PRIVACY POLICY

ascubadiving (“we,” “us,” or “our”) respects your privacy. This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, share, and protect personal information when you visit our website at ascubadiving.com (the “Site”), purchase from us, take a course, book a trip, or otherwise interact with our business.

By using the Site or our services, you agree to this Privacy Policy.

1. Who We Are

ascubadiving 149 W. Main St. Azle, TX 76020 Phone: (817) 406-4080 Email: store@ascubadiving.com

We are a PADI dive center (Dive Center #28699) offering scuba instruction, equipment sales and service, air fills, and dive travel.

2. Information We Collect

Information you give us directly

When you interact with our Site or business, you may provide:

Contact information: name, email address, mailing address, phone number
Payment information: credit/debit card numbers, billing address (processed by our payment processor — we do not store full card numbers on our servers)
Cryptocurrency information: wallet addresses for transactions, if you choose to pay or tip in cryptocurrency
Course-related information: dive certification number and agency, dive experience, medical history disclosures (when required by PADI), emergency contact information
Trip booking information: travel preferences, passport information (for international trips), dietary restrictions, dive certification level, room/cabin preferences
Equipment service information: equipment make/model, serial numbers, service history
Account information: username and password if you create an account on the Site
Communications: any information you send us via email, contact forms, phone calls, or in-store conversations

Information collected automatically

When you visit the Site, we automatically collect:

Usage data: pages visited, time spent on pages, click-through paths, referring website
Device data: IP address, browser type and version, operating system, device identifiers
Cookies and similar technologies: see Section 7 below

We use Google Analytics to collect Site usage data. Google’s privacy practices are described at policies.google.com/privacy.

Information we do NOT collect from children

Our Site is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 through the Site. Junior diver course enrollment (PADI Junior Open Water Diver, Junior Adventure Diver, etc.) requires in-person enrollment by a parent or legal guardian at our shop. If you believe we have inadvertently collected information from a child under 13, please contact us immediately and we will delete it.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use personal information for the following purposes:

To provide services: processing course enrollments, scheduling air fills, completing equipment service orders, booking dive trips, processing payments
To communicate: sending order confirmations, course materials, trip itineraries, service updates, appointment reminders
To market our services: sending newsletters, promotional offers, trip announcements, and course updates (you may opt out at any time — see Section 9)
To comply with regulatory requirements: maintaining air fill logs and customer certification records as required by industry standards; retaining records required by PADI as a member dive center
To improve the Site: analyzing how visitors use our Site to make it more useful
To prevent fraud: verifying identities and protecting against unauthorized transactions
To comply with law: responding to legal requests and protecting our legal rights

4. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell your personal information.

We share personal information only in these limited circumstances:

Service providers who help us operate the business (payment processors, email delivery services, e-commerce platform, hosting providers, equipment service partner Airtech Scuba Services, dive travel partners including Ocean First). These providers are contractually obligated to protect your information.
PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) for required student record processing, certification issuance, and member-shop compliance reporting.
Trip partners (resorts, liveaboards, ground operators) as necessary to fulfill your trip booking.
Legal compliance when required by law, subpoena, court order, or to protect the safety or rights of ascubadiving, our customers, or others.
Business transfers in the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of business assets, your information may be transferred to the new owner.

5. Where Your Information Is Stored

Your information is stored on servers operated by our e-commerce platform provider (DiveShop360 / Shop Express LLC) and our service providers, primarily located in the United States.

6. How Long We Keep Your Information

We keep personal information only as long as needed for the purposes described in this policy, or as required by law. Specifically:

Course and certification records: retained as required by PADI standards (typically 7 years minimum).
Air fill records and waivers: retained as required by our insurance carrier and industry standards.
Equipment service records: retained at least 3 years.
Sales and tax records: retained at least 4 years per Texas tax requirements.
Marketing email addresses: retained until you unsubscribe.

When information is no longer needed, we securely delete or anonymize it.

7. Cookies and Tracking

The Site uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to:

Remember your preferences
Keep you logged in
Analyze Site usage (via Google Analytics )
Process transactions

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling cookies may affect Site functionality.

We do not currently respond to “Do Not Track” browser signals.

8. Your Rights

Depending on where you live, you may have rights regarding your personal information.

For Texas residents (under the Texas Data Privacy and Security Act)

You have the right to:

Know what personal information we collect about you
Access a copy of your personal information
Correct inaccurate personal information
Delete your personal information (subject to legal retention requirements above)
Opt out of the sale of personal information (we do not sell personal information) and targeted advertising
Appeal a denied request

For California residents (under the California Consumer Privacy Act / CPRA)

You have the same rights as Texas residents above, plus:

Right against discrimination for exercising your rights
Right to know the categories of personal information collected, sources, business purposes, and third parties with whom it’s shared

For all US residents

You may unsubscribe from marketing emails at any time using the unsubscribe link in our emails, or by contacting us directly.

How to exercise your rights

To exercise any of these rights, contact us:

Email: store@ascubadiving.com
Phone: (817) 406-4080
Mail: ascubadiving, 149 W. Main St., Azle, TX 76020

We may need to verify your identity before fulfilling certain requests. We will respond within 45 days, or notify you if more time is needed.

9. Marketing Communications

When you provide your email address for purposes such as course enrollment, trip booking, or newsletter signup, you may receive marketing emails from us including newsletters, trip announcements, course schedules, and promotional offers.

You can opt out at any time by:

Clicking the “unsubscribe” link in any marketing email
Replying “UNSUBSCRIBE” to any marketing email
Calling us at (817) 406-4080
Emailing store@ascubadiving.com

You will continue to receive transactional emails (order confirmations, course schedules, trip itineraries, safety information) even after opting out of marketing, as these are necessary to provide services.

10. Security

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect personal information. However, no system is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security of information transmitted to or from our Site.

If we experience a data breach affecting your personal information, we will notify you in accordance with applicable law.

11. Third-Party Links

Our Site may link to third-party websites (PADI, DAN, Ocean First, Airtech Scuba Services, etc.). We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those websites. Please review their privacy policies before providing information.

12. Cryptocurrency Payments

If you pay or tip in cryptocurrency, please note:

Cryptocurrency transactions are recorded on public blockchains. Your wallet address and transaction amount are publicly visible by design.
We do not collect identifying information beyond what is necessary to complete the transaction and provide service.
Cryptocurrency tax reporting is your responsibility under IRS guidance treating cryptocurrency as property.

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will update the “Last Updated” date at the top of this page. Material changes will be communicated by email (if we have your address) or by prominent notice on the Site.

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically.

14. Contact Us

Questions about this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices?