Cancellation, transfer, relocation & modification policy

At OceanFit we believe we have a fair cancellation, transfer, relocation and modification policy that takes into account:

1. The natural and unpredictable environment we operate in,
2. The premium level of service and water safety standards we provide, and
3. That OceanFit is a small business with high demand with limited capacity.

Without this policy, it would not be economical for OceanFit to provide our programs.

Participants should be aware of the contents of this policy before registering for any of OceanFit’s programs.

Please also view our new COVID-19 Clause.

Why we have developed this policy

Since 2009 OceanFit has been committed to providing the highest level of training, safety and support to our participants.

Hundreds of hours of preparation go into every OceanFit season, and we have a small window of opportunity each season to provide the programs we do, in a way that is profitable enough to ensure the ongoing viability of OceanFit.

• We appreciate that you would love for your training to be conducted in perfect conditions on warm, blue sky days,
• We understand that taking on a challenge like ocean swimming can be daunting, sometimes scary, and that you might not be ready for it when your program comes around,
• We know that life can get in the way sometimes; maybe you forgot you had something else on, or you have been booked on a last minute work trip, or have taken ill.

Unfortunately, these are all factors that are out of OceanFit’s control, and if we had an open policy for accommodating every participant’s needs, we simply would not be in a position to provide our programs.

Awareness of our policy

Ensuring you are aware of this policy is both OceanFit’s, and the participant’s, responsibility.

OceanFit ensures that you are made aware of the policy by:

• Making it known to you in our terms and conditions
• Asking you to agree to our terms and conditions before making a purchase
• Reminding you in all program email correspondence.

Participants are required to:

• Read the terms and conditions before committing to a purchase
• Agree to the terms and conditions by ticking the appropriate box on checkout
• Respect the terms and conditions.

Participant cancellations and transfers

Glossary

• Cancellation: Participant no longer wishes to participate in a program
• Transfer: A switch to another scheduled date and time for an identical program

Swim Tours

Includes: Swim The Whitsundays

Cancellations and transfers are accepted prior to the swim tour, as stated below, provided the requests are submitted in writing to [email protected]:

Standard terms & conditions

20% deposits are non-refundable.

More than 60 days prior

• Cancellations – Permitted (Deposit not refunded). If you have paid more than the required deposit, you can choose to take this amount as: (1) a refund, minus a 3% processing fee, or, (2) an account credit, which will be valid for 12 months. (i.e. your account credit must be redeemed within 12 months, however your trip can take place outside of this period).
• Transfers – Permitted (You can transfer to another swim tour, that is already scheduled and taking bookings)

Full payment must be made prior to 60 days before the swim tour departure date.

Up to 60 days before departure

• Cancellations – Not permitted (No refund)
• Transfers – Not Permitted

There will be NO refund (deposit or full payment) for participants who cancel their swim tour up to 60 days before departure.

You cannot hold your booking to be transferred to a future swim tour that is not already scheduled and taking bookings.

If the swim tour does not go ahead, all payments will be refunded, including the deposit.

100% COVID Refund Policy terms & conditions

Guests who transferred to a 2021 swim tour from a cancelled 2020 swim tour

For all guests who booked on a 2020 swim tour, that was cancelled due to COVID-19, and who transferred to a 2021 swim tour:

• You can cancel your 2021 swim tour at any time up until 60-days before departure for a 100% refund of all money paid (deposit or full balance)
• The standard Cancellation & Transfer policy will apply from up to 60 days before departure, i.e. Cancellations – Not permitted (No refund), Transfers – Not Permitted
• The 100% COVID Refund Policy will apply from up to 60 days before departure, as per ‘Guests who have purchased a 2021 swim tour since August 2020’.

Guests who have purchased a 2021 swim tour since August 2020

All 2021 swim tours, purchased since August 2020, are covered by the Swim Tours standard terms & conditions, except where COVID-19 prevents you from attending. In this case, you will be covered by OceanFit’s 100% COVID Refund Policy.

