Privacy Policy

Last updated: October 22, 2026

Grand Bay of the Sea ("we", "us") is a PADI dive center located at Carretera Cabeza de Toro, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. We are responsible for the personal information described in this policy. It explains what we collect through this website and our messaging channels, why we collect it, and how we handle it.

Information We Collect

Booking and contact forms. When you contact us or request a booking, we collect the details you enter: your name, email address, hotel or accommodation, diving certification level, preferred activity date, number of guests and your message. Our forms also record which page of the site you sent them from.

Payments. Deposits are processed entirely by PayPal. We never receive or store your card number or PayPal login; we only receive confirmation that the deposit was paid.

WhatsApp. If you message us on WhatsApp, we receive your phone number, your WhatsApp name and the messages you send. When you tap a WhatsApp button on our site, we record an anonymous click — the page, your approximate country and city, device type and browser language — but no name or phone number.

Website usage. With your permission where the law requires it, Google Analytics collects standard technical information such as browser type, pages visited and approximate location (see "Cookies" below).

How We Use Your Information and Why

• To answer your enquiry and manage your booking — confirming availability, sending confirmation emails, arranging hotel pickup. Basis: taking steps at your request before a contract, and performing that contract.
• To keep a record of certified divers for safety and operational reasons. Basis: our legitimate interest in running safe dives.
• To keep financial records of bookings and payments. Basis: legal obligation (Dominican tax and accounting law).
• To understand how the website is used and improve it. Basis: your consent where required (EU, EEA, UK and Switzerland); otherwise our legitimate interest.

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not add you to marketing lists without your consent.

Where Your Information Is Kept

Form submissions are stored in two places: our booking database (Supabase) and our form inbox (Netlify Forms), which notifies our team by email. When you ask us to delete your information, we remove it from both.

Services We Rely On

Your information is handled by a small set of service providers, each under its own privacy policy:

• Netlify — website hosting and form submissions.
• Supabase — secure storage of booking records.
• PayPal — deposit payments.
• Resend — booking confirmation emails.
• WhatsApp (Meta) — messaging. Your WhatsApp conversations are also covered by WhatsApp's own privacy policy.
• Kapso — connects our WhatsApp line to our messaging tools.
• DR Web Studio and Anthropic (Claude) — an AI assistant, operated by DR Web Studio and powered by Anthropic's Claude, helps answer WhatsApp messages. A member of our team can take over the conversation at any time.
• Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager — site usage statistics.
• Ahrefs Web Analytics — anonymous, cookie-free visit statistics.
• Sanity and Cloudinary — content and image delivery.

International Transfers

Several of these providers are based in the United States, so your information may be processed outside the Dominican Republic and outside your home country. Where the GDPR applies, these transfers rely on the EU–U.S. Data Privacy Framework or the European Commission's standard contractual clauses.

Cookies & Analytics

We use Google Analytics (through Google Tag Manager) to see which pages are useful and how visitors find us.

• Visitors in the EU, EEA, UK and Switzerland see a cookie banner. Analytics cookies are only set if you choose "Accept".
• Visitors elsewhere have analytics on by default and can switch it off at any time.

You can change your choice at any time with the "Cookie settings" link at the bottom of every page.

Cookies we use:

• _ga, _ga_* (Google Analytics) — distinguish visits for statistics; up to 2 years. Only set with your consent where required.
• gb_consent — remembers your cookie choice; 6 months.
• gb_region — remembers whether the cookie banner applies in your region; 30 days.

We also store your light/dark display preference on your device. You can also block or delete cookies in your browser settings; the site works without them.

How Long We Keep Your Data

• Enquiries that did not lead to a booking: up to 2 years after our last contact.
• Booking and payment records: as long as Dominican tax and accounting law requires.
• Certified diver records: 5 years after your last dive with us.
• Anonymous WhatsApp click statistics: 12 months.

Your Rights

You can ask us at any time to see the personal information we hold about you, to correct it, to delete it, to receive a copy of it, or to object to or restrict how we use it. Where we rely on your consent, you can withdraw it at any time. Email grandbayofthesea@gmail.com and we will respond within one month.

If you are in the European Union, these rights are guaranteed by the GDPR, and you can also lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority. In the Dominican Republic, your rights are protected by Law 172-13 on personal data protection. We honor the same requests from everyone, wherever you are.

Children

Our website is not directed at children. Diving activities for minors (PADI programs start at age 10) are always booked and consented to by a parent or guardian, and any information about a minor is provided to us by the guardian for the purposes of the booking.

Changes to This Policy

If we change how we handle personal information, we will update this page and revise the date at the top.

Contact

Grand Bay of the Sea · Carretera Cabeza de Toro, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic · grandbayofthesea@gmail.com · Phone +1 829-723-9338 · WhatsApp +1 829-374-1344