Terms, Privacy & Cookie Policy
These Terms, Privacy and Cookie Policies apply to courses, diving activities, equipment hire, servicing, cylinder filling, trips, holidays, children’s activities, Independent Alternative Provision, retail sales and other services supplied or arranged by Abyss Scuba Ltd, trading as Abyss Scuba School.
By making a booking, purchasing a product or service, submitting information or participating in an activity, you confirm that you have read and accepted the relevant terms below.
Nothing in these terms limits any statutory rights that cannot legally be excluded.
Part One: Terms & Conditions
1. Trading information
Abyss Scuba School is the trading name of Abyss Scuba Ltd.
Address:
Abyss Scuba School
Unit 1C, Littlehampton Marina
Ferry Road
Littlehampton
West Sussex
BN17 5DS
Email: info@abyss-scuba.co.uk
Telephone: 01903 962602
References to “Abyss”, “we”, “us” or “our” mean Abyss Scuba Ltd trading as Abyss Scuba School.
2. Making a booking
Full payment is required when booking unless alternative arrangements have been agreed in writing.
Customers are responsible for checking that the chosen course, activity or service is suitable and that all applicable age, qualification, medical and experience requirements are met.
A booking is not transferable to another person without our prior agreement.
Prices, dates, locations and inclusions will be those displayed or confirmed when the booking is made. Obvious pricing or description errors may be corrected, in which case the customer may cancel and receive a refund of any affected payment.
3. Fourteen-day cancellation period
Customers purchasing online, by telephone or away from our premises may have a legal right to cancel certain purchases within 14 days.
This right may not apply to:
Leisure activities or services booked for a specific date or period
Services completed during the cancellation period at the customer’s request
Digital content accessed or supplied after the customer has expressly agreed to immediate delivery
Personalised, made-to-order, sealed or hygiene-sensitive products where a statutory exception applies
Where PADI eLearning or other digital training materials are issued during the cancellation period, the customer may be required to expressly request immediate access and acknowledge that the right to cancel that digital content may be lost once access or download begins.
These provisions do not affect statutory rights relating to faulty goods, services not carried out with reasonable care and skill or products not as described.
4. Diving medical requirements
Participants must complete the relevant medical questionnaire honestly and accurately before taking part.
Where an answer requires medical approval, a signed clearance from an appropriate medical professional must be supplied before participation.
Medical information must be kept accurate and updated if a participant’s health, medication, treatment or circumstances change.
Failure to disclose relevant information may result in:
Participation being refused
Removal from training or an activity
Additional training being required
Certification being delayed or declined
Cancellation of the booking
Where a session cannot proceed because a required medical declaration or clearance has not been provided, the normal cancellation and rescheduling charges may apply.
5. Course participation and certification
Participants must meet the relevant PADI standards, prerequisites, minimum ages and performance requirements.
Certification is not automatic or guaranteed. It is awarded only when the participant has successfully met all required knowledge and performance standards.
If additional training is reasonably required, extra sessions may be arranged and charged at the current rate. Any additional cost will be explained before further training takes place.
Participants must:
Follow instructor and site instructions
Behave responsibly
Use equipment appropriately
Remain within their qualification and experience
Inform us of anything that could affect their participation
Attend at the stated time with the required documents and equipment
Late arrival may reduce the available training time. Arrival more than 15 minutes late may result in the session being cancelled where it is no longer possible to complete the activity safely or within standards.
6. Course cancellations and rescheduling
Notice must be provided by email or another method acknowledged by Abyss Scuba School.
The notice period runs from the time we receive the cancellation during our normal working hours. Working days exclude Sundays and public holidays.
Pool and confined-water training
Seven or more days’ notice: no rescheduling charge
Three to six days’ notice: £25 rescheduling charge
Zero to two days’ notice: £50 rescheduling charge
Failure to attend: the full confined-water session cost may be charged
Discover Scuba Diving, Bubblemaker and children’s sessions
Seven or more days’ notice: no rescheduling charge
Three to six days’ notice: £10 rescheduling charge
Zero to two days’ notice: £25 rescheduling charge
Failure to attend: the full session cost may be charged
Open-water course sessions
Seven or more days’ notice: no rescheduling charge
Three to six days’ notice: £75 rescheduling charge
Zero to two days’ notice: £150 rescheduling charge
Failure to attend: the full open-water training cost may be charged
Course withdrawals and refunds
If a participant withdraws after starting a course, any refund will be calculated after deducting:
Training already supplied
PADI eLearning or other digital-material costs
Certification or registration fees already incurred
Equipment hire already supplied
Dive-site, boat, travel or third-party charges already incurred
Any applicable administration or rescheduling charge
PADI eLearning and digital-material charges cannot normally be refunded once the materials have been issued or accessed.
