Terms & Policies
SIBLING POLICY:
As of September 1, 2024, siblings of any age, including infants and littles, are not permitted to accompany registered students to class. All children attending a Saltwater Studies event must be within the age range for the class and registered to attend. The intent of this policy is to help provide a positive learning environment for registered students by minimizing distractions and maintaining a small class size so as to provide them with the best opportunity to observe marine life. Please plan ahead to make alternative accommodates for siblings so that you can accompany your child to class, as required, as appropriate for your child’s age group.
SUPERVISION POLICY:
At all Saltwater Studies events children under the age of 13 years old must be accompanied by a responsible adult and under the adult’s supervision at all times. Adults are responsible for their children or students’ safety. Supervision is defined as being close enough to respond to an emergency, if needed. This means that for water activities, adults must accompany their children in the water as well. This is because Saltwater Studies’ priority when teaching is to spot and locate marine life to show participants and may not be observing the students at all times. The only exception to this policy is for the Florida’s Marine Animals field course for middle schoolers as this class is a drop off program. Parents are not required to accompany children registered for the Florida’s Marine Animals field course although they may do so if they prefer.
WEATHER POLICY:
All Saltwater Studies events will proceed as scheduled unless there is greater than 50% chance of thunderstorms. For snorkeling events, Saltwater Studies will also consider wind and water quality conditions when making the determination to move forward with the event. If weather, wind and water conditions are not favorable for an event, it will be rescheduled for a later date.
For morning events, if conditions require that the event needs to be rescheduled for another time, the decision will be made to reschedule by 7 AM on the day of the event. All participants will be notified via email. If participants do not respond by 8 AM confirming receipt of the email, then a text message will be sent to confirm. Anyone who does not respond by 8:30 AM will be called to follow up. For events scheduled for the afternoon, in the event of inclement weather or unfavorable conditions, a decision to reschedule will be made by 11 AM and communicated via email. A text will be sent to follow up if no response is received by noon and a call will be made if no response is received by 12:30 PM.
CANCELLATION POLICY:
One-Time Events (Field Trips or Classes). Individuals: If unexpected circumstances require you to cancel your registration, a refund will be provided for cancellations made until 48 hours of the date of the event. (The refund will be for the full amount paid less the service fee charged by PayPal for the transaction as PayPal’s fees are non-refundable as of May 7, 2019.) No refunds will be provided for cancellations made within 48 hours of the event or for non-appearances. In the event that unforeseen circumstances such as inclement weather, illness, park closure or water use restrictions etc. require Saltwater Studies to cancel the event, the event will be rescheduled, if possible. If you are not able to attend the rescheduled event, you will be issued a credit that can be applied to a future Saltwater Studies event. Groups: If unexpected circumstances require you to cancel the event within 48 hours of the event, a cancellation fee may be applied based on the expenses incurred in association with preparation for the event.
Class Series or Courses. If unexpected circumstances require you to cancel your registration, a refund will be provided for cancellations made until one week prior to the first class. (The refund will be for the full amount paid less the service fee charged by PayPal or Stripe for the transaction as these fees are non-refundable.) A 50% refund will be provided for cancellations made within one week prior to the first class and for students who drop out within 14 days of the first class. No refunds will be provided for students who drop out after 14 days from the first class. For class series or courses that are scheduled for less than 14 class days, a 50% refund will be provided for cancellations made from one week prior to the first class until the first class. No refunds will be provided for students who drop out after the first class. Once the class series or course begins, make up classes or credits are not offered for students who miss classes for any reason. In the event that unforeseen circumstances such as inclement weather, illness, park closure or water use restrictions etc. require Saltwater Studies to cancel a class, the class will be rescheduled, if possible. If you are not able to attend the rescheduled class, you will be issued a credit that can be applied to a future Saltwater Studies event. In order to be eligible to receive this credit you must notify Saltwater Studies of your inability to attend the rescheduled event at least one week prior to the rescheduled class date.
RETURN POLICY:
All curriculum and merchandise sales are final. There are no returns or exchanges accepted.