1.Purpose and scope
These terms and conditions of sale (the “Terms”) govern the sale of all services offered by Samui Authentic: boat excursions, day trips, safaris, land and water activities, vehicle rentals, transfers and related services (the “excursion” or the “service”).
They apply to every booking made through samui-authentic.com, through messaging channels (WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, e-mail) or on site. Making a booking means you accept these Terms in full and without reservation.
The version applicable to your booking is the one in force on the day of payment. Its version number and the timestamp of your acceptance are recorded and appear on your booking confirmation.
2.Operator identity
- Registered name
- D JOUNS CO., LTD
- Trading name
- Samui Authentic
- Licence
- TAT 41/00750 (Tourism Authority of Thailand)
- Registered office
- 99/5 Moo 3, Bo Phut, Ko Samui, Surat Thani 84320, Thailand
3.Booking and formation of contract
A booking becomes firm once all three of the following are met: (i) you have accepted these Terms, (ii) the deposit or the full amount has been collected, and (iii) you have received our booking confirmation by e-mail (e-ticket).
The e-ticket states the excursion booked, the date, the number of participants, the amount paid and, where applicable, the balance still due. You must check these details on receipt and report any error to us without delay.
Places are allocated subject to availability. A request that has not been confirmed by an e-ticket is not a booking.
Departure time and meeting point
The meeting time and place are provided with your e-ticket and may be adjusted up to the day before departure for operational reasons (tides, weather, passenger grouping). Arriving late at the meeting point may result in departure without you, with no refund.
4.Prices, currencies and payment
All our prices are set and invoiced in Thai baht (THB). Amounts displayed in euros, dollars or pounds on the website are indicative conversions based on a daily exchange rate; only the THB amount is binding.
Deposit and balance
Depending on the excursion and how far ahead you book, a booking is secured either by paying a deposit or by paying in full. The exact amount charged at booking is displayed clearly before you confirm payment and appears on your e-ticket.
Where a balance remains due, it is payable on the day of the excursion, in cash on site or via the online payment link we send you. The balance is never charged automatically.
Payment methods
Online payments are processed by our provider Stripe. We do not store any card details.
Transaction fees
Bank transaction fees, equal to 3% of the amount collected, are borne by Samui Authentic and are never refunded to you in the event of cancellation, whatever the reason: they are permanently retained by the payment intermediary.
5.Photos and descriptions — non-contractual
Photographs and videos shown on our materials (website, social media, brochures, messaging) are illustrative and have no contractual value.
In particular, images of boats, vehicles and vessels are non-contractual. The boat or vehicle actually assigned to your trip may differ from the one shown in the photos: model, size, colour, layout, engine, year. We operate a fleet of several units and the assignment depends on our captain’s availability, the number of participants, sea conditions and maintenance.
The same applies to landscapes, wildlife, underwater visibility, beaches and meals shown in photographs: they illustrate a typical experience and are not a commitment as to what will be seen or served on the day of your trip. Sightings of wild animals (turtles, fish, monkeys, sanctuary elephants) are never guaranteed.
None of these differences gives rise to a refund, in whole or in part. Only the characteristics written in the excursion description and restated on your e-ticket (destination, duration, service category, number of participants, inclusions) are binding on Samui Authentic.
Service categories
- Semi-private (shared): you share the vessel and the programme with other guests. The composition of the group is not known in advance and changes up to the day of departure.
- Private (charter): the vessel is reserved for your group for the agreed duration.
The category that applies is the one stated on your e-ticket. An excursion sold as a shared trip cannot give rise to a claim on the grounds that other passengers were present.
6.Sea, weather and tides
Your safety takes priority over the programme. Our activities take place in a natural environment and depend on conditions beyond our control.
Sea conditions (swell, wind, currents) and weather may lead us to postpone, rearrange, shorten or cancel an excursion. The sea can be rough even when it is sunny on land: the sky as seen from your hotel is not an indicator of navigation conditions.
Tides may change how the day unfolds: departure and return times, boarding point, type of vessel, order of activities, access to certain beaches or lagoons. These adaptations are an integral part of the service and give no right to a refund.
The decision to sail, to change the itinerary or to return to shore rests solely with the captain and crew, and with the port authorities where the port is closed.
Cancellation by Samui Authentic
If we cancel the excursion — on our side or for sea, weather or safety reasons — we will inform you as soon as possible and offer you either a free reschedule to another date, or a refund of the sums paid, less the 3% transaction fee (article 4) and less the Zen Guarantee amount where it was purchased.
An excursion that has started and is then interrupted for safety reasons is treated as delivered. Depending on when the interruption occurs, a goodwill gesture may be offered, without this constituting an entitlement.
7.Cancellation and rescheduling by the customer
7.1 Without the Zen Guarantee
Where the Zen Guarantee has not been purchased, sums paid are non-refundable, regardless of how far ahead you cancel and regardless of the reason (change of plans, flight delay, illness, seasickness, a participant dropping out).
