- Camps and competitions need minimum numbers to run. If we have to cancel for that reason
we will tell you at least 30 days before the start date.
- We may need to change a coach, an instructor, the running order or an individual activity.
Where a named coach is a material part of what you booked and we cannot provide them, you
may cancel for a full refund.
- We are not responsible for flights, accommodation, transfers or any other
cost you have committed to independently. Book travel that you can change, and insure it.
Events outside anyone’s control
If a booking cannot go ahead because of a hurricane or tropical storm, volcanic or seismic
activity, a government or port-authority order, airport or border closure, an epidemic, civil
unrest, war, or any comparable event beyond our reasonable control, we will offer you a credit
valid for 24 months, or a refund of the fee less any costs we have already paid out and cannot
recover. We will always tell you what those costs are.
4. Weather, sea state and lost days
Soufrière Bay is exceptionally sheltered and it is rare to lose a day to conditions. It does
still happen.
- Where a day is lost to weather, sea state, water clarity or an equipment failure, we will
run a make-up session during your stay wherever it is possible to do so.
- Where it is not possible, individual lost days are not refundable in cash.
For a camp we will offer a pro-rata credit against a future booking.
- The decision to run or stop diving rests with the instructor or safety supervisor on the
day and is final. It is always a safety decision.
5. Insurance is a condition of booking
You must hold valid travel and medical insurance that covers freediving to the
depths you intend to dive, including emergency medical treatment, hyperbaric
treatment and repatriation. Many standard travel policies exclude freediving, or cap it at
a shallow depth — check the wording rather than assuming. DAN is the usual choice.
We may ask to see your policy. We strongly recommend cancellation cover as well, so that if
you have to pull out for a reason we cannot refund, your insurer can.
6. Medical fitness
- You must be in good health and able to swim competently. You must tell us about any
medical condition, medication, injury or recent surgery that could affect your safety in the
water — in advance, not on the platform.
- Certain conditions require written clearance from a doctor, ideally one familiar with
diving medicine, before you can take part.
- If you do not disclose something and we later have to stop you diving because of it, no
refund is due.
- We can refuse or stop participation at any point on safety grounds. Where that follows a
non-disclosure or a failure to follow instruction, no refund is due.
- Everyone signs Blue Element’s liability release, and the relevant agency’s
medical and liability forms, before entering the water. No signature, no diving, and no
refund.
7. Certification and results
- You are paying for tuition, coaching, safety cover and assessment — not
for a certification card or a particular depth.
- Certification is awarded only when you meet the published standard of the relevant agency
(AIDA, Molchanovs or CMAS as applicable). Not reaching a standard within the course is not
grounds for a refund. Where possible we will tell you what is left to complete and how.
- Depth is never guaranteed. Equalisation, adaptation and comfort progress differently for
everyone, and no one can promise a number.
- Agency registration and card fees are set by the agency and are non-refundable once
submitted.
8. Safety and conduct
- Follow the briefing, the buddy procedure and the surface protocol. They exist because
freediving is a breath-hold sport and the consequences of ignoring them are serious.
- No diving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. No diving alone, ever, on our lines.
- We can end your participation without refund for conduct that puts you, another guest or
our staff at risk, or for repeatedly ignoring instruction.
- You are responsible for your own equipment. Rental equipment is charged for at
replacement cost if it is lost or damaged beyond fair wear.
- Participants under 18 need written consent from a parent or guardian, and minimum ages
set by the certifying agency apply.
We photograph and film in the bay, and we use that material to promote Blue Element on our
website and social channels. By taking part you agree we may do so. If you would rather not
appear, tell us in writing before your first day and we will keep you out of published
material — it costs nothing and we will not ask why.
Media packs bought from us are licensed for your own personal and social use, with a credit
to the photographer. Commercial or sponsor use needs written permission.
10. Liability
Freediving carries inherent risks, including blackout, barotrauma, and in the worst case
serious injury or death. You accept those risks when you take part, and this is set out in
full in the liability release you sign on arrival. These terms sit alongside that release and
do not replace it.
Nothing in these terms limits our liability for death or personal injury caused by our
negligence, for fraud, or for anything else that cannot lawfully be excluded. Subject to that,
our total liability to you in connection with a booking is limited to the amount you paid us
for it, and we are not liable for indirect or consequential loss — including travel and
accommodation costs, or lost earnings.
11. General
- These terms are governed by the laws of the Commonwealth of Dominica, and
its courts have exclusive jurisdiction.
- We may update these terms. The version that applies to your booking is the one published
on the day you booked, and the date at the top of this page tells you when it last changed.
- If any part of these terms is found unenforceable, the rest continues to apply.
Contact
Blue Element Freediving Inc.
Soufrière, Commonwealth of Dominica
blueelementfreediving@gmail.com
