This page covers many important policies and information about booking a REEF Field Survey Trip or other Expedition with REEF. Please read carefully.

Registration | Pricing | Payments | REEF Program Fee|Deposit and Payment Schedule | Cancellations, Refunds, and Substitutions |
COVID-19 Considerations | Travel Insurance | DAN Membership | Required Forms | Survey Materials |Tax Deductibility Information

Registration

To book a space on a REEF Trip, e-mail trips@REEF.org, or call us at 305-852-0030. A deposit will be required to confirm your reservation. Please note that if reserving multiple spaces, you agree to be financially responsible for all spaces booked, and each individual space is considered a separate reservation and is subject to the cancellation and refund policy detailed below.

Pricing

Unless otherwise noted, the advertised price for a trip is the rate per diver, based on double occupancy. Prices do not include airfare.

All single travelers will be paired with a roommate of the same gender (if available) upon signing up for the trip, unless single occupancy is specifically requested when registering. If you are a single and would like to be paired with a roommate, we will do our best to accommodate your request based on the number and gender of other single participants. In the event that a suitable roommate is not available within 30 days prior to departure, participants will be notified and the single occupancy rate will apply.

For most land-based trips, a limited number of single occupancy rooms are available by request on a first-come, first-served basis. If you wish to switch your reservation from double to single occupancy after a roommate has been assigned, you may be responsible for the cost of your intended roommate’s single supplement, in addition to your own.

Non-diving prices are available for most land-based trips. Please inquire with REEF Trips staff for more information.

Payments

Payment installments are typically due on three occasions: upon reserving space, 180 days from departure, and 90 days from departure. Payment reminder e-mails are sent in advance of the payment due date. If the reservation is made less than 180 days from departure, an adjusted payment schedule will apply. See below for full details. Please contact REEF Trips staff to discuss an alternative payment schedule if necessary.

If a payment is not received within 14 days past the due date, a 10% late fee will be added to the balance owed. If a payment is outstanding for 30 days, the participant's space on the trip may be released and all funds paid will be forfeited.

If you are going to be out of e-mail contact during a payment due date, please notify REEF Trips staff in advance to make payment arrangements.

REEF Program Fee

A REEF Program Fee ($300-$350) will be added to the cost of each individual reservation. The REEF Program Fee covers the group leader(s), seminars, survey materials, and data management. REEF Program Fees vary depending on the location and duration of the trip. The REEF Program Fee applies to all individuals over the age of 18. It is also applicable to minors under 18 who occupy a space on the dive boat.

Deposit and Payment Schedule 

Booking greater than 180 days prior to departure:

  • $500 deposit to secure your space*
  • Payment #2 (50% of remaining balance) due 180 days prior to trip departure.
  • Final Payment (remaining balance plus REEF Fee) due 90 days prior to trip departure.
*The deposit amount may vary depending on the destination and/or trip package price. Trips with a total package price under $1,000 will require a $250 deposit to reserve your space. Tropical Pacific trips (CIP, SOP, Indian Ocean regions) and any trip with a price of $5,000 or more require a $1,000 deposit to reserve your space.
 
Booking between 90 – 180 days prior to departure:
  • $500 deposit (amount may vary depending on destination, please see above) plus Payment #2 (50% of remaining balance) due at the time of booking.
  • Final Payment (remaining balance plus REEF Fee) due 90 days prior to trip departure. 

Booking 90 days or fewer prior to departure:

  • Amount in full due. 100% of package price plus REEF Fee.

Cancellations, Refunds, and Substitutions

We know that plans sometimes change and life gets in the way. If your plans change and you need to cancel your space on a trip, notice of cancellation must be made in writing. Each individual space is considered a separate reservation and is subject to the cancellation and refund policy.

