Privacy Policy

Who is responsible for your information

The responsible party is:

Joshua Vlantis, trading as DiveFree
Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), Eastern Cape, South Africa
[email protected]

What we collect

When you create an account

• Your name, email address and a password. The password is stored only as a secure hash - we never see or store it in plain text.
• Basic account records, such as when your account was created, when you last signed in, and whether your account has members-only access.

When you buy a membership

• We keep a record of the order: your email address, the amount, the date, the payment status and a payment reference. We keep this even if you later delete your account, because we're required to keep financial records of sales.
• The payment itself happens on Paystack's secure payment page, not on this site. Your card or banking details go directly to Paystack - we never see or store them. What we receive back is confirmation that the payment succeeded, the amount, and a payment reference.
• Paystack receives your email address (to process the payment) and whatever payment details you enter on their page. Paystack is a payment processor operating in South Africa; see their own privacy policy at paystack.com for how they handle payment data.

When you use the contact form

• Your name and email address, plus whatever you write in the message - so we can reply.

When you sign up to the mailing list

• Email address only - used to send occasional updates. One short email at a time, nothing else.

When you visit the site

• We do not use tracking or advertising cookies. If you sign in, a single functional cookie keeps you signed in; it does nothing else and is deleted when you sign out.
• Basic server logs (IP address, browser type, pages visited) may be retained briefly for security and performance. These are not linked to your identity.

How we use your information

• To operate your account and show you the content it has access to.
• To process membership payments and keep the required records of them, including sending you a receipt by email.
• To reply to your enquiry.
• To send you mailing-list updates if you've opted in (you can unsubscribe any time).
• To comply with our legal obligations.

We do not sell, rent or share your personal information with third parties for marketing. The only sharing that happens is with the service providers needed to run the site - Paystack to process payments, and our email provider to deliver the emails described above - and only the minimum they need to do that job.

How long we keep your information

• Account information is kept for as long as your account exists. You can delete your account yourself from your account page, or email us and we'll do it for you - either way it's removed along with the personal information attached to it.
• Order records for membership purchases are kept after account deletion, as financial records of sales. They're no longer linked to an account at that point - just the email, amount, date and payment reference.
• Contact-form messages are kept for as long as is reasonably needed to handle the enquiry, then deleted.
• Mailing-list subscriptions are kept until you unsubscribe.

Your rights under POPIA

You have the right to:

• Access - request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
• Correction - ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
• Deletion - ask us to delete your personal information, including your account, subject to legal retention requirements.
• Object - object to direct marketing at any time.
• Complain - lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa.

To exercise any of these rights, email us at [email protected].

Information Regulator

If you're not satisfied with how we've handled your personal information:

• Website: inforegulator.org.za
• Email: [email protected]

Security and changes

The site is served over HTTPS and passwords are stored hashed. We may update this policy when our practices change; the current version is always at divefree.co.za/privacy. Privacy questions: [email protected].