OW limitations

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Try to get a direct answer (in writing) of the depth limit from the dive assurance company (in this case DiveAssure). It is almost impossible.... but only that is your answer.

That would be a good reason to pick a different insurance company.

Any insurance company that won't specifically define covered events (or define non-covered events) can't be relied on to cover them.

flots
 
Damn. I guess yes-or-no answers aren't to be expected when insurance claims are involved...

Hello,

Divers who are covered under our programs are covered for diving accidents as long as they dive according to the guidelines and restrictions for their certification level. Our programs do not have any depth limits, however, in order for coverage to apply, the diver must not go deeper than he or she is certified to dive.
You are welcome to contact our support team and we will be happy to provide you with all the information about our programs. The full terms and conditions of all of our programs are also available on our website.

Thank you,
DiveAssure
Toll free: +1-866-898-0921 ex.2
Info.usa@diveassure.com
 
Divers who are covered under our programs are covered for diving accidents as long as they dive according to the guidelines and restrictions for their certification level. Our programs do not have any depth limits, however, in order for coverage to apply, the diver must not go deeper than he or she is certified to dive.

What happens when a new diver, with poor buoyancy control accidentally violates OW depth limits, surfaces and is injured and requires treatment?

Would that be covered?

Does DiveAssure limit coverage based only on intentional violations or all depth violations?

I have the same question about dive time/depth: If a recreational diver unintentionally exceeds no-deco table limits, is injured and requires treatment, would that be covered?

flots.
 
I am a PADI instructor and PADI is very clear. OW=60, Adv = 100, Deep Specialty 130. No ambiguity to it. Event the quizzes and final press this point home. Any deeper and you violate your training restrictions. There is no on-surface dive police to check your computers upon return (thankfully) but I make it very clear to my students that to ignore the rules may lead to disastrous results.

As for what the insurance company says..... different deal.
 
I am a PADI instructor and PADI is very clear. OW=60, Adv = 100, Deep Specialty 130. No ambiguity to it. Event the quizzes and final press this point home. Any deeper and you violate your training restrictions. There is no on-surface dive police to check your computers upon return (thankfully) but I make it very clear to my students that to ignore the rules may lead to disastrous results.

As for what the insurance company says..... different deal.

Actually, I believe you're wrong. PADI is not only very unclear with its limits, I believe that the limits you're quoting are part marketing and part training limits. Every way I've ever read it, PADI certifies you to dive to within the limits of your training and experience up to the recreational limits, and that experience should be built slowly. This includes factors not limited to depth, but visibility and temperatures as well. In no way are you ready to dive in 36F water in 6ft of viz in high current to 60ft if your training was in Belize in 20ft of water with 17miles of viz and 86F water and no current.
 
I know the certification limit for OW divers under SEI guidelines is what they carried over from the YMCA Program. An OW diver IS certified to the sport diving limit of 100 feet. It is RECOMMENDED that they build up to that over time but it is clear in the standards that the limit of their certification is 100 feet.

This below is horsecrap and sounds like the kind of bull that some agencies pull on instructors who observe the standards of those agencies then get tossed under the bus when the crap hits the fan and someone gets hurt or killed.

"Hello,

Divers who are covered under our programs are covered for diving accidents as long as they dive according to the guidelines and restrictions for their certification level. Our programs do not have any depth limits, however, in order for coverage to apply, the diver must not go deeper than he or she is certified to dive."

^^^^WTH does this mean?^^^^ That is just so much stupidity in one sentence that it boggles my mind. But it does illustrate why insurance companies can be a cancer on society if they choose to be.

"You are welcome to contact our support team and we will be happy to provide you with all the information about our programs. The full terms and conditions of all of our programs are also available on our website."


Thank you,
DiveAssure
Toll free: +1-866-898-0921 ex.2

Seems that what they have with this is an out. One that the insurance agency can use to screw you over if they decide that they do not like the limits of the agency you were certed under or the payout is too damn big and decide to use those of another. What happens when some butthead of a DM or guide leads a group of divers beyond those limits?

My own personal feeling is that divers can do whatever the hell they want. ON THEIR OWN. BUT, if you are a supposed pro and leading a group of divers as a pro, then you should observe the same limits that would apply if it was a training dive. Otherwise give up the pro rating and the fee for guiding them.

This kind of CYA by them is why it's stupid to go with anything other than DAN.
 
This kind of CYA by them is why it's stupid to go with anything other than DAN.

DANs Preferred plan is a much less ambigous: "No Limit". No mention of certification levels or depths.

A policy where the company can't clearly explain the limits, and tells you to "call", is a policy I won't be buying.

OTOH, it is possible they mean exactly what they say and if an OW diver has a problem @ 135', there's no coverage.

I'm also wondering what happens if a diver exceeds the no-deco limits and gets bent without exceeding the depth limit.

flots.
 
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