Where a discounted package or progression programme is cancelled partway through, completed elements may be recalculated at their normal individual prices before any refund is calculated.
Practical course elements should normally be completed within 12 months of the original booking unless we agree otherwise in writing.
7. Illness and medical cancellations
If a participant cannot continue because of a diagnosed medical condition, we may offer a transfer, credit or refund after deducting costs already incurred, including eLearning, certification, third-party and administration costs.
Reasonable medical evidence may be requested.
Temporary illnesses such as colds, congestion, headaches or minor sickness do not automatically qualify for a refund. However, participants must not dive when medically unfit, including when congestion could prevent safe equalisation. We will consider reasonable rescheduling requests individually.
8. Cancellation by Abyss Scuba School
We may reschedule, relocate, modify or cancel an activity because of:
Unsafe weather or sea conditions
Poor visibility or unsuitable water conditions
Dive-site or vessel cancellation
Equipment failure
Instructor illness or unavailability
Insufficient participant numbers
Safety, welfare or safeguarding concerns
Circumstances outside our reasonable control
Where possible, an alternative date, site or suitable replacement activity will be offered.
If Abyss cancels a service that cannot reasonably be rearranged, the customer’s statutory rights will apply. Refunds will take account of services already provided and any lawful, non-recoverable third-party costs where applicable.
9. Equipment hire
All hired equipment remains the property of Abyss Scuba School.
Customers are responsible for equipment from the time it is issued until it is returned and may be charged for:
Loss or theft
Deliberate or negligent damage
Missing components
Damage caused by misuse
Excessive wear beyond reasonable use
Normal wear and tear is not charged.
Equipment must be used only for its intended purpose and in accordance with the user’s training, qualification and experience.
Weather-cancelled dives
Where a planned dive is cancelled by Abyss, the dive site, boat operator or activity provider because of unsuitable weather, sea conditions or another operational reason outside the customer’s control, any equipment-rental charge paid to Abyss may be transferred once to another suitable diving day within 12 months.
The transferred hire:
Is for the original customer
Is subject to availability
Must be used for comparable equipment
Has no cash value
Cannot be exchanged for an unrelated product or service
Expires 12 months after the original dive date
This transfer does not apply where the customer independently chooses not to attend after the activity remains operational, unless otherwise agreed.
10. Children and youth activities
Parents or guardians must provide accurate medical, emergency-contact, collection and safeguarding information.
Minimum ages and activity-specific requirements apply.
Parents or guardians remain responsible for ensuring children:
Arrive with suitable clothing and personal items
Are collected promptly
Follow staff instructions and centre rules
Have any required medication available
Have disclosed relevant medical, behavioural, sensory or support needs
Participation may be suspended or ended where behaviour creates a material risk to the participant, other children, staff, property or the safe operation of an activity.
Any refund or credit will depend on the circumstances, services already supplied and costs already incurred.
11. Air and Nitrox cylinder filling
Cylinders presented for filling must:
Be within the required inspection and test period
Be in a safe and serviceable condition
Have a suitable, serviceable valve
Be correctly marked
Meet the requirements for the requested gas and filling method
We may refuse any cylinder that appears unsafe, damaged, contaminated, incorrectly marked, out of test or otherwise unsuitable.
Nitrox customers are responsible for personally analysing the gas, confirming its oxygen percentage, labelling the cylinder and planning the dive using an appropriate maximum operating depth.
Abyss Scuba School supplies air at 232 or 300 bar and Nitrox from 22% to 40%, subject to cylinder suitability, capacity and operational availability.
12. Equipment and cylinder servicing
Abyss Scuba School provides a convenient drop-off, administration and collection service for equipment and cylinder servicing.
Servicing, inspection, testing and repair work is carried out by Southern Cylinders Ltd, or another suitably qualified provider where the customer is informed in advance.
The equipment is transferred to the servicing provider for assessment and technical work. Abyss does not represent that servicing or cylinder testing is performed at the Abyss premises.
Additional work or parts may be required after inspection. Where practicable, the customer will be contacted for approval before additional chargeable work is completed.
Estimated completion dates are not guaranteed because turnaround may depend on:
The servicing provider
Parts availability
Manufacturer support
Inspection or test results
Additional faults discovered
Transport and workload
Abyss remains responsible for the reasonable care of equipment while it is directly in our possession and for accurately administering the drop-off and collection service. Southern Cylinders Ltd is responsible for the technical servicing, inspection, testing and repair work it performs.
