Dive Accident Insurance Limitations

[Redtwo]

Perhaps you can read the thread from page one as this has been asked and answered in this thread.

OW to 40m certification already provided in this thread and many other threads.

Thread 'Dive Accident Insurance Limitations'

Saturday at 7:34 AM

In a recent thread, a poster related a story about having to correct someone's misinformation about dive accident insurance. That misinformation has been repeated often in ScubaBoard threads. The correction is well buried in a long thread, so I thought I would create a dedicated thread that makes it clear and which can easily be linked in future threads. This one specifically refers to DAN accident insurance, but I think it would be good if other companies had their policies clarified here as well.

The misinformed person had stated that dive accident insurance only covers you if you are...

• boulderjohn
• Replies: 58
• Forum: Basic Scuba

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View attachment 886116

You don't have to be so condescending. Thx for the link/post.

Interested what a diveassure does if you do something planned you are not 'certified' for but within 40m/ndl. Entering an wreck/overhead for example.

 

[Redtwo]

A quick round of Google to said ISO gives a different view in my opinion (but im no expert in ISO..., so could be reading it wrong)

https://www.cdws.travel/downloads/rulesAndRegulations/78b25-18- ISO 24801-2 Autonomous.PDF

Says 20m and only after further training and/or with a guide/instructor to go deeper.

 

[LI-er]

Perhaps you can read the thread from page one as this has been asked and answered in this thread.

OW to 40m certification already provided in this thread and many other threads.

Open water divers being certified AND insured to a depth limit of 130 feet is a controversial subject and is enough of a "grey area" that when someone says "Oh you'll be covered by insurance to a depth of 130 feet even if you're only certified as an OW diver", they are serving up advice that is reckless and irresponsible.

See yet another thread about this subject and that "other" dive insurance company who indicates that certification levels and associated depths are in fact relevant, and it's fair to say that they'd probably make a case in court to deny a claim if a diver intentionally exceeded the depths to which they have been trained.

S

Thread 'DiveAssure Depth Limit for Open Water Certification'

Mar 3, 2023

DiveAssure has this wording on their website:

DiveAssure has no depth limits (as long as standards and protocols are followed and the diver is certified accordingly). Diving to a depth past your certification level will not be covered.

I have an SSI Open Water certification. Does this mean that if I log any dives at 61+ feet, they will deny any claims? I don't plan to go much deeper than that, but it would stink to find out that I'm not covered because I ventured to 70'.

• scubadivr
• Replies: 5
• Forum: Dive Insurance

 

[The Chairman]

You don't have to be so condescending.

Indeed.

 

[Blackcrusader]

A quick round of Google to said ISO gives a different view in my opinion (but im no expert in ISO..., so could be reading it wrong)

https://www.cdws.travel/downloads/rulesAndRegulations/78b25-18- ISO 24801-2 Autonomous.PDF

Says 20m and only after further training and/or with a guide/instructor to go deeper.

See where it says it is recommended? Recommended is not a command. It also has no legal authority.
Private companies cannot issue laws.

 

[Redtwo]

See where it says it is recommended? Recommended is not a command. It also has no legal authority.
Private companies cannot issue laws.

Ok, im no lawyer so just checking. You used ISO as a argument, and now it suddenly has no meaning. Thats confusing for me. Nevertheless, that it is no law, does that also mean an insurer (like diveassure) cannot use anything ISO or a certifying agency prescribed? That sounds strange to me.

I don't think its weird that an insurer says, if you want insurance you should follow the rules/guidelines of your certification/standards. We are not responsible if you do an overhead wreck dive to 180 feet on a single 80 and have a serious problem.

 

[Edward3c]

A quick round of Google to said ISO gives a different view in my opinion (but im no expert in ISO..., so could be reading it wrong)

https://www.cdws.travel/downloads/rulesAndRegulations/78b25-18- ISO 24801-2 Autonomous.PDF

Says 20m and only after further training and/or with a guide/instructor to go deeper.

The ISO is a Standard not legislation, but in Egypt (for example) their laws use the ISO as guidance for their laws.

Each agency will have its own interpretation of what the ISO means. For BSAC our Ocean Diver qualification is EN 14153-2/ISO 24801-2 - 'Autonomous Diver' accredited. However, we include additional skills, like rescue of a buddy from 6m. Our Sports Diver qualification teaches many skills not associated with the ISO we use, ISO 11107 – ‘Nitrox diving’.

Our Ocean Divers are trained to a maximum of 20m, the actual certified depth - if less - is record in their training log. Sports Divers are initially qualified to 20m, then must undertake depth progression dives - with an instructor - to 25, 30, 35 and 40m to gain those depth limits (a requirement of the ISO Clause 4). Dive Leaders and above can do depth progression dives to 45 and 50m, but most diving at these depths is done on Trimix that we teach separately once someone qualifies as a Sports Diver and has its own depth qualifications [outside the scope of this discussion]. Remember the ISO does not set a maximum depth for recreational dives, as these vary around the world - for example in France its 60m.

Now the insurance companies may use the ISO Standards as the qualifying criteria for their policies. It’s got nothing to do with the diving agencies its commercial risk and payment limitation tactics. So read the insurance small print carefully, as misunderstanding one word can mean you’re not covered when you think you are.

I recently want on a diving trip and my dive insurance policy was clear I was covered to my certification level or 40m whichever was the shallower (I’m certified to 50m), the exception was if I was undertaking a rescue or assistance to another diver.

 

[Blackcrusader]

I have diveassure and it has no depth limit except it states that your intended dive should be within your certification/standards.

As clear as mud lol So for the PADI Tec 40 course you can do that if you have an AOW and ten logged dives deeper than 30m. Yet people claim an AOW is limited to 30m. Well even in AOW training they can go to 40m on the deep dive.

PADI OW certification standard is the recreational depth limit of 40m. The training course cannot be deeper than 18m as the student has no certification yet.

 

[boulderjohn]

Well even in AOW training they can go to 40m on the deep dive.

No. The AOW deep dive that is limited to 30m/100 feet.