Terms and Conditions

1. Booking, confirmation and payment

A request submitted through the website, email, WhatsApp, telephone or another channel is not automatically a confirmed reservation. A booking is confirmed when Xico has accepted the booking, the required deposit or prepayment has been received where applicable, and Xico has issued a confirmation or otherwise clearly confirmed the reservation.

Unless Xico confirms a different written arrangement, the following payment structure applies:

The remaining balance is due at the time stated in the booking confirmation, quote or payment request. Xico may require earlier payment when an external supplier, special charter, custom order or high-demand date requires a firm commitment.

Payments may be made through the payment methods offered or approved by Xico. A payment is considered received when it is successfully credited or confirmed through the applicable payment system. A failed, reversed or disputed payment does not constitute payment of the booking.

Prices and currency

Xico’s authoritative selling prices are in Mexican pesos (MXN) unless a written quote expressly states otherwise. Any USD, EUR or other currency conversion shown on the website is approximate and for convenience only. The final conversion applied by a card issuer, bank, PayPal, Mercado Pago or another payment provider may differ.

Applicable mandatory fees, supplier charges or inclusions are shown or disclosed as part of the relevant product, quote or booking process. Xico will not retroactively add undisclosed charges merely by changing this website after a booking has been confirmed.

2. Individual booking cancellations, changes and no-shows

Cancellation periods are measured from the scheduled start time of the affected activity or service unless the booking confirmation states a different supplier-specific deadline.

Xico-operated diving, cenotes, courses and normal activities

• 24 hours or more before the scheduled start: the refundable portion of the deposit will be refunded, subject to any previously disclosed non-refundable component.
• Less than 24 hours before the scheduled start or no-show: Xico retains the contractual 30% booking deposit.
• If the customer voluntarily paid more than the required 30% deposit, a late cancellation does not by itself make the entire amount non-refundable. Xico retains the contractual 30% deposit plus any separately disclosed non-refundable component, and the remaining refundable amount is returned.

Cozumel Direct

• 48 hours or more before the scheduled start: the refundable portion of the 50% deposit will be refunded.
• Less than 48 hours before the scheduled start or no-show: the 50% deposit is retained.

The longer window reflects Xico’s advance commitment to the Cozumel boat/operator and related logistics.

Tours and transportation

• 48 hours or more before the scheduled start: the prepaid amount will be refunded under Xico’s standard rule.
• Less than 48 hours before the scheduled start or no-show: the prepaid amount is non-refundable under Xico’s standard rule.
• If the external supplier has a different cancellation policy and that policy is disclosed before payment, the disclosed supplier/product-specific rule governs the affected service.

Modification requests

We will make reasonable efforts to accommodate date, participant or activity changes, but changes are subject to availability, eligibility, supplier commitments and price differences. A requested change that effectively cancels, removes or materially reduces a committed service may be subject to the applicable cancellation terms. A change is not confirmed until Xico confirms it.

3. Refund processing

Approved refunds are returned using the original payment method where required by law and otherwise using a practical method agreed with the customer. Banks and payment providers may require additional processing time after Xico initiates a refund. Xico does not control the posting time of the customer’s bank, card issuer or payment provider.

Payment-provider, bank or currency-conversion differences outside Xico’s control do not change the MXN amount of an approved refund. Nothing in these Terms reduces a refund or remedy that is mandatory under applicable consumer law.

4. Organized group bookings

An organized dive group of 10 or more paying divers booked under one group quote qualifies for Xico’s standard benefit of 10 paying divers + 1 complimentary group leader, subject to the final paid qualifying headcount rules below.

One group booking, multiple payers

A group uses one shared booking and one outstanding balance. The organizer may pay the whole amount, individual participants may pay Xico directly, another payer may pay on behalf of the group, or these methods may be combined. Separate payments do not create separate bookings. Xico may record payer identity separately from participant identity.

Group payment schedule

• To confirm: 50% of the estimated group booking value.
• 30 days before the first activity: the guaranteed minimum paying headcount is locked.
• 7 days before the first activity: the final balance is due unless the written group quote states otherwise.

