Terms & Conditions

Your contract is with Sea Life Surveys Ltd ("Sea Life Surveys", "we", "us"). We set out below an explanation of the conditions that apply when you book a cruise with us. It is important that you read these conditions together with the cruise information, as they not only define our obligations to you but also impose some important commitments upon you.

If any part of these booking conditions is found by any court or administrative body of competent jurisdiction to be invalid of unenforceable, such invalidity will not affect the other provisions which shall remain in full fore and effect.

1. Your contract

When you make a reservation you guarantee that you have the authority to accept and do accept on behalf of your party the terms of these booking conditions. A contract will exist as soon as we issue a confirmation email. Once you have received the confirmation email, it is your responsibility to check that the information and booking details, as stated in the email, are correct. If any of the details are incorrect, you must notify us immediately. We reserve the right to refuse to accept and/or not proceed with any booking at any time at our sole discretion. This contract is governed by Scottish law and the jurisdiction of the Scottish courts.

2. The price

We guarantee that the price of your cruise will not be subject to any surcharges once a contract exists between us. This means that you are fully protected, no matter what happens to the price of fuel. Cruise prices can be influenced by taxes, personnel costs, the price of fuel and other associated costs. The price shown is based on current charges and costs but they may go up or down; we reserve the right to alter the price of any cruise, introduce supplements or correct pricing errors, and will notify you of the current price prior to any booking - please call or visit our website for the most up-to-date prices. The price of your cruise as shown in your booking confirmation will not be increased unless you amend your booking. However, Sea Life Surveys reserves the right not to be legally bound in the case of incorrect pricing and acknowledgement of such an error does not mean acceptance of it. Sea Life Surveys has a price promise guarantee for the price of cruises on board our vessels (excluding where cruises which have been sold through a third-party agent). This applies as long as the discounted cruise is the same package offered under the same terms of sale. In calculating any possible saving due, we'll take into consideration all offers and discounts that were applied at the time of booking and compare the overall price that you've been charged with the current price.

3. Paying for your cruise

Unless specified otherwise - when you make your booking you are required to pay the full amount due for the booking and Sea Life Surveys will not consider a cruise to be booked until such a time as full payment is received.

4. If you change your booking

Once a contract exists between us, you may wish to change your cruise arrangements. For example, your chosen date of travel, departure time etc. and we will do our utmost to make these changes but it may not always be possible. You will be asked to pay any appropriate costs for the alteration (such as when changing a child ticket to adult ticket, upgrading to a more expensive cruise etc.).

5. If you cancel your booking

Once a contract exists between us, you have the right to request to cancel your booking and any refund due to you will be calculated as follows:

6. If we change or cancel your booking before departure

Occasionally, we may have to make changes to your booking and we reserve the right to do so at any time. In the case where we make an alteration or alterations to your booking, in advance of the departure date and time of your cruise, you will be given the opportunity to cancel your booking and receive a full refund.

We also reserve the right to cancel your cruise at any time prior to the departure date and time of your cruise. For example, if the minimum number of passengers required to operate a cruise is not reached or the weather is unsuitable for the cruise to proceed as planned, then we may cancel it. If we are unable to provide the booked cruise, you can either have a full refund of all monies paid, or accept an offer of an alternative cruise, where available (we will refund any price differences if the alternative cruise is of lower value). Please note that we do not have any responsibility or liability for any consequential loss you may incur from arrangements you have made with any other party or parties.

7. If we change or cancel your cruise after departure

On very rare occasions we may have to make changes to the cruise whilst it is underway. Unforeseen circumstances including, but not limited to, mechanical failure, unexpected weather and illness or injury of one or more persons on board may result in the cruise programme and duration being altered. In cases such as these, appropriate compensation may be offered at the discretion of the management of Sea Life Surveys. The value of compensation will not exceed to the value of the booking (i.e. a full refund may be made and a gift certificate offered of equivalent value to the booking).

8. Refunds

If you are entitled to a refund relating to your booking this will usually be made by the same payment method that was used to pay us. In the case of card payment, refund(s) will be made to the appropriate card account(s). Any fees incurred when making a payment will not be refunded unless we cause the cancellation.

