What Happens If the Weather Turns
If the sea is not safe, we do not sail. When a trip is called off for weather, you are offered another day during your stay, and if no day works you simply pay nothing — because you reserve free online and pay on the day, there is no deposit sitting with us and nothing to claw back. Rain by itself almost never stops a dive day; wind and swell do. The decision belongs to the captain and the instructor team, and it is made on the morning, with the day's actual conditions in front of them.
That is the whole policy in one paragraph. The rest of this guide explains why it works that way, so you can plan your holiday around it with confidence rather than anxiety.
Why Wind Matters More Than Rain
Underwater, weather is largely irrelevant. Once you are three or four metres down, you cannot feel rain, wind or a grey sky. Visibility is set by what is suspended in the water, not by what is falling from the clouds. A drizzly morning can produce a perfectly pleasant dive.
The problem is everything that happens above the surface. Wind builds waves, and waves make three specific things difficult: boarding and leaving the boat with a tank on your back, holding a stable position at the surface while a group gets ready, and the crew's ability to see and reach a diver quickly. Swell also stirs the seabed close to shore, which can turn clear water milky. Our guide to /blog/visibility-diving-side goes into what changes clarity along this coast.
So a summer thunderstorm that clears in an hour may cost you nothing but a delayed start, while a steady wind on a bright, sunny day can be the thing that cancels the trip. Guests are often surprised by that. It is the honest picture.
Sheltered alternatives
Before cancelling, the first option is usually to move, not to stop. This coastline has bays and headlands that sit in the lee of the wind, and the sites we use are not a single fixed point. On a breezy day the boat may work a more sheltered site than planned, or the running order of the two dives may change. If the alternative would not give you a good day, we say so rather than sell you a poor one.
Who Decides, and When
The captain makes the call, with the instructors. This is not a customer service decision and it is not made by whoever answers the phone. A captain who says no on a marginal day is not being cautious for the sake of it: they are the person responsible for a boat full of people, some of whom are breathing compressed air for the first time in their lives.
The timing is usually early. Conditions are assessed on the morning of the trip, and if the sea has changed overnight you will hear from us before or around your pickup. Occasionally a day starts fine and turns; if the crew ends the diving early for safety, that is the same call being made later in the day, for the same reason. Our full approach is set out on /diving/safety, and /blog/is-scuba-diving-in-side-safe covers the wider safety picture.
Rescheduling, Refunds and Your Money
Because our model is reserve free online, pay on the day in cash or by card, weather cancellations are financially painless.
- Move the day. The usual outcome. Tell us which days are left in your stay and we will put you on the first trip with space.
- Switch the trip. Sometimes another coast is workable when yours is not. The five day trips on /tours run from different harbours and face different water.
- Cancel with nothing owed. If nothing fits before you fly home, that is the end of it. No deposit, no fee, no argument.
The same logic covers your own change of mind: free cancellation up to 24 hours before the trip. If you wake up unwell, or a family plan changes, tell us and it costs nothing.
One thing weather cannot flex
If your trip moves later in your holiday, keep the 24 hour rule in view: you must not fly within 24 hours of diving. A rescheduled dive on your last full day may collide with an early flight home. Check your departure before you pick the replacement date, and read /blog/why-no-flying-after-diving if you want the reasoning.
How to Plan Around the Weather
Two practical habits make a difference. First, book your dive day early in your holiday rather than on the last day, so there is room to move if the sea disagrees. Second, keep your phone reachable: we confirm your pickup the evening before, and that is also when any weather doubt gets discussed.
We do not publish a seasonal calendar of good and bad weeks, because the sea does not read calendars. If you want to know what conditions look like around your dates, message us on /contact and we will tell you what we are actually seeing.
Ready when you are: choose a trip on /tours, reserve free, pay on the day, and let the captain worry about the wind.
