Divesafe??????

[DocVikingo]

Hi Triton,

Yes, I think it wise to wait if at all possible as each policy has its own quirks, and some of these can be quite important for particular divers.

I indeed will let you know when the article appears, which should surely be prior to your May 12 trip. A policy under any of the insurers mentioned becomes effective as soon as you complete an application & present a valid credit card number, and this can be done by phone, or in the case of DiveSafe on the 'net, so you needn't worry about long turn around times.

Dive accident insurance is a very, very good value--you are making a smart move.

Be well.

DocVikingo

 

[WetDane]

Ok, so I'm on the DAN group here - Master plan.

I did open my eyes when I read that you should call travel assist... I'm sorry, don't they help you get back from a remote location in case of injury - it seems to me that this would be very different from immediate medivac from accident site?
I have worked with Mountain rescue and there was always a rescue org who coordinated with rescue services (often due to highly specialized com gear) - still it seems to me that if you call local paramedics the you have effectively activated a medivac situation if required, this however does not cover evac to bigger better places...

I could be way off here - just tell me if I ALWAYS would have to call DAN PRIOR to requesting medivac services?

Cheers,
Terkel

 

[Warhammer]

The answer is yes, You MUST always call DAN first and allow them to arrange the evac in order for that evac to be covered, be it by land, air, or sea. They even may use the same people that you'd call and have you evacuated to the same chamber/hospital that you'd go. But if they didn't arrange it, they won't pay for it. There are no exceptions from what I was told. I specifically asked this question and provided different senarios and was told the same everytime. If DAN doesn't arrange the evac, DAN won't pay for the evac. It's that simple.

 

[Sundiver]

If you get bent in a remote location, will the doctor at the local chamber have training in dive injuries? If so , where did he get it? DiveSafe? PADI? If he doesn't, who's he gonna call? If we all buy DiveSafe and PADI will DAN still be there when we need them?

 

[MrMrEZG]

how does one call DAN from 100 miles offshore? cellphones, in general lose their signal at about 25-30 miles out.just curious.

 

[Warhammer]

My guess would be your boat would have a radio and therefore access to a phone through someone on shore. Surely you wouldn't go 100 miles offshore without a radio, would you? If you did and got in bad trouble, you'd be screwed regardless. And I'd think most boats would be familiar with DAN and how to contact them, you'd just need to tell them to call DAN and allow them to arrange the evac. I agree it could be an inconvience and I'd like to see DAN change their policy on it. Maybe if everyone bitched enough, they would.

 

[WetDane]

Ok, I have been to the DAN site - and it clearly states to call EMS prior to DAN!
http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/contact/
EMS is what I consider Medivac - immediate evac from an accident site.
Evac as used in this discussion appears to me to be defined as the Evac taking placed after the initial treatment in case of need for treatment in the US or at other mainland facility where more comprehensive evac is required.

To me this indicates that you do not need to call DAN before the EMS/Coastguard in case of an accident.

When you are at the hospital/chamber and need to get moved to a different facility or to just go home due to the medical condition - you have to call DAN and have them make arrangements.
I will comment that this is normal procedure for any travel related and risk related travel insurance.

Cheers,
Terkel

 

[MrMrEZG]

the question that i am asking is: how does one reach DAN on the VHF radio¿ I know that the coast guard can be reached via the radio. However if I call the USCG, I do not think they will want to call dan for me,do you¿

 

[Warhammer]

Have a look at http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/membership/handbook.pdf, on page 6. You'll have to have Adobe Acrobat Reader to view it. Here's some of what it says:

IMPORTANT: DAN TravelAssist must arrange ALL evacuations. Emergency evacuation arrangements made directly by you will not be reimbursed by DAN TravelAssist.


I specifically asked what if I was on an offshore dive trip, got bent, and required immediate medical attention and evacuation. The DAN rep told me that I had to either call DAN first or have someone else do it for me. If I did not call first then DAN would not cover the expenses incurred for the evacuation. Plain and simple. They would however still cover all medical expenses incurred, just not for the transportation from the boat to the hospital or chamber. That's about all I can tell you. You can call them yourself at 1-800-446-2671. I read the contact info at http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/contact/ and it appears to say the opposite. But all I know is that 2 different DAN reps told me the above was true. Maybe DocV can put this to rest, since he just finished researching dive insurance. Doc?

 

[Warhammer]

As far as reaching them via radio goes, all charter boats that I've been on can talk to shoreside shop staff via the radio. Those people have access to a phone and could make the call for you. If you were on a non-charter boat then I guess you would just do the best you could and pay for the evac if DAN wouldn't cover it.