Dive Club Insurance: who offers it?

[ryt]

Currently I am trying to start a college dive club at the Univ of Hawaii at Hilo. We are just about done witht he formation and I am moving on to funding and equipment. I have a donor that is willing to give us a bunch of used gear (he is getting out of the bussiness), but one thing he suggested is that we carry insurance. I agreed and have talked to the funding person at the college and they told me to write a proposal and it would probably be approved. I, however, have not been able to find a company that will insure us. I tried to go through the PADI insurance provider, but they no longer offer it to clubs. I also tried DAN Services Inc, but have been unable to get in touch with them. I was wondering if anyone had any experience with this. We have two PADI certified dive masters in the club who run dives for free and our goal is to make it as cheap as possible for students in the college to dive.

 

[kidspot]

Currently I am trying to start a college dive club at the Univ of Hawaii at Hilo. We are just about done witht he formation and I am moving on to funding and equipment. I have a donor that is willing to give us a bunch of used gear (he is getting out of the bussiness), but one thing he suggested is that we carry insurance. I agreed and have talked to the funding person at the college and they told me to write a proposal and it would probably be approved. I, however, have not been able to find a company that will insure us. I tried to go through the PADI insurance provider, but they no longer offer it to clubs. I also tried DAN Services Inc, but have been unable to get in touch with them. I was wondering if anyone had any experience with this. We have two PADI certified dive masters in the club who run dives for free and our goal is to make it as cheap as possible for students in the college to dive.

Are you talking "equipment" insurance or Liability? If it's liability, then you could probably ask the "funding person" who the university has their campus liability with and speak with them about it. The other option is just to encourage each individual is a DAN member.

Aloha,
Tim

 

[ryt]

Are you talking "equipment" insurance or Liability? If it's liability, then you could probably ask the "funding person" who the university has their campus liability with and speak with them about it. The other option is just to encourage each individual is a DAN member.

Aloha,
Tim

I am actually talking about both. I have more or less gotten the go ahead for funding for purchasing insurance, I just haven't found an insurer, the more I look the more I seem to find that there is just no such thing. I talked to PADI's insurance company (forget the name), they do not offer it to clubs (but used to), and DAN does not either. The problem with individual insurance is we would be unable to get the school would be unwilling to pay for it. If we required it and made students pay for it it wouldcut the membership in half since they could just go out diving individually cheaper - college students do not have that much money and don't like to waste it on something they will most likley never use.Most likley we will end up diving with a very well written waiver which I have already written up with a lawyer as well as a strong recommendation for insurance.

 

[Tom Winters]

How do the Aquanauts at UH Manoa handle it? Being a signed organizational officer for a dive club that is allowing the members to use donated previously-used equipment might have a few problems, not only from the initial usage, but maintenance down the line. The guys at Vicencia & Buckley - PADI's insurance underwriters are pretty conversant with every aspect of scuba liability issues in the diving industry.
If they don't underwrite dive clubs anymore, there's a tacit unstated implication that the risks outweighed the benefits.
Soooooooooo not to discourage you or anything, but how comfortable are you being a club officer overseeing a used dive locker? You can draw up an absolutely ironclad liability release - one that would totally exonerate you from any possible action for any possible reason in a lawsuit.
Of course, the problem is that you would have to go to court to get a ruling on it, and lawyers in Hawaii are going to want a $5,000 retainer up front to initiate your defense.

 

[padiscubapro]

Currently I am trying to start a college dive club at the Univ of Hawaii at Hilo. We are just about done witht he formation and I am moving on to funding and equipment. I have a donor that is willing to give us a bunch of used gear (he is getting out of the bussiness), but one thing he suggested is that we carry insurance. I agreed and have talked to the funding person at the college and they told me to write a proposal and it would probably be approved. I, however, have not been able to find a company that will insure us. I tried to go through the PADI insurance provider, but they no longer offer it to clubs. I also tried DAN Services Inc, but have been unable to get in touch with them. I was wondering if anyone had any experience with this. We have two PADI certified dive masters in the club who run dives for free and our goal is to make it as cheap as possible for students in the college to dive.

Try this
http://www.scubainsurance.net/

I know they issued policies in the past....
Club insurance used to start at around $1500/year, not sure if they still write new policies.

There is no info on the site for clubs so you will probably have to call.

 

[Randy43068]

What are you trying to insure against? Why would your club need it?

Currently I am trying to start a college dive club at the Univ of Hawaii at Hilo. We are just about done witht he formation and I am moving on to funding and equipment. I have a donor that is willing to give us a bunch of used gear (he is getting out of the bussiness), but one thing he suggested is that we carry insurance. I agreed and have talked to the funding person at the college and they told me to write a proposal and it would probably be approved. I, however, have not been able to find a company that will insure us. I tried to go through the PADI insurance provider, but they no longer offer it to clubs. I also tried DAN Services Inc, but have been unable to get in touch with them. I was wondering if anyone had any experience with this. We have two PADI certified dive masters in the club who run dives for free and our goal is to make it as cheap as possible for students in the college to dive.

 

[ryt]

We are trying to insure all of our gear in case it was stolen, liability, and medical for all members. As for the ironclad waiver we already have one, but no waiver is truely ironclad - there is always a way you can get sued.

Vicenia $ Buckley no longer offer insurance to clubs.

UH Manoa has no club.