A guest who has booked a 2021 swim tour is eligible for a 100% refund of all monies paid, or a transfer to a future tour, right up until your tour departure, when:

• Govt./State mandated border closures/restrictions prevent you from travelling to the tour departure location
• You are located in a ‘COVID Hotspot’ as specified by the relevant state health department and are prevented from travelling to the tour departure location
• You are prevented from travelling due to a sudden government-enforced lockdown
• You have been diagnosed with COVID-19 within 14-days of your swim tour departure (certified by a health practitioner)
• You are considered a close contact of a diagnosed case of COVID-19 and are required to get tested and isolate, meaning you will be in isolation at the time of tour departure

A guest who has booked a 2021 swim tour is ineligible for a 100% refund of any monies paid, or transfer, under the 100% COVID Refund Policy, when:

• You are not showing any COVID-19 symptoms, and/or have not visited a hotspot, and/or have not come into close contact with a person with COVID-19, and otherwise have no reason to get a COVID-19 test, yet do get tested and are required to isolate over your tour departure date
• You have COVID-19 symptoms but have not been tested to confirm you have COVID-19.

Travelling with family or friend/s? All guests registered under the same booking reference number can choose to receive a refund or transfer as well as the person prevented from travelling.

A tour may be cancelled before departure if the number of participants affected by COVID restrictions means we don’t meet the minimum numbers to run the swim tour. In this case, we will give you as much notice as possible. A full refund or transfer will be offered.

If a tour that has commenced is cut short due to COVID-related reasons, i.e. impending border closures, there will be no refunds. 

Wet & wild weekends

Cancellations and transfers are accepted prior to the W&WW, as stated below, provided the requests are submitted in writing to [email protected]:

More than 28 days prior (4-weeks)

• Cancellations – Permitted (Minus a 3% transaction fee) 
• Transfers – Permitted

28-21 days prior

• Cancellations – Not permitted (No refund)
• Transfers – Permitted

Up to 21 days before

• Cancellations – Not permitted (No refund)
• Transfers – Not permitted (No refund)

There will be NO refund for participants who cancel their W&WW up to 28 days before the start of the clinic.

Clinics

Includes: Ocean confidence, Learn to ocean swim, Negotiating the surf, Open water swimming

Cancellations and transfers are accepted prior to the clinic, as stated below, provided the requests are submitted in writing to [email protected]:

More than 14 days prior

• Cancellations – Permitted (Minus a 3% transaction fee)
• Transfers – Permitted

14-8 days prior (i.e. 3 Friday’s before a Saturday clinic)

• Cancellations – Not permitted* (No refund)
• Transfers – Permitted

Up to 7 days before (i.e. 2 Friday’s before a Saturday clinic)

• Cancellations – Not permitted* (No refund)
• Transfers – Not permitted* (No refund)

*In some circumstances, we may be able to offer you a place in a future clinic, however, these places will only be offered at the last minute, if the clinic has not been sold out, and will almost never include January clinics. We are not obliged to offer this service.

There will be NO refund for participants who cancel their clinic up to 14 days before the start of the clinic.

Classes

Includes: MOCEAN, VITALITY, ENERGY

Cancellations and transfers are accepted prior to the start of the block (the first lesson in the block), as stated below, provided the requests are submitted in writing to [email protected]:

More than 7 days prior

• Cancellations – Permitted
• Transfers – Permitted

Up to 7 days before

• Cancellations – Not permitted (No refund)
• Transfers – Not permitted* (No refund)

*In some circumstances, if we are required to join small classes together, we may be able to offer transfers. We are not obliged to offer this service.

There will be NO refund for participants who cancel their block of classes up to 7 days before the start of the scheduled block.

Missed class

During the block, if you can’t make a class for any reason (i.e. sick/away) then unfortunately you lose that class.

Make-up class

We run very small groups, often at their six-person capacity, so we don’t have the luxury of offering flexibility in which classes you join. However, we will do our best to find a spare place in any remaining weeks in the block for a make-up session. There is no guarantee you will get a make-up and there is no holding over make-ups to any future season block.

