Dan Or Padi

[fmw625]

I've been looking to renew my dive insurance. Been looking at DAN and PADI. Both plans will run about $100.00 per year with membership. The only advantage one has over the other is PADI's limits are slightly greater. Any other input on this?

 

[Brandon]

I'd go with DAN simply for the fact that they're the most widely accepted form of dive insurance. I choose DAN after reading several posts from individuals on this board who had the unfortunate need to use their DAN insurance. Their response was that DAN took care of them with very few, if any hassles. In some circumstances, DAN was the only form of dive-specific insurance recognized.

A few additional points as well:

Your DAN membership ($29- which you'll need to get their insurance) goes to fund additional hyperbaric research, and DAN is widely considered the leader in this field of study. They maintain the dive industry's only 24 hour diving emergency hotline (available to non-members as well), and they'll also throw in Alert Diver magazine, and online access to their dive accident database. This is a good deal in and of itself.

PADI's just doing what they always do... nipping at the heals of an already successful program to try and get a piece of the pie. In my opinion, the best Virginia and Buckley plan that PADI offers gives you just a little more coverage (but not by much) than DAN's coverage, the cost is higher, and the overall set of benefits is smaller.

With DAN's insurance plan, $70 goes to pay the insurance company, and $29 goes back into research to make our sport safer. To me, that sounds a lot better then $99 straight into V&B's coffers.

-B.

 

[Diver0001]

I've been looking to renew my dive insurance. Been looking at DAN and PADI. Both plans will run about $100.00 per year with membership. The only advantage one has over the other is PADI's limits are slightly greater. Any other input on this?

I choose PADI because it's easy. I've never needed to use it but I assume that PADI will take care of you. It's other customer services are really great and I would be surprised if they gave you a problem.

What I mean by easy is that you pay your insurance and your membership together and it's all taken care of. If you pay with a credit-card you can just ignore it all togehter and it sorts itself out every year with zero attention needed. And I'm all for administrative crap that needs zero attention.

If you have DAN insurance I think you'd need to extend your insurance and then show PADI that you did that before you could extend your teaching status (maybe DAN and PADI would exchange this information if you ask them to). In any case you'd have to put effort every year into making sure it all went right and if it somehow gets out of synch then the fun would start.

If you're not teaching PADI courses then I don't think it matters either way.

R..

 

[ScubaFreak]

maybe DAN and PADI would exchange this information if you ask them to

The DAN insurance signup has an option to inform inform PADI of your insurance status.
(insurance isn't actually required to teach in ireland as of yet) so it's the same, ye just pay DAN, and PADI get a record of it with your member number etc.

Scubafreak

 

[RICHinNC]

Which type of insurance do you mean.....life.....vacation....equipment??

I take the DAN to cover any need, if ever, for medical...but I use DEPP for gear insurance.
rich

 

[ozarkjim]

I have DAN for dive accident ins. for basically the same reasons as Fairbanksdiver. I go with V&B from PADI for my professional liability ins. because as Diver0001 says it's easy to do when renewing my DM.

 

[cornfed]

I go with DAN because their insurance is about half the cost of PADI insurance.

(awww, crap... can someone help me get all these worms back in the can?)

 

[miketsp]

Have you checked the fine print? Are you sure PADI has an unlimited depth option?
I know DAN does because that's what I have.

 

[Rookie_J]

i have an insurance question


if, for some unfortunate reason, you need to use the insurance. do you pay and then you're reimbursed for the medical payment, or do you show a card and it's taken care of with no worries?

 

[miketsp]

Depends on the insurance. Normally with DAN you let them arrange everything.

I travelled recently with another insurance and it was made clear that I would have to pay first and then get re-imbursed. If your credit card limit is not high enough, the insurer would confirm coverage to your CC company and they would give you a special limit extension.