Undersea Hunter – Terms & Conditions
Cocos Island Expeditions
What is included in your trip, travel details and life on board are explained in our FAQ and information packet.
1. Booking and payments
| Payment | Amount | Due |
| Deposit | 10% of the total trip price | 2–3 weeks after the invoice date |
| Second payment | 20% of the total trip price | 8 months (240 days) before departure |
| Final payment | Remaining 70%, plus park fee, transfers and any land arrangements | 60 days before departure |
If you book 240 days or less before departure, your deposit is 30% of the total trip price, due 2–3 weeks after the invoice date. Your booking is confirmed when we receive your deposit. If a payment is not received on time, we will give you 7 business days to send proof of payment. After that, we may cancel your booking under the terms in point 2.
2. Cancellation by the guest
| When you cancel | Cancellation fee |
| More than 1 year before departure | 10% of the deposit |
| Between 1 year and 180 days before departure | 10% of the total trip price |
| Less than 180 days before departure | All payments made to date, except the park fee and transfers (see below) |
If you cancel less than 180 days before departure, only the park fee and transfers can be refunded, and only if you cancel at least 15 days before departure. With less than 15 days’ notice, they cannot be refunded, as the National Park does not return the park fee.
We strongly recommend trip cancellation insurance from the time of booking.
3. Cancellation by Undersea Hunter
If we need to cancel a trip for a reason within our control, we will refund the full amount you paid for the Cocos Island trip and the transfers. The park fee will also be refunded, unless the cancellation is less than 15 days before departure, as the National Park does not return it. We cannot be responsible for cancellations or changes caused by circumstances beyond our control, nor for flights, hotels or other travel costs, which we recommend covering with travel insurance. If a passenger is unable to dive because the requirements in points 5 or 6 were not met, this is not considered a cancellation within our control.
4. Park fee, transfers and fuel surcharge
The Cocos Island National Park fee ($554 for 10 nights, $633 for 11 nights, $791 for 13 nights) and transfers San José – vessel – San José ($100) are charged per person and are not included in the trip price. Park fees may change without notice.
If the diesel price published by RECOPE reaches US$3.50 per gallon, we may charge a per-person fuel surcharge. We check the price 60 days before departure, will inform you if it applies, and collect it on board.
5. Insurance and diving requirements
Every passenger must have dive-specific insurance that covers emergency evacuation from Cocos Island. General travel insurance with diving coverage is not accepted. Please upload a photo of your policy to your Inseanq guest profile no later than 30 days before departure. Without valid dive insurance, we will unfortunately not be able to let you dive.
Every diver must hold one of the following certifications:
- Option 1: Advanced Open Water + Nitrox certification
- Option 2: Open Water + Deep Diver + Nitrox certification (we can certify the Deep Diver and Nitrox specialties on board during the crossing, at an additional cost)
The dive guide decides whether a passenger may do any specific dive. Full requirements are in our FAQ.
6. Medical forms
Cocos Island is one of the most remote dive destinations in the world, about 36 hours from the nearest recompression chamber, with deep, repetitive dives in strong currents. For your safety, every passenger must send the signed Diver Medical Participant Questionnaire, the dive industry’s standard form, to info@underseahunter.com no later than 60 days before departure, together with the Physician’s Evaluation Form if any answer requires it (see point 7 for last-minute bookings). We encourage you to share these diving conditions with your physician and to send your forms as soon as possible.
Our team is not made up of medical professionals, so we rely on you and your physician to decide whether diving at Cocos Island is right for you. If the required forms have not been received by the deadline, are incomplete or unsigned, or your physician has not approved you for diving, we will unfortunately not be able to let you dive, and the trip cannot be refunded.
7. Last-minute bookings
For bookings made less than 60 days before departure:
- The full trip price, park fee and transfers are due within 7 days of the invoice date, and always before departure.
- The Diver Medical Participant Questionnaire must be sent before your booking can be confirmed.
- If your answers require a physician’s evaluation, the signed Physician’s Evaluation Form must be received no later than 7 days before departure. We recommend seeing a physician trained in dive medicine.
- The trip price is non-refundable from the moment of booking. The park fee and transfers follow the rules in point 2.
8. Liability release
Every passenger must sign our liability release before boarding. A sample is included in our information packet so you can review it in advance.
9. Life on board and safety
The captain has final authority on board and may change the itinerary, dive sites or schedule for weather or safety reasons; these changes do not give a right to a refund. The captain or dive guide may also limit or suspend a guest’s diving if their behavior puts their own safety or that of others at risk, for example diving under the influence of alcohol or drugs or not following safety instructions and no refund will be given for missed dives.
10. Photos and videos
Our crew may take photos and videos during the trip, which we may use on our website, social media and marketing materials. If you prefer not to appear in them, just let us know before or during the trip.
11. General
We may update these terms from time to time. Updates are published on our website and apply from that date, including to existing bookings, and we will let guests with existing bookings know in writing; changes to prices or payment amounts will not apply to confirmed bookings. Any exception to these terms must be agreed in writing by Undersea Hunter. These terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of Costa Rica. Any dispute will first be submitted to mediation and, if it cannot be resolved, to arbitration, both in Costa Rica and in accordance with Costa Rican law and rules.