Whole-group cancellation

Individual participant cancellations inside a group

• 30 days or more before: the participant may be removed and the group is recalculated, including any effect on the complimentary leader benefit.
• 7–29 days before: 50% of that participant’s confirmed share is retained.
• Less than 7 days before / no-show: 100% of that participant’s confirmed share is retained.

Substitutions, additional participants and the complimentary leader

A participant may be substituted without a substitution fee when the replacement participant meets the certification, medical, age, experience and other requirements for the booked activities and the change can be operationally accepted. Additional participants may be added subject to capacity and payment.

The complimentary group-leader place is earned from the final paid qualifying headcount. If fewer than 10 paying divers remain, the free place is removed unless the leader is paid for or Xico agrees to a different written arrangement. The standard public benefit provides a maximum of one automatic complimentary group leader; larger groups and additional complimentary places are quoted individually.

If a group uses multiple packages, itineraries or upgrades, the complimentary leader’s included itinerary/package must be identified in the written group quote. Any additional upgrade or difference not included in the complimentary arrangement is chargeable.

5. Medical cancellations, eLearning and third-party non-refundable costs

Medical cancellation

For Xico-operated activities, Xico may waive the normal late-cancellation deposit retention when the participant cannot safely participate for a genuine medical reason and provides a valid medical certificate within 24 hours of the cancellation or no-show. Activated eLearning and genuine external non-refundable costs remain excluded from that waiver.

For Cozumel, tours, transportation and other externally supplied services, Xico will refund the amount that is recoverable under the applicable provider’s medical-cancellation terms. Xico is not required to absorb a supplier charge that is genuinely non-refundable under provider terms disclosed or made available to the customer before payment.

eLearning and issued third-party materials

Once an eLearning code, digital training product, certification material or another specifically issued non-refundable third-party item has been activated or issued for the participant, that component is non-refundable to the extent it cannot be recovered or reassigned by Xico. The rest of the booking remains subject to the applicable cancellation policy.

6. Eligibility, certification, medical fitness and safety

Participants must meet the certification, age, recent-experience, logged-dive, medical, training or other prerequisites stated for the activity. Xico may request proof of certification, identification, medical clearance or other information reasonably necessary to verify eligibility and safety.

Scuba diving, freediving, snorkeling, boating, cenote/cavern diving, technical diving, cave diving and other water activities involve inherent risks. Participants must follow the briefing, use equipment appropriately, stay within the agreed dive plan and training limits, and follow reasonable instructions from Xico’s instructors, guides, captains and operational staff.

Xico may refuse, modify or terminate a participant’s activity where reasonably necessary for safety, including when the participant does not meet the disclosed requirements, appears medically unfit, is under the influence of alcohol or drugs, refuses safety instructions, behaves dangerously, or presents an unreasonable risk to themselves, other guests, staff or the operation. Where the refusal or termination results from the participant’s own failure to meet a disclosed requirement or from unsafe conduct attributable to the participant, the affected service may be non-refundable, except where applicable law requires otherwise.

Medical forms and disclosure

Participants are responsible for answering required medical screening and safety questions truthfully. Where a medical questionnaire indicates that physician clearance is required, the participant must obtain acceptable clearance before participating. Xico may not override a medical requirement merely because a participant has already paid.

Minors

Participants under 18 must meet the minimum-age rules for the activity and must have the required parent or legal-guardian authorization. A parent/guardian may also need to sign applicable training, medical, liability or participation documentation.

Courses and certification

Payment for a course purchases instruction and the services described for that program; it does not guarantee certification. Certification is issued only when the student completes the applicable knowledge, skill, performance, attendance, safety and agency requirements. Extra training, dives or sessions required because the student has not yet met the performance requirements may involve additional cost if they are outside the included course scope.

7. Weather, dive-site selection, wildlife and operational changes

Ocean, cenote and outdoor activities depend on weather, current, visibility, port status, water conditions, access, boat/vehicle availability, guide/instructor availability, safety conditions and other operational factors. Xico may change a dive site, departure time, sequence, boat, guide, itinerary or equivalent operational detail when reasonably necessary to operate safely and effectively.