Playing your part

We ask that everyone helps us and others looking for make-up’s by letting us know as soon as possible in advance of your class if you won’t be there, this way we can redistribute your place to someone else. This works well if everyone plays their part, if you’d like the option of a make-up session, ensure you keep your side of the bargain and offer the sessions you are unavailable.

Postponements & cancellations

We only make decisions about conditions and whether we swim or not at the beach, so please turn up no matter what the surf forecast or weather is like on the day. There is almost always something we can do in the water, and these sessions often over-deliver on fun and experience.

Private lessons

Includes: Adult private lessons, Child private lessons, OceanFit 4 Kids

Full cancellations of all pre-paid lessons are accepted prior to the start of the block of lessons, as stated below, provided the requests are submitted in writing to your instructor:

More than 3 days prior

• Cancellations – Permitted

Up to 3 days before

• Cancellations – Not permitted (No refund)

Weekday private lessons

There will be no refund for participants who cancel or postpone a private lesson within three (3) days of their scheduled lesson.

Weekend private lessons

There will be no refund for participants who cancel or postpone weekend private lessons at any stage, for any reason.

OceanFit program cancellations, relocations & modifications

Glossary

• Cancellation: A full program is not being delivered
• Relocation: All, or part of, a program is moved to a new location nearby
• Modified: Part of a program’s scheduled content is replaced by different content

It is our preference to deliver every program at its scheduled location, at its scheduled time, and including the scheduled content, however, there will be times when we are unable to deliver a program as scheduled due to a range of factors, many out of our control.

Insufficient participant, instructor, and water safety numbers

Programs may be cancelled if we don’t meet the minimum numbers of participants, instructors, and water safety required to make them safe, economically viable, and enjoyable for all.

We’ll let you know as soon as we can if we’re cancelling the program and we will give you a number of alternative options to participate in the future, or we will refund your program fee in full to a nominated bank account.

Bad weather and conditions

The weather and ocean conditions play a significant role in the safety, enjoyment and teachability of our educational programs. When we consider how the weather and ocean conditions will impact a program, we take into account:

1. The type of program,
2. The ability and experience of participants (and the fact we may not have seen you swim yet),
3. The changing conditions and forecast,
4. Swell, waves, seas, wind, rain, water quality, visibility, air temperature, water temperature,
5. Length of program,
6. Instructor workload and scheduling,
7. Whether we have the ability to reschedule,
8. Any other mitigating factors that may be present.

Should we decide the weather and ocean conditions do not meet our safety and teachability standard, we will either:

1. Cancel the program
2. Relocate all, or part of, the program, or,
3. Modify the program content

If this is the case we’ll let you know well in advance if we can.

For Cancelled programs:

In the majority of cases, if the weather and ocean conditions are marginal, we will wait until the last minute to cancel a program at the beach, moments before the scheduled start time of the program. Conditions can be very different to what is forecast, and they can change fast, so the only true way to assess conditions is at the beach, in real time.

In this case:

• You must be in attendance to find out whether a program is going ahead or not,
• Only participants who are present, at the beach, when it’s cancelled will get to reschedule their program
• If you are not present at a program when it is cancelled, you will forfeit your program and fee.

For program Relocations:

All programs (i.e. Clinics) will have a back-up venue where we can relocate to deliver the program with the least disruption as possible.

These back-up venues are nearby in sheltered locations, including beaches, harbours, lakes and rivers.

If the program is relocated, the program is deemed to be scheduled as usual, and all the regular Participant cancellation and transfers terms and conditions apply.

In some cases, the program content may have to be modified to suit the new location, i.e. at a flat water location, body surfing would be replaced with something else.

For Modified programs:

In the case of a relocated program, or, if a program has started and weather and conditions become adverse, the program content may be modified in order to complete the program.

Modified programs are usually the result of large surf, stingers present, or poor water quality.

The activities in a modified program will, as best as possible, closely match the scheduled program content. 

If the program is modified, the program is deemed to be scheduled as usual, and all the regular Participant cancellation and transfers terms and conditions apply.s