CANCELLATION POLICY
Sometimes things don't go as planned and that is okay. Don't let a cancellation surprise ruin your adventure. Know our policy before booking.
We at Tokyo Frogs are committed to providing the best possible experience to all of our guests and students and we are always doing our best to stay flexible and to respond to every individual’s needs. However, there are circumstances when a trip might get canceled, you decide to cancel your participation, or you change your mind during the trip and go back home earlier than expected. Let’s see what kind of fees occur in each case.
Cancellation due to the weather or unforeseen circumstances (e.g. ferry cancellation)
Weather in Japan is often unpredictable, and we have to cancel dives once in a while due to the weather conditions. Even when the conditions are good, sometimes there might be other circumstances that none of us has control over - a ferry might be canceled or the dive shop might be closed due to some internal issue. We are always trying to get all the information possible ahead of time to inform participants early on and save them a trip whenever possible.
Change of location due to the weather or unforeseen circumstances
Sometimes the specific site we were planning to dive at is closed due to weather or any other circumstances, and we have to go to another dive site. We will always try to maximize the value the participants are getting, and suggest the closest possible alternative, but please understand that we always prioritize the safety of our guests and staff above all, so we might end up doing different dives.
Partial cancellation of the dives/days of trip/rental gear by participant
If you are feeling sick, if you’re dealing with a brutal hangover or decide that the water is too cold, or visibility is not up to your liking, you might cancel a dive. No hard feelings, we’ve all been there and safe diving is our top priority. There might also be circumstances where you would want to go home a day earlier - that’s okay as well. However, you need to understand, that the trip was planned for a certain number of people doing a certain number of dives: we have arranged a divemaster to support you, we probably bought ferry tickets or booked a hotel, so we are expecting you to pay the full price for the trip regardless of the part that you cancel.
Please also understand that when you book the rental gear, we make special arrangements to get the right gear to the dive site (which sometimes might include shipments), so canceling rentals would incur cancellation charges.
Full cancellation by the participant
Sometimes things don’t work out and you have a change of plans. As long as you can let us know in advance, it’s fine. The closer the cancellation is to the trip dates, the higher are the risks that we carry, so there will be cancellation fees. Please note, that the fees below are standard fees for most of the trips, but certain trips might have different policy which would be announced on that specific trip sign up form and details.
Failing a certification course
If you are taking a certification course (e.g. Open Water, AOW, Rescue etc.), you are paying for the materials, equipment, facilities and instructor’s time and efforts. We are committed to bringing all our students up to NAUI standards, but we cannot guarantee you certification after completing the course. If you fail certain skills and the instructor makes a decision that you need an extra day of training, you will not be reimbursed for the course that you fail and you will need to book another day with us to complete the course requirements.
About deposit fees
For most trips we require either full up-front payment or a deposit fee. Your place on the trip is not secured until you pay the required amount, and if you fail to pay the deposit by the deadline, we might pass your seat over to the next person on the waiting list.
If you pay the whole trip fee up-front, please note that there might be adjustments both ways after the trip (a reimbursement in case of diving site change - see (2) or a charge for extra tanks or rentals you used).
If you pay a deposit, the amount of the deposit will be deducted from the final trip bill or will be used towards the cancellation fee in case you decide to cancel.
About transportation
Unless stated otherwise, the travel fees to the diving destination (gas, tolls, parking etc) are not included in the dive trip price. We are not organizing transportation (except for ferry tickets), but we are happy to connect you with other participants if you would like to carpool. All the carpool expenses are to be discussed and to be settled between driver and passengers.
Based on previous experience, below is the approximate estimate of the car costs occurring if the personal vehicle is used. It takes into account the distance, gas, toll roads, maintenance and parking fees (note that it may vary depending on the trip distance, amount of luggage and number of passengers). The cost is normally divided in equal shares among driver and passengers.
Cancellation due to the weather or unforeseen circumstances (e.g. ferry cancellation)
Weather in Japan is often unpredictable, and we have to cancel dives once in a while due to the weather conditions. Even when the conditions are good, sometimes there might be other circumstances that none of us has control over - a ferry might be canceled or the dive shop might be closed due to some internal issue. We are always trying to get all the information possible ahead of time to inform participants early on and save them a trip whenever possible.