If you need to cancel your space on a REEF Trip, the following refund policy applies (depending on region and cost):

Cancellation to bookings on REEF Trips in the CIP, SOP, and IORS regions, and all trips with a per person cost of $5,000+:

  • More than 12 months before departure date: Full refund minus $300 per person processing fee.
  • Between 12 months and 180 days before departure date: $1,000 per person processing fee applies
  • 180 – 90 days prior to departure date: 75% of the total amount on hand with REEF at the date of cancellation is NON-refundable, unless otherwise noted on the individual trip webpage
  • Less than 90 days prior to departure date: No refunds available.*

Cancellation to bookings on REEF Trips with a per person cost of less than $5,000 in the TWA, TEP, EAM, and other regions outside of the CIP, SOP, and IORS:

  • Prior to 180 days from departure date: $100 per person processing fee applies
  • 180 – 90 days prior to departure date: 50% of total amount on hand with REEF at the date of cancellation is NON-refundable, unless otherwise noted on the individual trip webpage
  • Less than 90 days prior to departure date: No refunds available.*

If you need to cancel and you have a person who can take your place (at the exact booking type, gender, bedding, etc), please contact our staff (trips@REEF.org) to make arrangements. A full refund of payments made to date, minus a $100 processing fee ($300 for Tropical Pacific/Indian Ocean/Red Sea region), will be given, upon receipt of payment from your replacement.

When a credit is issued due to a cancellation, REEF will apply the credit to outstanding invoices for other REEF Trips first, and then issue a refund of any remaining credit. Guests also have the option of converting any refund owed to a charitable donation to REEF. Credit on hand needs to be used within 2 years of issue, unless other arrangements have been made.

*Our policy is intended to be fair to our guests, yet prevent the loss of income to REEF. When a reservation is canceled within 90 days prior to departure (and therefore no refund upon cancellation), if the trip runs full/sold out and we are able to resell the canceled space within the same parameters as the original booking, we will refund the total paid less 25% after the trip has concluded. If a reservation is canceled between 180 and 90 days prior to departure (and therefore a 50-75% refund was offered upon cancellation), if the trip runs full/sold out and we are able to resell the canceled space within the same parameters as the original booking, we will refund an additional 25% (of funds on hand when the cancellation was received) after the trip has concluded.

REEF may alter the payment schedule or cancellation policy based on vendor rules for a particular trip. Please consult the individual trip details and with REEF Trips staff emailing trips@REEF.org to determine a particular trip's cancellation policy and payment deadlines.

No refunds are able to be issued for unused portions of any dive travel package, including but not limited to ground transportation, dives, nitrox, and meals, regardless of the reason(s) it was not used.

On each REEF Trip, the Trip Leader works with the dive operator to plan a schedule that best meets the needs and objectives of the trip. However, all decisions regarding dive sites and dive schedules are made by the dive operation crew and boat captain(s). A trip may have to be diverted in cases of weather conditions if the dive operation feels that there is a safety risk.

REEF Trips require a minimum number of participants. Trips are subject to cancellation if the minimum requirement is not met. In the event of a trip cancellation, REEF and/or any of our travel booking partners are not responsible for airline tickets purchased for travel on a REEF Trip.

Policies updated 11/12/23. Policies are subject to change. Affected customers are notified when policies change.

COVID-19 Considerations (rev. 08/18/22)

REEF seeks to do all that we can to ensure the health and safety of REEF members and staff, as well as our dive and travel partners and the residents of the communities we visit on REEF Field Survey Trips.

REEF Trip participants will be required to follow and comply with COVID-19 health and safety measurements required by the given Trip’s host country, the dive and lodging vendor(s), and the participant’s departure/home country. This could include providing proof of negative test, additional testing while in the country or at the host location, providing proof of vaccination, or varying quarantine or other requirements for vaccinated vs. unvaccinated participants. It is the responsibility of each participant to ensure they understand and are able to comply with all local requirements. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation.

Please pack masks for your travel. While the TSA is no longer requiring masks during air travel, we strongly encourage everyone to wear them while traveling to minimize risk while transiting airports, immigration, etc. We also strongly encourage everyone to wear a mask in general gathering areas for at least the first three days of all REEF Trips. We recommend that all REEF Trip participants do a home COVID test prior to beginning travel to the destination and also carry additional home tests with them in case they feel ill during travel. And finally, we ask that all Trip participants take extra precaution in the days/weeks leading up to the REEF Trip in order to minimize exposure risk.

Be prepared for your plans to change. Ensure your travel insurance covers COVID-related situations (most now do). No travel is risk-free during COVID. Countries may further restrict travel or bring in new rules at short notice, for example due to a new COVID-19 variant. If you test positive for COVID-19, you may need to stay where you are until you test negative. You may also need to seek treatment there. Plan ahead and make sure you: can access money, understand what your insurance will cover, can make arrangements to extend your stay, and be away for longer than planned.