Nothing in these terms excludes any rights or responsibilities that cannot legally be excluded.
Collection of serviced equipment
All charges must be paid before equipment is collected.
We will make reasonable attempts to notify customers when equipment is ready. Equipment not collected within 90 days may incur a reasonable storage charge.
If equipment remains uncollected after 180 days, we may take reasonable steps to recover unpaid costs or arrange disposal, but only after making reasonable attempts to contact the owner and providing appropriate notice.
13. Dive trips, boat dives and UK diving activities
Dive sites, boat operators and other third parties may apply their own terms, which participants must follow.
Participants are responsible for holding:
Appropriate certification
Suitable experience
Required equipment
Any required dive or travel insurance
Suitable medical fitness
Any documents requested by the operator
A dive may be modified or cancelled because of weather, tides, sea conditions, visibility, vessel availability, site restrictions, safety concerns or another circumstance outside Abyss Scuba School’s reasonable control.
Where diving cannot take place, Abyss will seek any refund or alternative offered by the third-party provider. However, no refund will be available for third-party charges that have already been committed and cannot reasonably be recovered.
Where appropriate, any recoverable amount or alternative offered by the provider will be passed to the customer, subject to reasonable administration costs and services already supplied by Abyss.
Equipment-rental charges paid directly to Abyss may be transferred in accordance with Section 9.
14. Dive holidays and travel arrangements
Abyss Scuba School may introduce customers to, coordinate with or make bookings through independent travel, accommodation, diving, transport and activity providers.
The identity of the relevant providers and what is included will be explained in the booking information. Provider terms may also apply.
Abyss may collect money and forward payments to the companies supplying the relevant travel or diving services. Deposits are used to secure services with those providers and are normally non-refundable once committed.
If a customer cancels, the refund available will depend on:
The provider’s cancellation terms
Payments already committed
Services already supplied
Whether the customer’s place can be transferred or resold
Reasonable administration costs
Customers should obtain suitable travel and diving insurance from the date of booking, including appropriate cancellation cover.
If diving cannot take place because of weather, sea conditions, vessel problems, government restrictions, operational decisions or another circumstance outside Abyss Scuba School’s reasonable control, no refund will be due for services and third-party costs that have already been supplied, committed or cannot reasonably be recovered.
Where a third-party provider gives Abyss a refund, credit or replacement service, the corresponding benefit will be passed to the affected customer after deducting any services already supplied and reasonable non-recoverable costs.
Nothing in this section limits any rights that apply under the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 or other applicable consumer law. Where another company is identified as the package organiser, its booking conditions will apply to the package it supplies.
15. Independent Alternative Provision
Placement arrangements may be funded or commissioned by West Sussex County Council, another local authority, a school, another organisation, a parent or carer.
Individual placement agreements, referral documents and written commissioning arrangements take priority where they contain specific terms agreed by both parties.
Ending a placement
Unless another written agreement applies, the following notice periods are required:
West Sussex County Council-funded placements: six weeks’ written notice
School-funded placements: two weeks’ written notice
Self-funded placements: two weeks’ written notice
Sessions falling within the applicable notice period remain chargeable whether or not the learner attends.
Attendance and missed sessions
Commissioners, schools and parents or carers are responsible for supporting attendance and notifying Abyss of absences.
Booked sessions remain chargeable where a learner:
Does not attend
Refuses to attend
Is absent because of transport difficulties
Is temporarily unwell
Is excluded or suspended because of behaviour creating an unmanageable safety or safeguarding risk
Different arrangements may be agreed where Abyss cancels a session or exceptional circumstances apply.
We may suspend or terminate a placement where needs, risks or behaviours cannot be safely and reasonably supported. Wherever appropriate, this will follow discussion with the commissioner, school, parent or carer and other relevant professionals.
Abyss does not guarantee particular educational, therapeutic, behavioural, emotional or qualification outcomes.
16. Product sales and deliveries
Products must be paid for before dispatch unless otherwise agreed.
Delivery times are estimates and may be affected by supplier availability or circumstances outside our reasonable control.
Some products may be dispatched directly by a supplier. Abyss remains the customer’s retailer where the sales contract is with Abyss Scuba Ltd.
17. Returns and faulty products
For most products purchased online, customers have 14 days after delivery to notify us that they wish to cancel, followed by a further 14 days to return the goods.
