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Home › A-Z of Scuba Diving › Insurance for Divers

Insurance for Scuba Divers

Fact: Recreational scuba has a "relatively" low serious incident rate. Nonetheless, a range of unpredictable factors can increase the likelihood of having a diving accident.

Thus, if you're asking yourself "why do I need dive insurance" this guide explains why some kind of diving accident insurance for scuba divers should be part of your checklist.

Reasons Why All Divers Should Be Insured

Let's assume you have some medical coverage. Even so, many policies exclude scuba diving as being a "hazardous recreational activity".

Plus, companies that do provide cover for medical costs, might:

• Only pay a minimum amount for recompression chamber treatments.
• Charge excessive out-of-pocket payments (e.g. for deductibles and copays).

Furthermore, some dive insurance packages might fail to provide you with adequate cover when traveling overseas.

In many countries, it is a legal requirement for all divers to have suitable diving insurance cover. It will either be a short-term policy or some kind of annual coverage.

Note: Short term scuba insurance policies are more appropriate for people participating in an introductory course (e.g. as an occasional activity) or as part of regular holiday diving activities.

What Causes Most Diving Accidents?

Some common causes of serious dive accidents include swimming in murky water, fighting strong ocean currents, and equipment failure. But, by far the most important reason to have insurance cover is for when "diver mistakes" occur.

Put another way:

Scuba diving is not classed as a dangerous sport, per se. But, you can also include errors such as poor judgement, inadequate preparation, a lack of proper training, and using dangerous or inappropriate equipment.

Our team at "Private Scuba" encourages all participants in the industry to get personal insurance cover. Moreover, using safe diving techniques help to reduce the frequency of such incidents. Our safety tips include:

• Taking out adequate travel and scuba accident insurance and keeping your policy number and emergency contact details handy.
• Checking your gear for proper use and having it serviced regularly (see our scuba safety tips).
• Always diving with a buddy and having direct access to the surface at all times.
• Staying within the limits of your scuba training level (depth and equipment) and staying physically fit (e.g. have regular medical checkups).
• Participating in the PADI Rescue Diver Course and respecting the aquatic marine life and environment (e.g. refrain from touching unfamiliar creatures).
• Being properly hydrated while scuba diving and avoiding excessive exposure to alcohol, cigarette smoke, and caffeine.

That said, scuba accidents do not happen on a regular basis. The annual figures of injury reports and scuba diving deaths per year are comparatively low.

Paying for Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

Prudent divers will always use good judgment, conduct proper pre-dive planning, perform the basic safety checks, and buy comprehensive scuba accident insurance.

Having recompression treatment in a hyperbaric chamber is expensive. Furthermore, it is not always immediately available - depending on the remoteness of many worldwide diving destinations.

In some of the most severe incidents, it may be necessary to use an air ambulance to get the patient to proper hospital care. As a result, the final journey home could escalate the costs in excess of $100,000.

There is no shortage of companies that offer dive accident insurance for scuba divers. In fact, most of them have an easy online signup facility (details below).

This part is important:

Scuba diving insurance may not be necessary in all circumstances. But, to be effective and adequate, the coverage needs to be appropriate for the type of diving you anticipate doing and for the area that you will travel to.

Furthermore, it is worth checking how well equipped are the boats that you may be using and whether there is re-compression treatment available in your chosen destination.

For example:

Will there be oxygen on board and would it be enough to cover the journey back to shore (e.g. before reaching land-based EMS)?

In the main, most reputable operators have emergency oxygen supplies and well stocked first aid kits on board. They also have trained staff capable of administering it to someone in need.

There is no substitution for proper planning and the prevention of diving accidents. Combined with safe practices, participants will benefit from professional training in rescue techniques and emergency medical treatment.

Important: Another section explains how to create and operate the PADI Emergency Action Plan as part of your scuba education.

How to Get Scuba Diving Insurance

The DAN Dive Accident Insurance Program protects divers against a range of unpredictable expenses. As a result, members who join the Divers Alert Network (DAN) get access to several different insurance plans.

Single Trip Insurance

DAN single trip plans provide vital cover while on a scuba vacation. So, being insured means you can avoid having unforeseen diving incidents completely ruin your holiday.

Annual Travel Insurance

It is not uncommon for divers to take multiple dive trips throughout the year. DAN's annual insurance plan covers:

• Trip cancellation and interruption.
• Baggage and sporting equipment.
• Emergency assistance and transportation (e.g. repatriation).

Dive Equipment Insurance

You will be investing a lot of time and money when purchasing dive gear (especially camera equipment). Despite not being able to avoid certain types of accidents, you can protect your gear with DAN.

Professional Liability Insurance

If you are planning on becoming a dive professional you will most likely need to be insured. You can also customise the plan with a technical diving endorsement and excess liability coverage.

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