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Why Get Short-Term Dive/Travel Insurance

When going on a holiday diving or not and going through the checklist of things to bring doesn’t it always feel like you forgot something? Well, you usually do and can pick it up on the way or at your destination. Dive/ Travel Insurance is something that people often think of and then forget about. 

You should always have special insurance for diving and travel. Most major insurances and credit cards (I have a Chase that says it covers a lot but not diving) say that they cover some instances, but it gets very confusing what is and isn’t covered, not to mention when it starts (when you leave your house or land in the area). 

Scuba Divers

Scuba diving insurance should not be optional or an afterthought, it should be a forethought. While Diving insurance is so you aren’t paying a large medical bill in event of an accident or having to fight with your insurance company to cover it

Diving/ traveling once in a while or every week, it does not matter, special insurance for diving and travel is easy, fairly cheap, and will put your mind at ease. This article will cover why getting scuba diving and or travel insurance is a must and who we would recommend to use.

Possible Risks to SCUBA divers

Honestly, scuba diving is a relatively safe sport as long as you dive within your limits and are trained. Accidents can happen when you don’t follow those two rules and/ or a true accident happens. The ocean is unpredictable and people can have true accidents there are true dangers underwater that even a trained diver can run into. 

There are risks scuba divers face while traveling which is why getting insurance is important and could possibly save you money on medical care, new flights, etc.

Some SCUBA Risks are

Whether you are just begging in scuba diving or a dive professional, you could face any of these risks and more odd ones when scuba diving. Some trips/companies will have it mandatory to get dive insurance and some places will even cover you fully or partially so research this as well.  

Let us give a small accident, you go a bit deeper than normal and get Nitrogen Narcosis and get stung by a fish

 or run into a coral. You are allergic to this fish and must go to the hospital. It is not a large deal but you miss most of your trip and have to pay for the bills at the hospital. 

A more serious example is if you get DCS. You have to be flown by helicopter to the nearest hyperbaric/recompression chamber, which can cost over $10,000 USD just for the chamber. You will also probably need to extend your hotel and rebook the flights, which a dive insurance company will cover. It is always better to pay and not need it than need it and not have it.

Something most people don’t know about is there is short-term dive insurance for single trips and liveaboards.

When do you need diving insurance?

Right away, once you get into the sport, it is highly recommended that you get diving insurance.  If you love diving and traveling, which is why you are here you should get the combination package which will cover all land excursions and flights as well. 

What diving insurance package is suitable for you?

SCUBA diving luggage at a port to go to Tioman island

There are a lot of different packages and companies offered by insurance companies that specialize in scuba diving and travel. 

Does my Dive Center, Course, or Liveaboard Cover Me?

Some dive centers and liveaboards will put the cost of diving insurance into the cost of your course, maybe. Some may have it as an add-on. Speak with your agent or the shop to see if you’re covered,  it’s not very common. 

Is Normal Travel Insurance Enough?

Scuba diving is not usually covered by general travel insurance. Even if it is, the coverage is usually very basic and may not cover the chamber or things like decompression diving or deep diving.  When a medical emergency happens in diving specialized care and you should be treated by experts and not just the local doctor as they may not know about your incident. Dive insurance companies will provide 24/7 support from qualified dive physicians. 

Which Dive/ Travel  Insurance Do You Recommend?

DiveAssure link to the website to buy travel and dive insurance

They’ve got you covered.

There are a lot out there honestly but DiveAssures coverage for both diving and travel in our opinion is the best. There are a lot of reasons why and we will outline them below.

What Makes DiveAssure Your Best Choice?

DiveAssure members get the most comprehensive Diving Accident and Dive Travel insurance plans. The Duke Dive Medicine physicians (it is a funny name) are available 24/7 for direct consultations with DiveAssure members and partners.

DiveAssure specializes exclusively in diving and their expertise will make a true difference in the event of an accident.  They pay directly to service providers and will not make you leave a deposit or other guarantees.

We are in partnership with them and can help you to choose a plan or you can click this link and do it yourself. Let us know what you need and we can help you to sort it all out. 

They have three types of programs available and other premium ones:

  1. Personal Diving Accident (“DiveSafe”) 
  2. Dive Travel coverage (“Dive&Travel”) to any destination worldwide for any number of days (up to 180 consecutive days) or a full year.
  3.  Dive&Travel PLUS provides  special liveaboard coverage

DiveAssure Has Comprehensive Coverage

Their insurance policies offer you financial protection while you are in a dive-related or travel emergency. Depending on which plan you choose, it will cover the replacement of lost or damaged diving equipment, which is also rare. When going to places like the Galapagos or Raja Ampat on a dive vacation and a helicopter would be needed if something was to happen and thought would be expensive. 

These are what the Plus plan covers and the categories the insurance covers, it is very comprehensive. 

Medical Assistance Services

Teagan and a doctor

The doctor taking care of me after a scooter accident.

  • Medical Monitoring 
  • Prescription Assistance 
  • Deposit, Advance, and Payment Guarantees 
  • Medical, Dental, and Pharmacy Referrals 
  • Dispatch of Doctors/Specialists 
  • Medication, Vaccine, and Blood Transfers 
  • Dispatch of Medicine 
  • Transfer of Insurance Information to Medical Providers 
  • Medical Records Transfer 
  • Continuous Updates to Family, Employer, and Physician 
  • Hotel Arrangements for Convalescence 

Travel Assistance Services

  • Pre-Travel Information
  • Lost Luggage Assistance 
  • Emergency Travel Arrangements 
  • Emergency Cash Advance Assistance
  • Replacement of Lost or Stolen Travel Documents Assistance 
  • Legal Referrals
  • Translation Services 
  • Emergency Message Forwarding Assistance 
  • Emergency Pet Housing and/or Pet Return 

Concierge Services

  • Destination Profiles 
  • Epicurean Needs 
  • Event Ticketing 
  • Floral Services 
  • Tee Time Reservations 
  • Hotel Accommodations 
  • Meet-and-Greet Services 
  • Shopping Assistance Services 
  • Translation Services These services are available on a cost-plus 10% basis.
  • Pre-Trip Assistance 
  • Procurement of Hard-to-Find Items.
  • Restaurant Referrals and Reservations 
  • Rental Car Reservations 
  • Airline Reservations 

 

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