Skills practice at YMCA Insurance question

[luscioman]

I live in Florida but my sister is an aquatic manger at a YMCA in MA. So in the spirit of helping those in SB i asked about divers being able to use the pools in the winter to brush up on skills. She asked the manager and it appears that insurance or lack of is this issue. So I was thinking if there is a DM with insurance or instructor it would probably cover this. I had her take a copy of my insurance to show the manger. Just looking for feedback from others on this.

 

[oly5050user]

Many pools will rent time to a current fully insured instructor to conduct classes. Rates can vary. Here in New York pool time can be very expensive, so much that a LDS that rents a pool will not run a scheduled class if there are not enough participants. When I needed to rent pool time rates where $50 per person per hour to a flat rate of $350 for 3 sessions of 90 minutes each. We now have our own 10' deep salt water pool in our facility and can schedule any day any time for clients. We run a group schedule class on a Friday 7 pm to 11pm, Saturday and Sunday 9am to 5pm..private class, which we run many more of than any other LDS in the area, can any day or time that fits the clients needs. Want a class at 2am? We can do it. All of our full time staff instructors have 24 hr 7 day a week access to facility. Independent fully insured Instructors can also arrange pool time here as well. Customers who purchase or get their gear serviced here can use pool . We do charge a fee for those who want pool time if they have not purchased their gear or have their gear serviced by us.

 

[stuartv]

If the pool is accused of having an unsafe XYZ that contributed to an injury, your DM insurance is not going to cover or defend the pool facility.

 

[Scott]

Your professional insurance is coverage for instructional purposes. What YMCA and others are concerned about is damage to the pools and or an accident during non-instructional sessions. Least that's the case in my area.

 

[stuartv]

Your professional insurance is coverage for instructional purposes. What YMCA and others are concerned about is damage to the pools and or an accident during non-instructional sessions. Least that's the case in my area.

I'm not a dive pro (though I have been looking into it), but DM insurance should cover the DM even if he/she is just leading a dive of all certified divers, right? I.e. not just for instructional purposes.

That said, if somebody at the pool does not have the DM that is present engaged in a professional capacity, and the diver drops a scuba cylinder which breaks off its valve, shoots across the room, injures a random bystander, and damages the pool facility, I am highly skeptical that the DM's insurance would provide any protection to the pool facility from a lawsuit. Maybe it would pay the pool for damages, if the pool sued the DM.

The whole thing seems like a very sticky wicket if the pool facility has insurance that does not cover scuba-related activities.

 

[tursiops]

I'm not a dive pro (though I have been looking into it), but DM insurance should cover the DM even if he/she is just leading a dive of all certified divers, right? I.e. not just for instructional purposes.

Yes, if the proper waivers are filled out and no standards are broken.....for example you really shouldn't take your certified divers into a swim-through, or too deep, or on their first night dive....

You might want to call the insurance companies for pro divers (they are not the same for each agency) and ask your questions specificially.

 

[TMHeimer]

I would think the pool people are worried about a number of things, and agree that DM insurance wouldn't be something that would sway them one way or the other. There is also that any lifeguards on duty may not be qualified or know much about what to do with a diver in trouble. This may be the reason diving is sometimes not permitted at lifeguarded beaches and divers being allowed to dive over on the rocks or jetty away from the guarded beach (even though they may have paid a hefty parking fee which helps pay the lifeguards--which will not be guarding the divers' lives....).

It also may be that for the tiny amount in fees the pool may collect from divers honing skills it's not even close to justifying the problems they may face.
Now that I think of it, a number of years ago I paid my $20 (now 30) at a park in CT and was allowed to dive from the lifeguarded beach after signing a waiver. Guess the feeling was I could pay my fee and you really can't do much (more...) to damage the ocean/bottom in CT like you may to a pool?