Why Dive Insurance Should Be Part of Your Diving Checklist
September 6, 2024
Dive Gear, check! But what about your safety net? From BCDs to dive computers, most of us have our typical diving checklist sorted. Yet one crucial aspect is often overlooked: comprehensive diving accident coverage. It is the difference between a dream dive vacation and a potential disaster. It is important to ensure your safety and peace of mind with complete travel and dive insurance, so let us look at why dive insurance should be at the top of your checklist.
Are Diving Accidents a Common Occurrence?
Most of us would agree that scuba diving is a relatively safe sport. Nevertheless, we are still submitting our bodies to higher pressures than they are used to, and we are in an environment where we cannot breathe without our breathing apparatus. We are entirely dependent on our equipment. Common activities such as swimming, jogging, or being in a car are far more dangerous and result in far more accidents than scuba diving.
The issue with scuba diving is that when something goes wrong, due to being underwater and submitted to high pressure, things can go really wrong and medical expenses to cover treatment can be extortionate.
Why do I Need Dive Insurance?
As we mentioned, most diving accidents require very expensive treatments, and the location of diving spots is often remote, far away from general medical clinics or hospitals, let alone specialized diving clinics and hyperbaric chambers.
In the event of an accident, the last thing you want to be thinking of is how you are going to get treated, where you need to go, and how you will pay for your treatments.
With a DiveAssure coverage plan, we take over from the moment of your accident. Upon calling the emergency services or Coast Guard, your next call should be to our emergency hotline, where diving medical professionals will liaise with the local team to ensure you get the best care available in that area.
We ensure your evacuation goes smoothly and cover costs for the duration of your hospital stay, with added compensation for a traveling partner who stays with you and compensation for changes in your travel or flights.
Did you know that in some countries you will not be treated without proof of insurance or payment upfront? This could leave you in a truly sticky situation.
What are the typical benefits of dive insurance?
DiveAssure offers extensive coverage for emergency medical expenses, with the amount depending on the chosen plan. This includes evacuation/repatriation, additional costs for travel arrangements, travel assistance, coverage for lost diving gear, and technical diving (excluding commercial diving) – all without depth limits, as long as you dive within your training level.
Our medical coverage is comprehensive, ensuring that in the event of a diving accident, your policy pays directly and in real-time to hyperbaric chambers and other medical facilities worldwide. Our team of diving medical professionals oversees your evacuation, providing supervision and consultation to ensure you receive the most suitable and professional treatment.
If you go for our complete travel and dive insurance, you get the benefits of a diving accident insurance plan and additionally cover your trip for cancellation, lost luggage, lost documents, missed connections, travel delay, repatriation, and more!
But I have travel insurance, so why do I need specific diving coverage?
Always check the fine print of your travel insurance. Although it may state that "diving is covered", it frequently comes with high restrictions regarding depth, dive time, or dives per day - and often the coverage sum is too low to cover even one full round of hyperbaric treatment.
Additionally, general travel insurance rarely offers all the added benefits of dive insurance, such as emergency repatriation or lost diving gear, lost diving days, missed liveaboard departures, etc.
To summarize, dive insurance should be an essential component of your diving checklist for several compelling reasons. Firstly, it offers comprehensive coverage, encompassing emergency medical expenses, evacuation, repatriation, travel arrangements, and lost diving gear.
In the unfortunate event of a diving accident, insurance ensures immediate and appropriate medical treatment, including direct payments to hyperbaric chambers and medical facilities worldwide.
Additionally, diving insurance typically imposes no depth limits, as long as you dive within your level of training, providing divers with valuable flexibility. Moreover, leading hyperbaric medicine experts oversee evacuations, providing professional supervision and consultation for optimal treatment.
Ultimately, having dive insurance gives you peace of mind, knowing that you are financially protected against unexpected emergencies or accidents during your diving trips.
We Have Got You Covered.
Written in cooperation with our insurance partners at DiveAssure Elizabeth Langenberg / Tal Tamir from DiveAssure.