Cost of liability insurance

[BarryNL]

If you have future plans to go active, then okay. But there may be a time limit on how long you can be inactive before PADI requires retraining. I don't know what that is, though.

Provided you maintain PADI membership and receive material updates there is no time limit. In fact PADI probably has no way of knowing whether you are insured and teaching or not.

If your PADI membership has lapsed then it will depend on how much the standards have changed since you were last a member. You may just need to do an update or you may need to redo the DM course over.

 

[Dive-aholic]

So, who besides VB offers good liability insurance for dive instructors?

Witherspoon

Provided you maintain PADI membership and receive material updates there is no time limit. In fact PADI probably has no way of knowing whether you are insured and teaching or not.

If your PADI membership has lapsed then it will depend on how much the standards have changed since you were last a member. You may just need to do an update or you may need to redo the DM course over.

That may be the case where you are, but in the US, PADI requires proof of liability insurance. Without it we don't get our active member sticker. If you're insured through VB, they automatically send the proof to PADI. Those of us with Witherspoon have to fax our policy to PADI.

 

[fisherdvm]

I called the diveshop today about whether I need liability insurance. What they told me is likely wrong.... which is that I'll be covered by the instructor's insurance. I know if a person seriously is injured because of my negligent, the instructor's insurance company would likely say that I broke PADI's guideline by not carrying my own insurance, and the fault rest on my lap.

So, maybe I'll better just stick to being a DM candidate forever, and so they can never call me a DM, and not have the liability. Or should I shell out $250 or so a year to have comfort.

At the moment, I think $250 a year is cheap insurance... which I'll probably never earn back, unless I can get alot of free air.

 

[lazyturtle]

Wrong. They may issue the card prior to cert proof, but you will not be an active member without the insurance. Every year we get little stickers to put on our cards that state we are active teaching members. You don't get this without sending in proof of insurance.

This is not 100% correct. If you teach outside the US you are not required to carry liability insurance to renew.

 

[Don Wray]

I called the diveshop today about whether I need liability insurance. What they told me is likely wrong.... which is that I'll be covered by the instructor's insurance. I know if a person seriously is injured because of my negligent, the instructor's insurance company would likely say that I broke PADI's guideline by not carrying my own insurance, and the fault rest on my lap.

So, maybe I'll better just stick to being a DM candidate forever, and so they can never call me a DM, and not have the liability. Or should I shell out $250 or so a year to have comfort.

At the moment, I think $250 a year is cheap insurance... which I'll probably never earn back, unless I can get alot of free air.

Here's what V and B say on their site Fisher:

As a Divemaster assisting an insured instructor with classes, am I covered under the instructor’s professional liability policy?
No. Divemasters, assistant instructors, instructors and retired instructors may not be Additional Insureds on the instructor’s policy, but must obtain their own insurance policy. Divemasters in training are covered under an insured instructor’s policy.
Divemasters, Assistant Instructors and Instructors may be covered under a dive store/resort’s Instructional Policy purchased by the store/resort. In this instance, the individuals are insured for store-sponsored events only.

DM insurance assisting only is $215 annual.

 

[fisherdvm]

I think I'll go with my own insurance to give me flexibility in events I can assist in. Or simply never getting my DM cert, and be a perpetual DM intern. I guess I am in no hurry to have a card, so I can wait another year despite already having about more than 2x the required training dives. There is very little different what I do as an intern than I would do as a DM.

Thanks Don, it is exactly the information I wanted to know.

 

[Dive-aholic]

This is not 100% correct. If you teach outside the US you are not required to carry liability insurance to renew.

That's not true for every country. But you're right, some countries don't require it.

I didn't clarify because I was specifically responding to fisherdvm and I know he's in the US.

 

[Tomeck]

It is more expensive than in Switzerland! In Switzerland, DM insurance is 150 CHF (150 USD) annual.

 

[chgodvr]

Dm's and AI's need to carry liability insurance if they are going to teach, assist, or even lead a dive. If something goes wrong, every one involved will be in some lawyer's scope. The insurance covers your butt. If you do everything right you'll be fine.

 

[rmbohanek]

Provided you maintain PADI membership and receive material updates there is no time limit. In fact PADI probably has no way of knowing whether you are insured and teaching or not.

If your PADI membership has lapsed then it will depend on how much the standards have changed since you were last a member. You may just need to do an update or you may need to redo the DM course over.

Hi all. New member to the board, but as I am going through a re-cert/downgrade with PADI, I am pretty current on their renewal rules. It is really a number of years thing with PADI and not really related to standards changing. 7 years is the magic number for OWSI/DM. Out past 7 you need to go through a full update. I was OWSI back in the early 90's, got out of diving in 1997/1998 and am now getting back into it. Am regaining my DM, but not my OWSI as I can't justify the costs of being an Instructor when the day job doesn't let me moonlight. I am getting my DM to get my PADI membership back, as well as access to insurance when I do need it.

After 7 years with respect to DM and downgrading OWSI like me:
- Retake all DM exams
- Demonstrate all 20 skills
- Rescue Assessment
- Current Medical
- Current First Aid/CPR.

Cheers,
bob