Booking terms

Terms and Conditions

Last updated: September 2026.

These terms apply when you book diving, courses, rooms or transfers with Bongo Bongo Divers in Dauin, Negros Oriental, Philippines. Please read them before you confirm your booking.

1. Bookings and quotes

Prices on our website and in our trip planner are estimates. Nothing is booked until we have confirmed your plans in writing.
When you send us your plans, we check availability and reply with a written quote. It lists your prices, what is included, the deposit and these terms.
Your booking is confirmed once we have received your deposit and sent you our written confirmation. Where no deposit is needed (for example, Dauin shore dives), your place is held once we confirm it in writing.
By paying a deposit, confirming a booking or taking part in any activity with us, you accept these terms.
If you book for a group, you accept these terms on behalf of everyone in your group.

2. Deposits and payment

To confirm your booking, we ask for a deposit:

PADI Open Water, Advanced Open Water and Rescue Diver: PHP 5,000 per person, for your PADI learning materials
Rescue Diver with Emergency First Response (EFR): PHP 7,500 per person (PHP 5,000 for the PADI materials and PHP 2,500 for the EFR materials)
Other PADI courses and pro training: the deposit is set out in your written quote
Rooms: 50% of your stay
Apo Island trips: 50% of the trip price
Groups: 30% of the total, with the balance due one week before arrival
Dauin shore dives: no deposit

Your deposit is deducted in full from your final bill.
The course deposit pays for your PADI learning materials, and for your EFR materials if you take Emergency First Response. We assign your eLearning once it arrives, and it can't be refunded after that.
Paying your deposit: we prefer Wise (about 1% fee) or cash. PayPal and Maya are also possible, with about 5% added. You can also pay by GCash or bank transfer.
Paying the balance: at the dive centre before you leave, in cash (PHP), by Wise or by PayPal. Group balances are due one week before arrival.
If a deposit or balance isn't paid on time, we may release your booking, and the cancellation terms in section 3 apply.
We don't take credit cards directly.
All prices are in Philippine pesos (PHP). Any payment or bank fees are added to the amount you pay.

3. If you cancel or change your booking

Please tell us by email at ask@divebongo.com. The date we receive your email is the date that counts.

15 days or more before arrival: full refund of your deposit.
8 to 14 days before arrival: no refund, but you can move your booking to new dates within 12 months.
7 days or fewer before arrival, or if you don't arrive: no refund.

The PADI course deposit can't be refunded once your eLearning has been assigned (see section 2).
Moving to new dates depends on availability. Tell us as early as you can and we'll do our best to help.
Dives, courses or nights you don't use because you arrive late or leave early are not refunded.
If you booked your room through a booking website, that website's cancellation terms apply to the room.

4. Weather, safety and changes by us

Diving depends on the sea. Boat trips to Apo Island and Sumilon run subject to weather, sea conditions and the number of divers booked.
If a boat trip can't go ahead because of the weather or sea conditions, we'll offer you Dauin shore dives or another date instead.
Our guides and instructors may change a dive site, shorten a dive or cancel a dive whenever they judge it safer. Their decision on safety is final. A dive that is shortened or changed for safety reasons counts as a completed dive.
If we have to change your plans for any other reason, we'll offer you a suitable alternative.

5. Diving, fitness and courses

Honest information: you're responsible for telling us truthfully about your certification, diving experience and health.
Certification: certified divers show their certification card (or eCard) and tell us their number of dives and the date of their last dive.
Medical questionnaire: everyone taking a course completes the PADI medical questionnaire, including Discover Scuba Diving, Open Water, Advanced, Rescue, Divemaster and instructor training. So do certified divers taking a Scuba Refresher or who haven't dived for more than 12 months. If any answer is "Yes", a doctor must sign it before you dive.
Returning divers: if your last dive was more than 6 months ago, we recommend a check dive. After more than 12 months, we recommend a Scuba Refresher. We may require a check dive before your other dives.
Forms: before diving, every diver signs PADI's standard liability release and safe diving practices forms.
Diving safely: follow your guide's briefing and instructions, and dive within your training and experience. Please don't dive after drinking alcohol or taking anything that affects your judgement.
Our right to decline: we may decline to take anyone diving whom we consider unfit, unprepared or unsafe. If you can't dive because of a medical condition, missing paperwork or our safety assessment, the cancellation terms in section 3 apply.
Medical costs and insurance: you're responsible for the cost of any medical treatment, evacuation or recompression treatment. We strongly recommend dive insurance, and we can arrange DAN cover at the dive centre by the day, week, month or year.
Courses: please complete the eLearning sections we ask for before your first day. Everyone learns at their own pace, so we don't promise a fixed finishing date. If you need extra sessions to meet PADI's standards, we'll talk to you before adding any cost.
Equipment: please treat rental equipment with care. Equipment that is lost or damaged, beyond normal wear, may be charged at the cost of repair or replacement. Equipment you bring yourself is your responsibility.

