Insurance

[WanderingJon]

Hi,

I'm planning to go to Borneo or the Philippines to do DM and then instructor. Can anyone advise me on getting travel insurance? It's best to get a basic travel policy for the traveling I know. Is there an add on insurance policy for training or is there on policy that will cover all?

I'm from the UK if that has any bearing on it.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, and sorry if this is an old topic.

Cheers.

Jon

 

[jlcnuke]

I assume you already have DAN dive insurance? I have their travel insurance as well, but if you're planning on living abroad I'm not sure how that would impact a travel insurance policy...

When you get your pro cert you'll need different insurance though, some of the instructors can cover that in better detail however.

 

[WanderingJon]

Hi jlcnuke,

Thanks for your reply. No, I don't have DAN, I did my rescue course in 2011, since then I've only done 14 dives.

Cheers.

Jon

 

[TMHeimer]

Insurance varies so much, it's hard to advise. My Blue Cross covers dive accidents out of Canada, and I'm usually close to a chamber in the U.S. Not saying it's a good as DAN. There are quite a few old threads on this, including all the good points with DAN, and the odd one mentioning that this or that point is not covered by DAN if you are from this country or going to that one. You have to get what you need for your specific situation.
Then there is Dive accident insurance vs. regular Travel Insurance, sometimes in combination.
Once you go Pro you get insurance for in case a student has an incident and sues you. Some shops cover the insurance costs, some don't, like ours. As a DM, I had to have my own insurance, as neither the shop's nor any instructor covered me. I took the company PADI had a relationship with. About $140 CAD yearly to just assist, maybe $240 CAD to cover all DM activities.
Logically, if you have Pro insurance to guard against lawsuits, this would not cover you yourself if you had an accident diving.

 

[Mustard Dave]

Many basic travel insurance providers include limited cover for diving. My bank account with RBS covers diving provided you are with an instructor or are qualified (and within the limit of your qualification), and do not exceed 30m. I understand the Post Office travel policy is similar. It is worth noting that such policies will not cover equipment (or will be limited).

A specialist dive insurer will offer cover beyond the 30m limit that general travel policies include, and you can also get equipment cover included. They also usually include your general travel insurance.

DAN are well known worldwide, but also popular with British divers are Divemaster and Westfield.

 

[tursiops]

I did my rescue course in 2011, since then I've only done 14 dives.

You don't need travel/liability insurance, you need more diving experience before going Pro!

 

[Mustard Dave]

Once you go Pro you get insurance for in case a student has an incident and sues you. Some shops cover the insurance costs, some don't, like ours. As a DM, I had to have my own insurance, as neither the shop's nor any instructor covered me. I took the company PADI had a relationship with. About $140 CAD yearly to just assist, maybe $240 CAD to cover all DM activities.
Logically, if you have Pro insurance to guard against lawsuits, this would not cover you yourself if you had an accident diving.

It staggers me that put up with this sort of crap. How many industries require employees to provide their own liability insurance? It is a bigger piss-take that it happens in the diving industry, where staff are paid a pittance, or work for free in many instances.

Ultimately, when a student enrols on a dive course, legal liability in most jurisdictions lies with the organisation they give the money to - not the employee that delivers the course.

 

[Neal Yang]

Has anyone gotten dive insurance from a provider other than DAN? I'm looking at DiveAssure for comparison.

Home – DiveAssure

 

[tursiops]

Has anyone gotten dive insurance from a provider other than DAN? I'm looking at DiveAssure for comparison.

Home – DiveAssure

I'm in the US, where DiveAssure is not available. Otherwise, it might be a very good alternative.

 

[BDSC]

I'm in the US, where DiveAssure is not available. Otherwise, it might be a very good alternative.

I did not know that DiveAssure was not available to US folks.