Dive Insurance for Mona Island (Puerto Rico) liveaboard - no joy

[dberry]

I've read many of the threads on the relative advantages of different dive insurance plans (thankyouverymuch, @outofofficebrb !)

After speaking with the folks who underwrite the Dan TRAVEL insurance it became clear it's not at all tweaked to cover loss of diving (as opposed to more generic problems like missing a flight, etc.)

So, I called DiveAssure, based on the recommendations here, with particular interest in their "liveaboard rider". To my surprise and disappointment, DiveAssure does NOT write travel policies for trips within your home country. I live in the USA, and indeed Puerto Rico is also in the USA. The DiveAssure agent said I'm basically out of luck! (Yes, I called and spoke to a human and didn't rely on the website).

I suppose I'll revert to buying travel insurance from DAN (I already have DAN dive medical coverage).

The problem would be a scenario that has been described in other threads; Imagine you fly to (e.g) BVI to get on a liveaboard dive boat, then you blow out an ear drum on day 1 and can't dive for days 2 through 5. Diving is the entire (and only) reason you got on the boat. But, since your "trip" is based on your common carrier (Airline) flights to and from BVI which hasn't been canceled or interrupted), so you can't claim anything from the insurance company.

I discussed these possibilities with the underwriter for the DAN travel plan, and the nice lady basically said I'd be SOL. Isn't it disappointing that the travel insurance offered by DAN isn't really specific to diving? The only bit that seems diving related at all is coverage of sporting goods in your checked baggage.

Are there any other travel insurance plans that understand the coverage needed by Divers?

-Don

 

[Damselfish]

Some travel insurance companies offer a "cancel for any reason" option. Typically you'd have to buy it within a short time after booking the trip, and likely expensive. Don't know if that is something that would help here.

I met someone someplace from the travel insurance part of DAN who seemed to think they were going to offer such a product soonish. But that was like a couple years ago so I'm not holding my breath.

 

[Wookie]

When I ran a us based Liveaboard to us based destinations, including Mona, Travel Guard offered our clients excellent insurance at a reasonable price ($60 a thousand IIRC). See if they are still in business.

 

[outofofficebrb]

@dberry Ugh, yeah, that is a bummer about your needs for Puerto Rico and Dive Assure. Please keep us posted on what you end up finding that works best for you!

 

[Doc]

Travel Guard, about 2011 (?) liveaboard from PR>USVI>PR (USA)

Wife popped her eardrum on first minute first dive first day.

They reimbursed her entire ride except for airfare, even tho she was a deck-bound sun bunny.

 

[lv2dive]

Who is running liveaboards to Mona Island these days? This is quite apropos with the Nekton thread yesterday!

 

[Wookie]

Who is running liveaboards to Mona Island these days? This is quite apropos with the Nekton thread yesterday!

Juliet puts on a couple of trips a year.

 

[dberry]

Travel Guard is the company that underwrites the DAN travel insurance policies. When I had specific questions about coverage the person at DAN had me call Travel Guard directly. The Travel Guard person answered my questions as best she could, but she did not leave me feeling that my dive- specific concerns were definitely covered. Since DiveAssure isn't an option, I'll probably go with DAN/Travel Guard and hope for the best.

I've read that the waters around Mona (especially the passage) can be rough, and it's not impossible we'd lose some days of diving to 6-8 ft seas. If that happens I suppose Liza (owner/captain of the Juliet) would head to the most divable sites available.

 

[Wookie]

Seeing it’s an island, there is a Lee side. It was 14 in the channel for our worst crossing, and beautiful on the southwest and western shore.