Returned goods must be handled reasonably and returned complete. A deduction may be made where handling has reduced the product’s value beyond what would reasonably be permitted in a shop.
Customers may normally be responsible for the direct cost of returning unwanted goods unless the product is faulty, incorrectly supplied or we agree otherwise.
Cancellation rights may not apply to:
Personalised or made-to-order products
Sealed goods unsuitable for return for health or hygiene reasons once unsealed
Products inseparably mixed with other items
Digital content once immediate supply has begun with the required consent
Faulty, damaged, incorrectly supplied or misdescribed products should be reported as soon as reasonably possible. Requesting photographs within 48 hours may help us resolve delivery damage quickly, but this does not remove statutory rights.
Abyss Scuba Ltd remains responsible for its legal obligations as the retailer. Manufacturer warranties are additional to, and do not replace, the customer’s statutory rights.
18. Photography and video
Photographs or video will not be used for marketing solely because a participant failed to opt out.
Where marketing photography is planned, we will seek appropriate consent. For children, consent will normally be obtained from a parent or person with parental responsibility, with the child’s wishes also respected where appropriate.
Consent for marketing photography may be withdrawn for future use by contacting us. Withdrawal will not necessarily affect material already lawfully published or printed.
Photography may still be used without marketing consent where necessary for safeguarding, incident recording, evidencing learning or another lawful purpose. Any such use will be handled under the Privacy Policy below.
19. Behaviour and safety
We may refuse or end participation where a person:
Fails to follow reasonable safety instructions
Appears medically unfit or impaired
Behaves abusively, dangerously or disruptively
Places themselves or another person at risk
Damages equipment or property
Creates a safeguarding concern
Refunds are not automatic and will depend on services already supplied, costs incurred and the circumstances.
20. Liability
Scuba diving, snorkelling, swimming, boating and other water-based activities involve inherent risks.
Participants must follow training, supervision and recognised procedures and remain within their qualification, experience and personal limits.
Abyss will take reasonable care in delivering its own services. We do not exclude liability for:
Death or personal injury caused by negligence
Fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation
Breach of statutory consumer rights
Any liability that cannot legally be excluded
We are not responsible for losses caused by a customer’s failure to follow instructions, disclose relevant information or use equipment appropriately.
21. Complaints
Please raise concerns promptly so we have an opportunity to investigate and resolve them.
Complaints should be sent to:
Email: info@abyss-scuba.co.uk
Address: Abyss Scuba School, Unit 1C, Littlehampton Marina, Ferry Road, Littlehampton, West Sussex, BN17 5DS
22. Governing law
These terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales.
Customers living elsewhere in the United Kingdom retain any applicable right to bring proceedings in their home jurisdiction.
Part Two: Privacy Policy
23. Who controls your information?
Abyss Scuba Ltd, trading as Abyss Scuba School, is the controller of personal information collected through our website and during the delivery of our services.
Questions or data-protection requests should be sent to:
Email: info@abyss-scuba.co.uk
Address: Abyss Scuba School, Unit 1C, Littlehampton Marina, Ferry Road, Littlehampton, West Sussex, BN17 5DS
24. Information we may collect
Depending on your relationship with us, we may collect:
Names and contact details
Addresses and dates of birth
Parent, guardian and emergency-contact details
Booking, payment and purchase information
Diving qualifications, experience and log information
Medical declarations, health information and medication details
Accessibility, SEND, communication and support information
EHCP, referral and placement information
Attendance, progress, incident and safeguarding records
Equipment, servicing and cylinder details
Correspondence, enquiries, complaints and feedback
Photographs and videos
Website, cookie, device and analytics information
Information supplied by schools, local authorities, families, professionals and service providers
Medical, SEND, safeguarding and some educational information may constitute special-category personal data and will receive additional protection.
25. How we use personal information
We may use information to:
Respond to enquiries
Manage bookings and payments
Deliver courses, activities and qualifications
Assess medical and participation requirements
Maintain safety and emergency records
Arrange equipment hire, servicing and cylinder testing
Organise trips and holidays
Provide Independent Alternative Provision
Communicate with parents, schools, commissioners and professionals
Monitor attendance, progress, welfare and safeguarding
Maintain financial, insurance and business records
Handle complaints, incidents and legal claims
Improve our website and services
Send marketing where permitted
Meet legal, regulatory, PADI, educational and safeguarding obligations
26. Our lawful bases
Depending on the circumstances, we process personal information because:
It is necessary to enter into or perform a contract
We have a legal obligation
We have a legitimate business, safety or safeguarding interest
Consent has been provided
It is necessary to protect someone’s vital interests
It is necessary for establishing, exercising or defending legal claims
Where special-category information is processed, we also rely on an appropriate additional condition, such as explicit consent, health and safety requirements, safeguarding, substantial public interest or legal claims.
