Terms & Booking Conditions

1. Who these terms are between

These conditions apply between you (the “guest”) and Why Not Surf whenever you book a surf lesson, a surf package, or a room at our homestay. Booking with us means you accept them, so please read section 7 in particular — surfing carries real risk and that section explains how it is shared.

2. How booking works

Bookings happen by conversation — over WhatsApp, by email, or in person. There is no automated booking system on this website, and pressing a booking button only opens a draft message for you; it reserves nothing.

A booking exists once we have confirmed it back to you with a date and a time. Until you have that confirmation from us, nothing is held. We confirm as quickly as we can, but we are a small family operation and we are often in the water.

3. Prices and payment

• Prices are in Indonesian Rupiah (IDR) and include your board, your leash, and your instructor for the stated duration.
• Payment is on site, in cash or by local bank transfer, before or immediately after your lesson. We take no online or card payments, and we will never ask you for card details by message.
• Prices shown on this website may change; the price we confirm to you is the price you pay.
• Multi-lesson packages are valid for 3 months from the first lesson unless we agree otherwise.

4. If you need to cancel

• More than 24 hours before your lesson: cancel or reschedule at no charge.
• Less than 24 hours before: we will always try to move you to another slot first. If that is not possible, we may charge for the lesson, because your instructor kept the time free.
• No-show: the lesson counts as taken. If something went wrong, message us — we would rather hear from you than write it off.
• Unused lessons in a package are not refundable in cash, but can be transferred to someone travelling with you.

5. If we cancel — surf, weather and safety

The ocean decides more than we do. We may cancel, shorten, move or relocate a lesson when the surf, wind, tide, currents, lightning or water quality make it unsafe, or when a guest is clearly not in a fit state to go in.

When we cancel, you choose: another slot, a credit, or your money back for the part not delivered. If we cut a lesson short for safety after it has started, we pro-rate it or top it up another day. We do not compensate travel, accommodation, or other costs around a cancelled lesson, so travel insurance is worth having.

6. Your instructor’s authority

In the water your instructor has the final say. That includes which spot you surf, which board you use, when to come in, and telling you no. Please follow their instructions, stay in the area they set, and respect surf etiquette and other people in the water. We may end a lesson without refund for behaviour that endangers you or anyone else — including surfing under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

7. Health, ability, and assumption of risk

Surfing is a hazardous activity. Waves, currents, shallow reef, rocks, boards, fins, other surfers and marine life can cause serious injury, and in extreme cases death. No amount of instruction removes that risk. By booking, you accept that you take part voluntarily and with knowledge of these risks.

By booking, you confirm that:

• you can swim unaided, and you have told us honestly what your swimming ability and surfing experience are;
• you have told us about any medical condition, injury, pregnancy, or medication that could matter in the water — heart conditions, epilepsy, asthma, diabetes, recent surgery, shoulder, neck and back problems especially;
• you are not under the influence of alcohol or drugs;
• you are responsible for arranging your own travel and medical insurance, including cover for surfing. We do not insure guests, and Indonesian medical treatment or evacuation can be expensive.

Withholding relevant health or ability information puts your instructor and other guests at risk as well as you, and it may invalidate your own insurance.

8. Our liability

We take safety seriously: our instructors are experienced, our equipment is checked, and group sizes stay small. What we are responsible for is our own negligence, and nothing in these terms limits our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, for fraud, or for anything else that cannot lawfully be limited under Indonesian law.

Beyond that, we are not liable for injury or loss arising from the ordinary risks of surfing described in section 7, from you ignoring your instructor’s instructions, from conditions we do not control, or for indirect losses such as missed flights or unused accommodation. Where our liability can lawfully be capped, it is capped at the amount you paid us for the service in question.

Please keep an eye on your own belongings on the beach; we cannot watch them for you.

9. Equipment

Boards, leashes and other gear stay ours. Normal wear and tear from learning — dings included — is on us, and you will not be charged for it. Damage or loss through obvious misuse or negligence is chargeable at repair or replacement cost. Please report any damage when you come in rather than later.

10. Homestay

• Check-in and check-out times are as confirmed in your booking.
• It is a family home, so please keep noise down after 10pm and treat the space and the neighbours the way you would want guests to treat yours.
• Smoking indoors is not allowed. Please ask before bringing extra guests to stay.
• Damage beyond normal use is charged at cost.
• We are not responsible for valuables left in rooms or shared areas.

11. Guests under 18

Under-18s are welcome and are booked by a parent or guardian, who accepts these terms on their behalf and confirms the health and swimming declarations in section 7. We may set a minimum age for a particular lesson or condition. Children under 12 need a parent or guardian present on the beach for the whole lesson.

12. Photos and video

We sometimes take photos or video of lessons, and we love sending guests their own waves. We will only publish a picture in which you are recognisable if you have agreed to it, and you can withdraw that agreement later by asking us — see our Privacy Policy. Just tell your instructor if you would rather not be photographed at all; it is not a problem.

13. Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of Indonesia, and any dispute belongs to the courts with jurisdiction over Lombok. Talk to us first, though — almost everything is fixable over a conversation on the beach.

14. Changes

We may update these conditions; the version that applies to your booking is the one published when we confirmed it. The date at the top of this page tells you which that is.