| SEAFARER GENERAL CONDITIONS |
Since 1979, we have guided thousands of peoples to world-class dive sites in Thailand and especially in the Andaman Sea. Our TDA/CMAS, PADI or NAUI Divemaster/Instructors are standing by with top of the line equipment and vessels to get you where you want to be. A professional dive center provides services such as rentals, sales and servicing for most brands of regulators, BCD, dive computers and tank valves as well an air and Nitrox filling station with a K-15 Bauer compressor and its air-bank for the most demanding. GENERAL INFORMATIONS FOR CERTIFIED DIVERS AND STUDENTS - Seafarer Divers and MV Andaman Seafarer are insured in Thailand with New Hampshire Insurance Company (AIG) as an inbound dive tour-operator. - We suggest to all divers to sign up for extra dive travel insurance such as DAN http://www.danseap.org in order to cover travel risks and dive accident. Without dive travel insurance, any dive accident without a third party responsible to cover the charge will be under the full responsibility of the diver (In Thailand: recompression chamber fee may be up to 15,000 Euro). - Divers must show their dive certifications and logbooks and sign a waiver of claims before boarding a day dive boat or a liveaboard vessel. - Nitrox 32 is available for Nitrox certified divers. - Buddy system is mandatory on all day dive trips and liveaboards and the divers should have a dive computer and a surface buoy per buddy team at least. - Diving conditions in the Andaman Sea around Phuket or during a liveaboard dive cruise are not like diving inside a lagoon.... Strong currents (moon) and wind (December to February) may change the quality and the safety of the dives; therefore all certified divers must be confident in the water or get additional training before booking dive trips or liveaboard cruises. The beginning of the high season (November up to the middle of December) and the end of the high season (March to the end of April) are 2 perfect periods with little wind. - Divemaster/Instructor supervision is provided on our day dive trips with local dive guides but the service of a private Divemaster/Instructor guiding during each dive is only provided on request prior to the day dive trip or liveaboard and will be charged an extra fee per diver. - Seafarer Divers Co Ltd provides tanks and weights belt only on day dive trips or liveaboard dive cruises. - Divers must bring their personal dive equipment such as fins, mask, snorkel, BCD, regulator, dive computer, surface buoy, dive suit (2-3 mm) and torch for night dive. Dive equipment may be rented or bought from Seafarer Divers dive center at Chalong Bay Marina before boarding. - Diver owning a regulator with Din system must bring a yoke adaptor to fit our K-valves. Din adaptor may be bought or rent at Seafarer Divers dive center. - Seafarer Divers does not rent dive torch or U/W camera. LIVEABOARD DIVE CRUISES WITH MV ANDAMAN SEAFARER - Many divers have seen a lot of advertising in dive magazines about diving in Burma and asked us the possibility of liveaboard dive cruises in Burma with MV Andaman Seafarer. Today we can confirm that Seafarer Divers will not plan any dive cruise with our vessel MV Andaman Seafarer to Mergui Archipelago or Burma Banks. Comments from divers who had been diving with other dive operators in Burma have confirmed that the visibility (not better than Surin, Phi-Phi or Phuket area), the coral reefs (anchoring and dynamiting), the fish (no more big fish: over fishing and dynamiting) are not as good as at the dive sites at Hin Daeng or Hin Muang, Similan or Surin Islands National Parks, without mentioning the entry/exit problems (Burma closes or opens its border without any warning). - Chief of the Similan Islands Marine National Park is warning tour and dive tour operators that it is illegal to bring tourists into the marine park during the monsoon season when the seas are rough and dangerous. The park is closing every year from the beginning of May until the end of October. - Seafarer Divers has limited, aboard MV Andaman Seafarer during overnight liveaboard cruises, its number of passengers at 14 passengers (Divers and non-divers alike) and avoid peak periods during the day to avoid diving cattle-boats. - MV Andaman Seafarer is a convivial liveaboard dive vessel where each diver may be able to get his/her own privacy with a capacity per cruise of 8-14 divers and 6 crew members at most. Most of our guests enjoy coming back year after year and enjoy sending their friends for those key points to MV Andaman Seafarer. - Most of the time divers like to bring aperitifs, spirits, whisky, wine and delicatessen for the late afternoons or evening parties. - MV Andaman Seafarer has 3 "VIP" cabins and 2 "First Class" cabins. Each 2 "First Class" cabins for 4 persons can be booked as "VIP" cabins for 2 persons per cabin only. Therefore, 10-12 persons will share the whole vessel MV Andaman Seafarer. Minimum diving level required for a liveaboard with MV Andaman Seafarer: - For divers' comfort and safety, the drop-offs and pick-ups of buddy teams are made with our 4.7m Avon Rib dinghy equipped with a ladder and an outboard engine of 40 HP. Each dinghy rotation takes 4-5 divers at once. That way, fish are not scared and each diver will get more chance for better encounters. - Divers must be comfortable in water and be certified at least CMAS 2* Diver or PADI Advanced, equivalence or higher levels with at least 30 logged dives. - Divers will dive in buddy teams of 2-3 divers. - Most of our divers booked on a liveaboard dive cruise with MV Andaman Seafarer are experienced ones and are certified CMAS 2* or 3* Diver, PADI Advanced, PADI Rescue, Divemaster, Instructor or equivalence from other diving associations with hundreds of logged dives and most of them are keen underwater photographers. - Divemaster/Instructor supervision is provided during our liveaboard dive cruises aboard MV Andaman Seafarer but the service of a private Divemaster/Instructor guiding during each dive is only provided on request prior the liveaboard and will be charged an extra fee per diver. - CMAS 1* Diver, PADI Open Water Diver or equivalent certified diver who can not dive as a buddy diver with their friends will have to book the service of a professional Divemaster/Instructor guiding them during all dives or plan a TDA/CMAS 2* Diver course and/or a PADI Advanced course with a TDA/CMAS/PADI Instructor during the liveaboard. - PADI or TDA/CMAS Nitrox Diver Courses may be taught during ou liveaboard dive cruises. TIPS FOR DIVER’S STAY IN PHUKET Dive trips and dive courses available all year round. - Day dive trips (2-3 dives) either to Racha Yai Island, Shark Point, Anemone Reef, King Cruiser wreck or Koh Doc Mai. Phi-Phi Islands and Racha Noi Island will be possible only on case by case depending of the weather forecast of the day. Similan day dive trips are available from November until the end of April. - PADI or NAUI dive courses from beginner up to Rescue Diver. - TDA/CMAS, PADI or NAUI Nitrox Diver courses. - TDA/CMAS dive courses from beginner up to TDA/CMAS 2* Diver. - A professional dive training to be certified PADI either with a 2-3 weeks intensive training course or 3 months internship training. - A professional dive training to be certified all levels from TDA/CMAS 3* Diver up to TDA/CMAS 3* Instructor (Crossover, 2-3 weeks intensive training course or 3-6 months internship training). It is the best period for diving in Phuket, Phang-Nga and Krabi. During that time, divers will be able to plan: - Day dive trips (2-3 dives) either to Phi-Phi, Racha Yai and Noi Islands, Shark Point, Anemone Reef, King Cruiser wreck, Koh Doc Mai or Similan. - One or two successive dive cruise(s) aboard our MV Andaman Seafarer to Similan/Surin/Richelieu Rock with guaranteed departures on Sundays. You will be able to plan day dive trips or sightseeing day tours either before or after the liveaboard dive cruise. - PADI or NAUI dive courses from beginner up to Rescue Diver. - TDA/CMAS, PADI or NAUI Nitrox Diver courses. - TDA/CMAS dive courses from beginner up to TDA/CMAS 2* Diver. - A professional dive training to be