TL;DR. Some links on this site are affiliate links. We may earn a commission when you book through them, at no extra cost to you. Our spot rankings and recommendations are not influenced by commission rates.
How affiliate links work on this site
Outbound partner links on OpenWaterAtlas always go through a redirect at /go/<slug>. When you click one of these links, the redirect logs the click anonymously (see Privacy Policy), then forwards your browser to the partner's site. If you complete a qualifying action there — typically a booking, sometimes a sign-up — we may receive a commission from the partner network. The price you pay is identical to what you'd pay if you went to the partner directly.
We currently work with the following kinds of partners:
- Travelpayouts — flight, hotel and transfer search aggregators. Used on the Plan and country pages.
- Dive operators — direct affiliate arrangements with select PADI / SSI / CMAS dive centers where the operator can confirm a booking flow that attributes us.
- Kite schools — same model as dive operators, focused on IKO / VDWS schools.
- Gear retailers — occasionally we link to dive computers, masks or kite-specific gear from retailers with public affiliate programs.
Editorial independence
This is the part that matters: our spot rankings, climate-fit scores and recommendations are based on data, not commission rates. Specifically:
- No pay-for-placement. No operator can pay to appear higher in our search results, on the map, or in our spot rankings. Listings are free.
- No paid reviews. We don't accept free trips, gear or cash in exchange for favorable coverage.
- No commission-weighted ranking. Our scoring formulas (documented on the Methodology page) use only objective inputs: historical climate, biodiversity, community signals, accessibility. Commission rate is not an input.
- No "sponsored content" hidden inside editorial. If anything on the site is ever sponsored, it will be labeled as such in plain language.
If a recommendation looks like an exception to any of the above, please tell us at [email protected] so we can correct it.
Why we do affiliate at all
Affiliate revenue is what makes this site financially sustainable without paywalls, intrusive ads or selling user data. We chose it over display advertising precisely because it aligns our incentives with yours: we earn only when you find something useful enough to book.
Compliance
This disclosure is provided in compliance with:
- U.S. Federal Trade Commission — 16 CFR Part 255 ("Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising").
- EU Unfair Commercial Practices Directive (2005/29/EC) and national implementations.
- UK Advertising Standards Authority / Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) Code.
- Brazil CONAR advertising self-regulation code.
Affiliate links on individual pages are additionally labeled inline where appropriate.
Data handling around affiliate clicks
See our Privacy Policy for the specifics on what is logged when you click an affiliate link and how long that data is retained.
Contact
Questions, concerns, partnership inquiries or editorial corrections — write to [email protected].