6. Accommodation

Check-in is from 2:00 PM, or earlier if your room is ready. We're happy to store your luggage.
Check-out is at 12:00 noon.
The dive centre is open daily from 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM. If you'll arrive later than that, please let us know in advance.
Room rates are per room per night, and dorm rates are per bed per night. Meals are not included.
Children stay free when they share an existing bed. An extra bed in a Deluxe room is PHP 800 per guest per night.
You're responsible for any damage to your room or our property beyond normal wear.
We may ask guests whose behaviour puts others at risk or seriously disturbs them to leave, without a refund.
Building work: there is construction on the neighbouring land, so you may hear some noise between 8:00 AM and 4:30 PM. We expect it to finish in early 2027.

7. Airport and port transfers

We can book a private car or van for you between Dumaguete airport or Sibulan port and Bongo Bongo Divers. The price is PHP 1,500 each way per vehicle.
Transfers are provided by independent local transport companies, not by Bongo Bongo Divers. You pay the driver directly.
The transport company is responsible for its drivers, vehicles and service. We arrange the booking as a courtesy and are not responsible for delays, accidents, loss or the conduct of the driver.
Please send us your flight or ferry number, arrival time, number of people and roughly how much luggage you have, including dive gear.

8. Prices, fees and surcharges

Prices are in Philippine pesos (PHP) and per person unless we say otherwise.
The price in your written confirmation is the price you pay, except for changes to government fees or the fuel surcharge described below. We'll always tell you about those before you pay.
Sanctuary and marine park fees are set by the local authorities and can change. The Apo Island fee is expected to rise by the end of 2026.
Fuel surcharge: boat trips currently carry a temporary fuel surcharge (PHP 600 per diver on Apo Island trips). It may change or be removed as fuel prices change.
Multi-dive discount: from 10 dives we take 10% off the diving, and from 20 dives 15%. Discounts never apply to sanctuary fees or surcharges.
PADI fees: application and exam fees for Divemaster and instructor courses are PADI's own charges. They are listed separately in Australian dollars (AUD).

9. Responsibility

Scuba diving, snorkelling and boat travel carry risks, including serious injury or death. You take part at your own risk and accept those risks, as set out in the PADI release you sign before diving.
We follow PADI standards and take safety seriously. To the fullest extent allowed by Philippine law, we're not responsible for injury, illness, loss or damage unless it is caused by our negligence.
We're not responsible for events outside our control, such as weather, sea conditions, government decisions, power cuts or travel delays. The same applies to services provided by others, such as transfer companies, other boats and booking websites.
Please look after your valuables. We can't accept responsibility for personal belongings that are lost or damaged, unless it is caused by our negligence.
Nothing in these terms limits any rights you have under Philippine law. These terms are governed by the laws of the Philippines.

10. Photos and complaints

We sometimes take photos and videos during dives and activities and may use them on our website and social media. If you'd rather not appear, just tell us.
If something isn't right, please tell us during your stay so we can put it right straight away. We can only fix what we know about.

11. Changes to these terms

We may update these terms from time to time. The version on our website on the day you confirm your booking is the one that applies to it.

12. Contact us

Bongo Bongo Divers, J. Basa Street, Poblacion 1, Dauin, Negros Oriental, Philippines. Email ask@divebongo.com or WhatsApp +63 961 044 5975.