Refund Policy

The operator's policy is the policy

Refund eligibility, cancellation windows, deposit forfeiture, rebooking fees, transfers, and travel credits are decided by the operator under the booking terms you accepted at checkout. Liveaboards in particular often have strict, non-refundable deposits and short cancellation windows because cabins are expensive to fill last-minute. Always read the operator's cancellation policy before you pay.

If a supplier's written terms differ from anything you read on mantaradive.com, the supplier's terms govern your booking.

How to request a refund or change

1. 1

   Contact the operator first

   Email or call the dive operator, liveaboard, or resort you booked with. They are the merchant of record on your receipt; only they can issue a refund, transfer your booking, or extend a credit.

2. 2

   Forward the request to us

   Send a copy of your refund request and any operator reply to frank.zhang.8848@gmail.com. Include the booking reference, departure date, and the original referral page or link on mantaradive.com if you remember it.

3. 3

   We help push it forward

   We will follow up with the operator on your behalf, escalate to our partner contact where we have one, and keep you in the loop. Our target is a substantive update within 21 calendar days of your request.

4. 4

   Outcome is set by the operator's terms

   Whether the operator approves a refund, partial refund, transfer, or credit is governed entirely by the terms you accepted at booking. MantaraDive cannot override an operator's cancellation policy.

Our 21-day facilitation SLA

Once we receive a refund or change request you forwarded to us, we aim to give you a substantive update within 21 calendar days. "Substantive" means one of: the operator's decision, a clear next step they require from you, or an escalation path we have opened. The 21-day clock is on our follow-up effort — we cannot guarantee how fast an operator will respond or in which direction.

Travel insurance is the real safety net

Because operator refund policies on liveaboards and remote dive travel are typically strict, the most reliable way to protect a booking is travel insurance with diving and trip-interruption coverage. We recommend dive-specific providers such as DiveAssure and DAN (Divers Alert Network), whose policies are built around diving incidents, evacuation, and supplier non-performance. Buy coverage promptly after you book — most policies cap or exclude pre-existing situations if you wait. Insurance is provided by the insurer, not by MantaraDive.

Force majeure and supplier insolvency

Severe weather, marine-park closures, pandemics, vessel breakdowns, civil disruption, and operator insolvency are all outside MantaraDive's control. In those situations the operator decides whether to refund, reschedule, or issue credits, often guided by what they can recover from their own downstream suppliers and insurers. MantaraDive will help you push the request, but we cannot fund replacement travel or make up refunds an operator does not pay. Travel insurance that includes supplier insolvency cover is the right tool here.

Chargebacks and disputes

If an operator does not honor its own terms, you can usually open a dispute or chargeback through the card or payment provider you used to pay them. We are happy to share any evidence we have — the original referral page, the booking terms shown to you, and our follow-up history — to support a fair outcome.

Questions or need help with a request?

Email frank.zhang.8848@gmail.com with your booking reference, departure date, and a short description of what you need. We read every message and will tell you within a few business days whether we can help and what the realistic outcome looks like.