certified PADI either with a 2-3 weeks intensive training course or 3 months internship training. - A professional dive training to be certified all levels from TDA/CMAS 3* Diver up to TDA/CMAS 3* Instructor (Crossover, 2-3 weeks intensive training course or 3-6 months internship training). - Do not forget that it is possible to fly to and from Phuket with many airlines via Bangkok, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Hong-Kong or even directly to Phuket itself. In order to avoid disappointment, divers should not wait the last minute to book their flights between November and April as we have a shortage of seats to fly to Phuket and particularly during festivals, public holidays or school holidays (Local or international). Delay to book your air tickets may be more costly. Booking Online (International flights): http://www.thaiair.com/ - 2009 Vegetarian Festival: http://www.tourismthailand.org.sg/event/phuket-vegetarian-festival-2009 Sunday 18 until Monday 26 October 2009. - 2009 All saints' Day: Sunday 01 November 2009. - 2009 Loy-Krathong: Monday 02 November 2009. - 2009 King’s Birthday: Saturday 05 December 2009. - 2010 Chinese New Year: Sunday 14 February 2010. - 2010 Thai Songkran: Tuesday 13 until Thursday 15 April 2010. Note that if you want an accurate invoice, we need to get that information: - Arrival and departure dates to/from Phuket? Flights are confirmed or on waiting list? - Do divers need the airport transfers to hotel or the dive center? - How many day dive trips? Which days of the week? Private or join tour basis? GENERAL INFORMATIONS - Tariffs do not include the National Park fees. http://www.dnp.go.th - National park fees: Admission for Thai: 80 Baht (+/- 1.70 €uro). Admission for foreigner: 400 Baht (+/- 8.60 €uro). Admission for child (Thai & Foreigner alike): 50% discount. Extra for Diver (Thai & Foreigner alike): 200 Baht (+/- 4.30 €uro) per diving day. - Thailand National Parks: http://www.dnp.go.th - Money converter: http://www.xe.com - All our prices are inclusive of government taxes (Tax Invoice/Receipt with VAT for Thai companies only). GENERAL BOOKING PROCEDURE, CONDITION AND CANCELLATION POLICY Booking procedure: All reservation MUST be confirmed to Chalong Beach Hotel and Spa Co Ltd, by letter, voucher, fax or Email. Chalong Beach Hotel and Spa Co Ltd will confirm all reservation requests within 24 hours. In case immediate confirmation is not possible, principals will be informed of the booking status. Option: A booking will be temporarily reserved for 7 days to arrange travel. After 7 days of non-deposit or full payment of service fee, we may consider NULL and VOID the confirmed reservation and be free of the allotment space. Reservation and deposit: A reservation is only final after the receipt of a 30% deposit or the full payment in the case of bookings within 60 days before commencement of services. Full Payment: The balance of 70% is due no later than 60 days prior to commencement of services and must be paid to Chalong Beach Hotel and Spa Co Ltd in Euros or Thai Baht by cash, credit card or “Swift Telex transfer”. Cancellation policy: more than 60 days before the commencement of services, we retain the 30% deposit, between 60, 30 days 50% of the total service fee, and within 30 days, we retain 100% of the total service fee. We strongly recommend obtaining cancellation insurance and travel insurance covering the activities and sports they intend to undertake. PAYMENT BY “SWIFT TELEX TRANSFER”. BANGKOK BANK PUBLIC CO LTD Account Name: Chalong Beach Hotel and Spa Co Ltd Swift code: BKKBTHBK Fax : +66(0) 76 383 967 - Customers willing to pay Chalong Beach Hotel and Spa Co Ltd by bank transfer from overseas for services (Liveaboard, etc...) ...) will have to tick off or mark imperatively by hand on the official form of request for transfer: Bank charges at the expense of the sender. - Please do not forget to write the details of each payment on the bank official swift transfer form such as the name of the group, dates of services or whatsoever information for our accounting department. |