REEF staff will send pre-trip emails that may include information, guidance, and instructions on the procedures needed in order travel to an international destination for a REEF Trip. Please be aware that REEF is not a travel agent. We are doing our best to interpret information provided by our trip vendor and the host country’s government COVID webpages. We encourage everyone to do their own research, interpretation, and due diligence.

Here are a few central resources to check country-specific COVID travel requirements:
Interactive Global Map maintained by IATA
US State Department Travel Information
Sherpa Interactive Map
**Note that while these are useful tools, it is always best to directly consult the destination country’s government websites and airline materials before booking and traveling.

Trip Cancellations and Rescheduling Due to COVID: Throughout these uncertain and challenging times, we have worked hard with our trip vendors to secure maximum flexibility on our booking terms, and any flexibility we have has been passed along to our trip participants. We are grateful that most vendors have been generous with their flexibility. Because every vendor has different policies and time frames, we aren’t able to uniformly change any of our existing policies, and therefore the policies stated above stand unless otherwise noted on a given trip. Each trip is evaluated on a case-by-case basis. As we move forward on booking new trips, we are making efforts to work with vendors who can offer flexibility. Thank you for your support and understanding.

Travel Insurance

REEF strongly recommends that each REEF Trip participant carry adequate dive and/or travel insurance to protect themselves in advance against any unforeseen circumstances that may occur with travel. Any liabilities for trip interruptions, cancellations, or general travel disputes will be the responsibility of the traveler. Please read the information on your policy for a full understanding of the coverage. REEF is pleased to partner with Divers Alert Network and DiveAssure to offer travel insurance programs for divers. Both DAN and DiveAssure contribute a portion of the proceeds from insurance purchased through our affiliate links below. Not all travel insurance covers interuption due to COVID-19, be sure to check your policy.

DiveAssure supports REEF by offering a custom referral program for travel insurance packages. Click here for more information and to purchase travel insurance from DiveAssure. You may also contact DiveAssure directly at info@diveassure.com. Don’t forget to mention you were referred by REEF!

DAN supports REEF by offering a custom referral program for travel insurance packages. Click here for more information and to purchase travel insurance from DAN. Be sure to use Referral Code: 2008703 to support REEF with your DAN membership and insurance.

DAN Membership

DAN also supports REEF by contributing a portion of proceeds from new DAN memberships. We strongly encourage all REEF Trip participants to become DAN members. Benefits include emergency medical evacuation assistance through DAN TravelAssist, a subscription to Alert Diver magazine, and access to DAN's insurance services. Many dive operators require travelers to have dive accident insurance provided by DAN or an equivalent entity. If you are not a DAN member, click here to sign up today and support REEF in the process!

Liability Waiver, Registration Form, Health Assessment

Upon registering for a REEF Trip, you will be asked to complete a Registration Form to submit information on your COVID-19 vaccination status and other information so we can best serve you. A few months before the trip, all REEF Trip participants (diving and non-diving) must submit a signed REEF Liability Waiver. The emergency contact you provide on this form must be someone who is NOT traveling with you. A few days before departure, participants will be required to submit a COVID Health Waiver

In addition to the above, participants who will be handling lionfish must submit a signed Lionfish Assumption of Risk Form prior to the trip or project.

Survey Materials

All REEF Trip participants will receive a limited edition REEF Field Survey Team shirt and a survey kit of materials. Prior to departing on a REEF Trip, participants will be asked to complete a Trip Form. The link for this form will be sent to participants via e-mail approximately 6 weeks prior to the trip. Participants must complete this form at least 30 days prior to the trip departure date to ensure that survey materials are received prior to departure. On certain occasions, circumstances do not permit REEF to mail survey materials directly to participants. If this is the case, you will be notified in advance that the Trip Leader will bring the survey materials to the trip destination.

Tax Deductibility Information

Because tax circumstances for individuals vary, REEF does not give, and cannot assume responsibility for, tax advice to its volunteers and contributors. We strongly recommend that you consult your own tax advisor to determine how these general rules might apply to your own particular situation. Click here for more information.