7.2 With the Zen Guarantee
The Zen Guarantee is an optional cancellation cover purchased at the time of booking, at 500 THB per participant. It is paid upfront and is itself non-refundable: it is the cost of the cover.
Refunds always apply to sums actually received, excluding the Zen Guarantee amount and excluding the 3% transaction fee. They are issued to the original payment method within 5 to 10 business days.
7.3 Rescheduling
- More than 48 hours before departure: free reschedule, subject to availability on the new date;
- Less than 48 hours before departure: reschedule possible for 1,000 THB per excursion, payable in cash on the day of the trip.
A reschedule may only be requested once. If the new date carries a higher rate, the difference is payable.
7.4 No-show
A participant who does not appear at the meeting point at the stated time, or who is not in a fit state to take part, is treated as a no-show: the service is payable in full and no refund is made.
7.5 Change in the number of participants
Any reduction in the number of participants notified less than 48 hours before departure gives no right to a refund of the places booked. Excursions with a minimum number of participants (stated at the time of booking) remain charged on the basis of that minimum.
8.Health, fitness and conduct
It is your responsibility to ensure that your health, and that of the people you book for, allows participation in the chosen activity: sailing and seasickness, walking, heat and sun exposure, swimming and open-water swimming, physical activity.
You must tell us before booking about any medical condition, pregnancy, reduced mobility or treatment that could affect your participation. A day cut short or not completed for health reasons (including seasickness) gives no right to a refund.
Minors remain at all times under the responsibility of the accompanying adult. The crew may require life jackets to be worn.
The crew may refuse boarding to, or end the participation of, anyone who is intoxicated, under the influence of drugs, or whose behaviour endangers the safety or comfort of other passengers, with no refund.
9.Services operated by partners
Some services in our catalogue are operated by independent partners (sanctuaries, dive centres, quad, jet ski and zipline operators, muay thai camps, restaurants). In those cases we act as an intermediary.
For such services: availability is only confirmed once the partner has agreed, payment may be required in full at booking, and the partner’s own cancellation terms may apply in addition to these Terms. They are communicated to you before payment.
Safety and physical delivery of those services are the responsibility of the operating partner. We remain your point of contact for any complaint and will support you in resolving it.
10.Insurance and liability
Our excursions are covered by the insurance required of TAT-licensed operators, within the limits and caps set by Thai regulations. This cover is not a substitute for personal travel insurance.
We strongly recommend that you take out individual travel insurance covering water sports, repatriation and cancellation for personal or medical reasons.
Samui Authentic cannot be held liable for: loss, theft or damage to personal belongings taken on board (phones, cameras, jewellery, cash); the consequences of inaccurate information you have given us (name, date, hotel, number of participants, health status); events of force majeure (extreme weather, administrative closure of a park or port, strike, epidemic, civil unrest).
Seasonal or administrative closure of Ang Thong Marine Park or any other protected site is a decision of the Thai authorities: it gives rise to a reschedule or a refund under the conditions of article 6, with no further compensation.
11.No right of withdrawal
Our services are leisure services supplied on a specific date or during a specific period. As such they are excluded from the right of withdrawal, in accordance with article 16(l) of EU Directive 2011/83/EU and, for French customers, article L. 221-28, 12° of the French Consumer Code.
Only the cancellation conditions set out in article 7 apply.
12.Complaints
Any complaint about how a service was delivered must be raised on site, immediately, with the crew or guide, so that we can put it right during the trip. A problem not reported on the day is difficult to verify afterwards.
Failing resolution on site, the complaint must be sent to us in writing at [email protected] within 14 days of the excursion date, quoting the e-ticket number and attaching any relevant evidence (photos, timestamps, correspondence). We acknowledge receipt within 48 hours and reply on the substance within 14 days.
Card disputes. Before starting a dispute with your bank, please contact us directly. Almost all disagreements are settled in a few messages, and a dispute raised without contacting us first deprives us of any opportunity to put things right for you.
13.Personal data
Data collected at booking (identity, contact details, billing address, hotel, number and age of participants, any health information you volunteer) is processed solely to deliver your booking, issue the related documents and meet our accounting and legal obligations.
Acceptance of these Terms is recorded together with its timestamp, IP address and the version number accepted. This record is the evidence of your consent and may be produced in the event of a dispute, in particular a card dispute.
Payment data is processed exclusively by Stripe; we have no access to it. You may request access to, correction of or erasure of your data at [email protected], subject to statutory retention periods.
14.Governing law and disputes
These Terms are governed by Thai law. The services are performed in Thailand by a Thai company holding a TAT licence.
In the event of a disagreement, the parties undertake to seek an amicable solution before any legal action. Failing agreement, the competent courts of Surat Thani, Thailand, shall have jurisdiction, without prejudice to any more favourable mandatory provisions available to a consumer resident in the European Union.
In the event of a discrepancy between the French version and the English version of these Terms, the French version prevails for French-speaking customers and the English version for all others.
Version SA-CGV-2026-07-v1 — in force since 20 July 2026. Earlier versions remain binding on bookings concluded while they were in force.