DCS Incident - Salient lessons to be learned

[Dr. Lecter]

The about dive insurance I was trying to make was twofold. Get a decent one and read the fine print. My Dan insurance is very comprehensive BUT it only insures me down to my certification depths - I'm pretty sure if I had an incident outside of my certifications Dan like any other insurance (Stereotyping I know) would dispute my claim?

Indeed, what happened here shows two problems: first and foremost, make sure you have actual dive insurance and read the operative policy documents that give it legal effect - not just the brochure. Are there insurance policies through a credit card that won't tag you with something like a random 18m limit? Maybe, but getting actual diving-specific insurance is a way to avoid that problem. At least read the fine print so you know.

Second, there seems to be a distinction between diving insurance where your actual policy coverage can be determined only after an accident--when someone from the insurance company decides whether you hold a piece of plastic they feel like recognizing as sufficient for the parameters of the dive--versus insurance where you know you are covered regardless of the dive you do.

Inside the US, DAN insurance is the latter (unless you're on the 130' standard policy). I like that, and it makes sense to me: formal, agency standardized training is a structure that's one way to gain experience and knowledge, not the only way, and I don't want to do business with an insurance company that concerns itself with such details.

Outside the US, it sounds like DAN insurance is limited to dives "within" certain formal training scope…whatever you can buy is what you work with, I guess. I do wonder how people doing deep diving handle their insurance needs, though, as I'm not aware of any course past 100m. I also wonder whether these kinds of insurance policies cover only cover dives "within certification" or all dives "planned within certification." If you're certified to 200' and wind up bent after attempting a buddy rescue at 270' during a dive planned to 200'…what's the outcome? And should you really have to ask that question?

 

[fozzy]

Just checked the DAN Europe conditions, recreative divers are covered on any compressed air dive, nitrox up to 50 m and it's recomended not to go over 1.6 O2 PP. I might have missed something but it looks like there is no reference to the certification level.
Going down to 60m as open water could still fall in some catch all clause like "don't put yourself in harms way".

 

[Centrals]

Just checked the DAN Europe conditions, recreative divers are covered on any compressed air dive, nitrox up to 50 m and it's recomended not to go over 1.6 O2 PP. I might have missed something but it looks like there is no reference to the certification level.

You didn't miss anything because you are talking DAN Europe.
But for DAN Asia Pacific then it is there! Please read #23.
"appropriate certification for the dive", "using appropriate breathing gas mixes and equipment"!!

 

[mmadiver]

OP, sorry is this is a double tap..

What kind of physical shape was Fred it? His aprox. height, weight, and build?

 

[fozzy]

You didn't miss anything because you are talking DAN Europe.
But for DAN Asia Pacific then it is there! Please read #23.
"appropriate certification for the dive", "using appropriate breathing gas mixes and equipment"!!

I didn't mean to imply it couldn't be there in the DAN Asia Pacific contracts, as it has been said how things were for the US part too, i just wanted to add the bit of information as i was curious myself.

 

[Diving Dubai]

Can I ask you what brand computer you and the DM were following?

Wife and I were on Cressie Leonardos, No idea about Fred, the Dive guide nor Fred's Buddy (also a BSAC instructor)

---------- Post added September 22nd, 2014 at 01:41 PM ----------

OP, sorry is this is a double tap..

What kind of physical shape was Fred it? His aprox. height, weight, and build?

Fred was Approx 6' around 50 and being politically correct had a BMI in excess of 25 possibly (indeed highly likely) more than 30 but didn't smoke.

I was only smoker but the rest of us in our group all were in the healthy body type range (BMI 20-25)

Also on the boat there were around another 20 divers from other dive centres of varying ages all completing a similar dive profile, although most of them blew through their gas quicker but would have exerted themselves more in doing so - this added for further clarification

 

[Peter69_56]

Asia Pacific coverage;

Standard Plan; Certified Divers or Divers Under Instruction (Max depth 40m)

Master Plan; Certified Divers (Max depth 50m)

Preferred Plan; In the event of a dive injury insurance claim for a depth beyond 50m, a Member will be required to demonstrate that he/she held an appropriate certification for the dive and was using appropriate breathing gas mixes and equipment during the covered dive or Repetitive Dive Series. (No depth limitation)

I suspect the difference in policy coverage is all about competition, or the "lack" of it in OZ. We seem in this country to suffer price wise and service wise from a distinct lack of competition, thus the larger companies can set whatever price/limit etc they chose , with impunity.

It would appear from my brief reading of the USA and Europe policies, there is much less limitation, thus better coverage for the consumer.

So from the original post, make sure you understand the limitations of your policy before you go diving. You may not have the coverage you believe you have.

I will ask the question to DAN OZ re a diver due to accidental circumstances, exceeding the depth limit, are they covered?

 

[Peter69_56]

Contacted DAN Australia and asked the following hypothetical question;

My hypothetical question is;



A diver is certified to 40m and has the standard plan covering them to 40m. Due to the following incidents they go to 50m and then become bent requiring chamber time, are they covered?

• Not paying attention to depth and exceed 40m and become bent
• Decide they want to go to 50m to see something and become bent

Clearly the above 2 situations are deliberate actions by the diver and thus clearly NOT covered.

• Get caught in a down current and pulled to 50m before being shot quickly to the surface becoming bent.
• Go to 50m to rescue a diver in distress and become bent due to the urgency of getting the victim to the surface.

The above 2 situations, the first not a deliberate action by the diver, the second, whilst deliberate, not unexpected.

Their response is as follows;

That you are correct on the first two situations and that the underwriters would need to evaluate all such cases but would not be unreasonable where the 3^rd and 4^th situations have occurred.

So I guess if you accidentally go below certified depth then payment is a maybe???????