27. Children’s information
We collect children’s information only where reasonably necessary to provide activities, training, education, safeguarding and support.
We may receive this information from:
The child or young person
Parents or carers
Schools and SENCOs
Local authorities
Health, social-care or other professionals
Commissioning organisations
We take particular care with children’s medical, educational, SEND, safeguarding, photographic and contact information.
28. Sharing information
We may share relevant information with:
PADI and other training or certification bodies
Dive sites, boats and activity providers
Southern Cylinders Ltd and other approved servicing providers
Travel, accommodation and holiday providers
Payment, booking, email, website and IT providers
Insurers, accountants and professional advisers
Schools, local authorities, commissioners and relevant professionals
Emergency services, medical professionals or safeguarding authorities
Regulators, courts or public bodies where legally required
Only information reasonably required for the relevant purpose will be shared.
We do not sell personal information.
29. International processing
Some website, booking, email, certification, payment or technology providers may process information outside the United Kingdom.
Where required, we use providers and safeguards intended to provide an appropriate level of protection, such as UK adequacy regulations or approved contractual safeguards.
30. How long information is retained
Information is retained only for as long as reasonably required for the purpose for which it was collected and to meet legal, insurance, tax, safeguarding, education and certification requirements.
Retention periods vary according to the type of record. Safeguarding, incident, medical, IAP, financial and training records may need to be retained for longer periods.
Information that is no longer required will be securely deleted, anonymised or destroyed.
31. Marketing
We may send service information relating to an existing booking or placement where necessary.
Promotional emails will be sent only where permitted. Customers may unsubscribe using the link in the email or by contacting us.
Withdrawing from marketing does not prevent us from sending essential messages about an active booking, purchase, placement or safety matter.
32. Information security
We use reasonable organisational and technical measures to protect personal information from loss, unauthorised access, alteration or disclosure.
Access to sensitive information is limited to people who reasonably require it for their role.
No internet or storage system is completely secure, but suspected data breaches will be investigated and reported where legally required.
33. Your data-protection rights
Depending on the circumstances, you may have the right to:
Request access to your personal information
Correct inaccurate or incomplete information
Request deletion
Restrict processing
Object to processing
Receive certain information in a portable format
Withdraw consent
Complain about how information is handled
Some rights are subject to legal exceptions, including safeguarding, legal claims and statutory record-keeping requirements.
Requests should be sent to info@abyss-scuba.co.uk.
You may also complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office at www.ico.org.uk.
Part Three: Cookie Policy
34. What are cookies?
Cookies are small files placed on a device when someone visits a website. They help websites function, remember choices, understand how visitors use pages and support certain booking, shopping or marketing features.
Similar technologies may include pixels, tags, local storage and analytics tools.
35. Cookies used on our website
Our website may use the following categories:
Essential cookies
These are required for functions such as:
Website security
Navigation
Shopping baskets
Checkout
Booking forms
Account access
Remembering privacy choices
Essential cookies cannot normally be disabled through our cookie controls because the website may not function correctly without them.
Analytics cookies
These help us understand:
Which pages are visited
How visitors found the website
How long visitors remain on pages
Whether errors occur
How the website can be improved
Analytics cookies should be used only where the required consent has been obtained.
Functional cookies
These remember preferences and enable enhanced website features.
Marketing cookies
These may be used to measure advertising, understand campaign performance or show relevant content across websites and platforms.
Non-essential marketing cookies should not be placed unless the visitor has provided the required consent.
36. Third-party services
Cookies or similar technologies may be set by services used for:
Squarespace website hosting and ecommerce
Online booking and scheduling
Payment processing
Embedded videos or maps
Website analytics
Social-media content
Email subscriptions
Advertising and campaign measurement
These providers may process information under their own privacy and cookie policies.
37. Managing cookie choices
Visitors can accept, reject or manage non-essential cookies through the website’s cookie banner or privacy controls.
Browser settings can also be used to block or delete cookies. Blocking essential cookies may prevent parts of the website, shop or booking system from working correctly.
Consent choices can be changed at any time through the website’s cookie settings where available.
38. Changes to this page
We may update these Terms, Privacy and Cookie Policies when our services, suppliers, practices or legal obligations change.
The current version will be published on this page with its latest revision date.
Last updated: 12 August 2026