Requests for a particular reef, cenote, wreck, wildlife encounter or route are welcome but are not guaranteed unless Xico expressly confirms that element as a guaranteed part of a private/custom booking. Wildlife is wild and sightings—including turtles, sharks, rays and other marine life—cannot be guaranteed.

If Xico or the operating provider cancels

If Xico or the operating provider cancels an affected service because of weather, port closure, boat/vehicle failure, guide/instructor availability or another operational reason, Xico will normally offer, in this order:

1. a rescheduled date;
2. a suitable alternative activity or service; or
3. if neither option works or is accepted, a refund of the refundable amount for the affected service.

An operator/provider cancellation is not treated as a guest no-show.

8. Equipment rental and customer property

Rental equipment remains the property of Xico or the applicable equipment provider. The participant must use it only as instructed and return it after the activity. The participant may be responsible for the reasonable repair or replacement cost of equipment that is lost or damaged beyond normal wear while in their custody due to misuse, negligence or failure to follow instructions, subject to applicable law.

Participants are responsible for checking their own personal equipment and belongings. Xico is not responsible for ordinary loss or damage to personal property caused by the participant’s own handling, normal exposure to a marine environment or risks outside Xico’s reasonable control; this does not exclude liability that cannot lawfully be excluded.

9. Third-party providers, tours and transportation

Some services are fulfilled partly or wholly by independent boat operators, tour operators, transportation companies, parks, training agencies or other suppliers. Xico may act as the booking/contact point while the external provider operates part of the service.

Where a supplier has a specific operating, cancellation, medical, admission, age, capacity or safety rule, Xico will disclose the material customer-facing condition before payment where reasonably applicable. A clearly disclosed supplier-specific rule may be stricter than Xico’s standard rule for the supplier’s portion of the booking.

Nothing in this section removes Xico’s obligations as the customer’s contracting provider where Mexican law makes Xico responsible, nor does it require Xico to absorb an external charge that is lawfully non-refundable and has been properly disclosed.

10. Online shop purchases

Returns, exchanges, damaged goods and refund rights for physical products purchased through the Xico Dive Center online shop are governed by our Refund & Returns Policy. Service-booking cancellations are governed by these Terms & Conditions, not by the retail return policy.

11. Website information, intellectual property and acceptable use

We work to keep website descriptions, availability, schedules, prices and other information accurate. Operational information may change, and typographical or technical errors may occasionally occur. A confirmed written booking, together with applicable mandatory law, controls if a general website statement conflicts with a specific confirmed booking term.

Website updates apply prospectively and will not be used to retroactively remove a right already agreed with a customer or a right that cannot legally be waived.

Unless otherwise stated, Xico’s website text, branding, original photographs, graphics and site content are protected by applicable intellectual-property law. They may not be commercially reproduced or republished without permission, except as permitted by law.

12. Risk, responsibility and limitation of liability

Participants acknowledge that diving and related adventure activities involve inherent risks that cannot be eliminated completely even when reasonable safety practices are followed. Required agency or activity forms, medical questionnaires and participation/liability documents form part of the applicable activity documentation.

To the maximum extent permitted by law, each party remains responsible for matters legally attributable to that party. Nothing in these Terms excludes, transfers or limits Xico’s civil liability where Mexican law does not permit that liability to be excluded, and nothing requires a consumer to waive rights granted by the Federal Consumer Protection Law or other mandatory law.

13. Privacy

Personal data is handled in accordance with Xico’s Privacy Notice. Booking and operational data may be shared with providers when reasonably necessary to deliver the requested service, subject to the Privacy Notice and applicable law.

14. Governing law and consumer rights

These Terms are governed by the applicable laws of Mexico. Nothing in these Terms waives or reduces any non-waivable consumer protection, statutory revocation right, remedy, limitation period, complaint mechanism or jurisdiction available under Mexican law. If a provision conflicts with a mandatory legal right, the mandatory legal rule controls and the remaining provisions continue to apply to the extent legally possible.

Consumers may also exercise rights or submit complaints through the competent Mexican consumer-protection authority, including PROFECO, where applicable.

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