How we earn money

In short: when you book a dive through this site, the operator pays us a commission out of its normal price. You pay the same as booking direct. No operator can pay to move up a ranking, we run no display ads, and every commercial link is marked. This page exists so that the FTC (US), the CMA (UK), the EU Unfair Commercial Practices rules and Swedish marketing law are met in one place.

1. The commission model

We act as a booking agent. When a booking we forward is completed, the operator pays us a commission, typically 10–20% of the price of that single service (a course, a day of fun dives, a liveaboard berth). The commission is inside the operator's published price; we do not add a fee, and we do not mark up.

Some operators have a commission agreement with us and some do not. Whether an operator pays us has no effect on its score: the ranking model (published here) uses review data, quality signals, value, breadth of offering, sustainability practice and an editorial score from our visits. The commission status is not an input.

2. What we do not do

• No paid placement, "featured" slots or sponsored rankings. If that ever changes, sponsored positions will be labelled "Sponsored" and excluded from the numbered ranking.
• No display advertising networks and no affiliate links to gear retailers inside ranking or price pages. If a guide links to a product with an affiliate code, the link is marked "(affiliate link)" next to it.
• No free dives, trips or gear in exchange for a score. Where an operator has hosted us for a verification visit, the operator page says so under "Verified visit".
• No fake reviews: we do not write reviews, buy them or ask operators for them. Review data comes from public platforms and is aggregated with the method described on the ranking page.

3. Where the money shows on the site

• "Book with this shop" buttons and the booking desk: a commission is earned if you book.
• Operator badges: free for ranked operators; no fee is charged for a badge or a listing.
• The price index and CSV downloads: free, no commercial link.

4. Independence

The site is owned and written by Simon Hansen, an SSI Divemaster with no employment, equity or family ties to any listed operator or certification agency. If that changes for a specific operator, the operator's page will say so at the top.

5. Questions

Ask anything about a commercial relationship at hello@topdiveshops.com. Operators who want to work with the booking desk: same address, subject "Booking desk".