9. If you have a complaint

We are proud of our high reputation for customer satisfaction and strive to reach amicable settlement of the small number of complaints we receive. If you have a problem or cause for dissatisfaction, please inform us at the earliest opportunity (this will often be by informing a member of crew during the cruise). This allows us the opportunity to put things right on the the spot. If we are unable to solve any issues immediately, please inform our office by phone, email or in person at your earliest convenience (email: cruises@sealifesurveys.com; telephone: +44 (0) 1688 302916; address: Sea Life Surveys, Taigh Solais, Ledaig, Tobermory, Isle of Mull, PA75 6NR).

10. Your responsibilities

Your responsibilities are as follows:

11. Mobility and assistance

Whilst we welcome passengers with restricted mobility, we are limited as to the number of disabled passengers or passengers with restricted mobility that we can carry. We reserve the right, where deemed necessary by the Master of the vessel for safety reasons, to stow wheelchairs for the duration of the cruise and request that wheelchairs users use the seating provided on the vessel.

Please advise us at the time of booking whether you or any member of your party has reduced mobility or would require assistance in an emergency, or as soon as possible before departure should there be a change in circumstances.

Our crew are available to provide assistance, where needed, with boarding and disembarking the vessel.

12. Medical information

You are responsible for ensuring that any existing medical conditions or disabilities which may require assistance are declared to us as early as possible in advance of your cruise and no later than 48 hours before departure. This is essential for all bookings. Women who are pregnant are welcome at all stages of pregnancy but be aware that during the course of the cruise we may be, at times, several hours from medical assistance.

13. Data protection act

By providing us with your personal data and contact details, you consent to the use of that data and to you being contacted by Sea Life Surveys by post, email, SMS or other electronic means, to inform you about any products and services which it considers may be of interest to you unless you have stated otherwise. Where you provide information about another person, we accept it on the basis that you have their permission to give us access to their personal data (including any sensitive personal data) and that you have told them who we are and what we will use their data for, as set out above.

You can contact Sea Life Surveys at any time to suppress contact for some or all products or for the right to access and, if necessary, rectify information held about you. Please click here to review our Privacy Policy.

Privacy Policy

When it comes to protecting your privacy we never compromise. We will always be clear about why we need the details we ask for, and ensure your information is kept as secure as possible. How we do this is explained below.

This privacy policy has been compiled to better serve those who are concerned with how their personally identifiable information ("PII") is being used online. PII is information that can be used on its own or with other information to identify, contact, or locate a single person, or to identify an individual in context. Please read our privacy policy carefully to get a clear understanding of how we collect, use, protect or otherwise handle your PII in accordance with our website.

Short Version

These are just the key points. If you need detail, keep reading.

What personal information do we collect from the people that visit our website?

When ordering or registering on our site, as appropriate, you may be asked to enter your name, email address, mailing address, phone number or other details to help you with your experience.

When do we collect information?

We collect information from you when you place items in your basket, place an order, subscribe to a newsletter or enter information on our site.

How do we use your information?

We may use the information we collect from you when you register, make a purchase, sign up for our newsletter, respond to a survey or marketing communication, surf the website, or use certain other site features in the following ways:

Do we use cookies?

Yes. Cookies are small files that a site or its service provider transfers to your computer's hard drive through your Web browser (if you allow) that enables the site's or service provider's systems to recognize your browser and capture and remember certain information. For instance, we use cookies to help us remember and process the items in your shopping cart. They are also used to help us understand your preferences based on previous or current site activity, which enables us to provide you with improved services. We also use cookies to help us compile aggregate data about site traffic and site interaction so that we can offer better site experiences and tools in the future.

We use cookies to:

You can choose to have your computer warn you each time a cookie is being sent, or you can choose to turn off all cookies. You do this through your browser settings. Each browser is a little different, so look at your browser's help menu to learn the correct way to modify your cookies.

Your personal data

We do not sell, trade, or otherwise transfer to outside parties your PII.

Gift Certificates

Give the gift of nature to your loved one with a Sea Life Surveys gift certificate.

Purchasing a Gift Certificate

Purchasing a gift certificate couldn't be easier:

Certificates are valid for a year from the date of purchase and can be redeemed at any time, either over the phone or online.

Redeeming a Gift Certificate

Simply select a date, cruise and number of passengers before adding it to your basket as you would normally. Then, from your basket, click Got a voucher. Enter your voucher code and PIN number and click Apply.