Insurance

[av8rboie]

Hello All!

In regards to insurance. Should I have insurance before I do my 4 open water dives? I'm doing it through princess cruises. Typically are you covered on their insurance before you are certified?

Thanks for any info!

Mike

 

[Maule]

My answer to this is, YES. Here is why. Are you going to dive after being certified? (if you aren't then why are you getting certified?) Aren't you going to need insurance for that? Do you wanna go through a 3rd party to get your bills paid if something did happen? It's hard enough dealing with those type things when it's your insurance little along trying to go through someone else's insurance. Just get it, it isn't that much money.

 

[Quero]

Read the fine print in Princess Cruises' or New Waves' insurance coverage. I've looked at their websites and there is no mention of insurance, so you will need to write to them. If their insurance doesn't cover the cost of recompression chamber treatment and evacuation by helicopter, get your own before you go. You don't want to run the risk of finding that Princess will only act as a co-insurer for costs your regular (non-diving) insurance won't cover, and in addition find out that there are serious limitations as to upper limits of coverage (chamber treatments are amazingly expensive). If their insurance seems good to you, and you're not going to dive right away once you get home, you have the option of waiting to buy your own until you are getting set for another dive trip. I agree with Maule, though. Once you are certified, you may want to take advantage of a good last-minute opportunity to dive without the worry of getting insurance sorted out ahead of time.

 

[divemaster_jim]

Forget the princess, get your own insurance, cruise lines have a habit of dropping the ball on alot of things, besides you'll have it for after the end of the cruise and for the rest of the year, Some private insurance companies don't pay or don't pay much towards any diving involved injuries.

 

[pir8]

One Word: DAN

 

[pupdiver]

I would get dive insurance before you go. If you are getting certified, you might have the opportunity to add some post-certification dives. Plus, I suspect the cruise line's insurance covers them and not you, but I suppose you could clarify that with them.

Also, most dive insurers also include some amount of trip insurance, which isn't a bad idea either. I use DAN and I can enthusiastically recommend them.

 

[DiverFest.com]

Sometimes the school will cover you with free student DAN coverage.

Do some homework on insurance and you will find that DAN and Diveassure are at the top of the lists. I use DAN and have been pleased with the support from them.

DAN is a secondary insurance, where they cover what your primary insurance company doesnt.

Diveassure is primary dive insurance.

Nevertheless, with the cost of a chamber trip, you will be glad to save 10,000's of thousands of dollars if you ever need it.

 

[Maule]

Insurance is one of those things that everyone hates to pay for and wishes they had bought more of when they need it.

 

[Bullswan]

Here is something else to consider............

Life Insurance. It might be a good idea before you certify to check on your personal life insurance situation and if you don't feel you are sufficiently covered NOW might be the time to buy more. One of the underwriting questions is "crazy stuff". IE: Hang Gliding, Hot Air Ballooning, Scuba Diving, etc etc. The answer of yes to any of those avocations will increase your premium. Get all you need before you are doing those things might be wise.

Greg

 

[mudhole]

Dive training organizations in the U.S. require their instructors to carry insurance for their training dives. . . There are still instructors that are teaching that have let their insurance lapse. After your Open Water dives are complete, will you want to dive some more? We all hope so. The instructors insurance won't cover those.

DAN and Dive Assure have different price levels so an entry level diver can get coverage at a low rate. As new divers you should obey the limits of depth and time of your training agency which will make your risk very low. . . but bad things happen, and good insurance helps make life safer.