What to look for in diving insurance

As a diver, you need to put your safety first. Scuba diving is arguably a high-risk activity and that means it’s important to be prepared, and after you’ve invested in the necessary equipment and safety provisions there’s one more thing you need to consider—insurance.

You might think this can go way down the list of priorities but if you overlook it you could find yourself suffering the consequences, and you can’t be hasty either. Fail to choose wisely and you might as well not have any at all, so to help you make the right decision we’ve put together a few things you need to look for in diving insurance:

•             Accident cover. This should be a core part of any insurance package, because if you were to be injured the costs could soon add up. Think about it—this isn’t an ordinary situation and if an accident occurred you might need to be airlifted to hospital (for example) and could need hyperbaric treatment, with the costs incurred soon escalating. Make sure to check that the plan covers other injuries as well as those related to DCI (such as for snorkelling and free diving) and check for any depth restrictions too.

•             Travel insurance (including scuba diving). Chances are you’ll be heading abroad, and that means travel insurance will be a prerequisite. Ideally you’ll want to look for a policy that’s been specifically designed for divers as you’ll get a far more tailored level of cover, and make sure to check you’re getting things like cancellation cover, cover if you’re fit to travel but unfit to dive and trip interruption.

•             Equipment cover. As a diver you know how expensive the necessary equipment can be, so doesn’t it make sense to protect your investment? Dive equipment insurance should incorporate the likes of loss due to water damage, theft and lost baggage, and always check the limits of cover as well as the specific type of equipment that can be included. Ideally you’ll want a policy that can offer new for old cover as well as no claims discounts, so always do your research to see what you can find.

These are just the three broad categories you’ll need to consider, and as you can see, there’s a lot to think about. It’s vital you spend the time to choose a policy that perfectly suits your needs and going for specialist cover is the only option—it’s all about having peace of mind, putting your safety as well as your finances first, and if you’re after a policy that can offer that kind of protection you’ve come to the right place.

Here at Dive Master we specialise in this industry and can provide a whole range of different packages depending on your needs, covering all the main categories with plenty of high-level features that set us apart from the rest.  In short, we’ll have you covered, so make sure to get in touch and you can be safe in the knowledge that you’re ready for anything on your next scuba break.