- You will get the full refund of the trip fees
- If we have already arrived at the location, you will NOT be reimbursed your travel fees
Change of location due to the weather or unforeseen circumstances
Sometimes the specific site we were planning to dive at is closed due to weather or any other circumstances, and we have to go to another dive site. We will always try to maximize the value the participants are getting, and suggest the closest possible alternative, but please understand that we always prioritize the safety of our guests and staff above all, so we might end up doing different dives.
- You will NOT get reimbursement for the trip
- You are eligible for partial reimbursement in case the new location is cheaper (e.g. we go for beach dives instead of boat dives - you will get the difference between price of boat dive and beach dive)
- In a situation where only more expensive dives than planned (e.g. boat dives instead of shore dives) are available, you can either commit to it (and pay the difference) or we will treat it as cancellation due to weather conditions (1) and you will get the full refund
Partial cancellation of the dives/days of trip/rental gear by participant
If you are feeling sick, if you’re dealing with a brutal hangover or decide that the water is too cold, or visibility is not up to your liking, you might cancel a dive. No hard feelings, we’ve all been there and safe diving is our top priority. There might also be circumstances where you would want to go home a day earlier - that’s okay as well. However, you need to understand, that the trip was planned for a certain number of people doing a certain number of dives: we have arranged a divemaster to support you, we probably bought ferry tickets or booked a hotel, so we are expecting you to pay the full price for the trip regardless of the part that you cancel.
Please also understand that when you book the rental gear, we make special arrangements to get the right gear to the dive site (which sometimes might include shipments), so canceling rentals would incur cancellation charges.
- You will have to pay the full trip fee and package dives regardless of the parts you decide to cancel (we usually include 2 dives/day in most packages)
- If you cancel rental gear that you booked within less than 7 days before the trip (e.g. you bought your own wetsuit after booking with us), you will be charged the full price.
Full cancellation by the participant
Sometimes things don’t work out and you have a change of plans. As long as you can let us know in advance, it’s fine. The closer the cancellation is to the trip dates, the higher are the risks that we carry, so there will be cancellation fees. Please note, that the fees below are standard fees for most of the trips, but certain trips might have different policy which would be announced on that specific trip sign up form and details.
- If you cancel 8 days of more in advance: full refund for all diving booked
- 3-7 days 80% refund of all diving fees
- 48 hours 50% refund of all diving fees (most hotel fees are 0% refund by this time)
- 24 hours or less before the scheduled dive or tour 0% refund
Failing a certification course
If you are taking a certification course (e.g. Open Water, AOW, Rescue etc.), you are paying for the materials, equipment, facilities and instructor’s time and efforts. We are committed to bringing all our students up to NAUI standards, but we cannot guarantee you certification after completing the course. If you fail certain skills and the instructor makes a decision that you need an extra day of training, you will not be reimbursed for the course that you fail and you will need to book another day with us to complete the course requirements.
About deposit fees
For most trips we require either full up-front payment or a deposit fee. Your place on the trip is not secured until you pay the required amount, and if you fail to pay the deposit by the deadline, we might pass your seat over to the next person on the waiting list.
If you pay the whole trip fee up-front, please note that there might be adjustments both ways after the trip (a reimbursement in case of diving site change - see (2) or a charge for extra tanks or rentals you used).
If you pay a deposit, the amount of the deposit will be deducted from the final trip bill or will be used towards the cancellation fee in case you decide to cancel.
About transportation
Unless stated otherwise, the travel fees to the diving destination (gas, tolls, parking etc) are not included in the dive trip price. We are not organizing transportation (except for ferry tickets), but we are happy to connect you with other participants if you would like to carpool. All the carpool expenses are to be discussed and to be settled between driver and passengers.
Based on previous experience, below is the approximate estimate of the car costs occurring if the personal vehicle is used. It takes into account the distance, gas, toll roads, maintenance and parking fees (note that it may vary depending on the trip distance, amount of luggage and number of passengers). The cost is normally divided in equal shares among driver and passengers.
- Atami/Yugawara: 10,000JPY for round trip + 2,500JPY/day (per car)
- Izu: 12,000JPY for round trip + 2,500JPY/day (per car)
- Chiba: 14,000JPY for round trip + 2,500JPY/day (per car)