Do I Need Scuba Diving Insurance?

What are the Potential Risks?

Well as mentioned above scuba diving is a very safe sport to take part in. But even if you are a very conservative diver, accidents can happen. Now once an evacuation has occurred, once you reach a hyperbaric chamber, then treatment costs can go through the roof. Standard treatments can start at over $3000 and it is highly likely you might need multiple sessions. The chamber at the Kenya Navy base here in Mombasa will need proof of scuba diving travel insurance before treatment can begin.

As such we highly recommend you have your own cover to expedite the process. Our own policy is a cover-all general policy and it will take longer for approval. In the cases where hyperbaric treatment is required for decompression illness, then it is crucial to get the treatment started as quickly as possible. Your own name on a valid insurance document will speed this up drastically.

Will My Standard Travel Insurance Cover Scuba Diving?

Now many standard travel insurances will cover you for scuba diving within the limitations of your training, but you should be very careful. Ensure that you have read your travel insurance document thoroughly as insurance companies might add certain restrictions such as:

• • Limited to 30m or sometimes less
  • Diving only with professionals
  • No wreck or cave diving
  • Search and recovery expenses
  • Where your scuba diving licence was issued

It is the business of insurance companies to try and avoid paying out, so please ensure that your policy will cover your diving activities. If you go into environments you are not trained for or to depths you are not certified for then the insurance company will not pay out. As such you should also seek further training if you plan to go into these environments. A good example is experienced Open Water Divers should consider taking the PADI Advanced Open Water, Deep Diver course to extend their ranges and potential insurance coverage.

Is Specialist Scuba Diving Insurance Available?

Yes, there is specialist scuba diving travel insurance available and this is definitely the way to go. The specialist insurers such as our recommended insurer Divers Alert Network (DAN) will be very clear about what coverage is extended and what is not. DAN is made up of divers and research is done by diving doctors. DAN is experienced in getting everything sorted, quickly and efficiently, no matter where on earth you are. Once they have consulted with their specialists they can then guarantee payment to the medical facility where you are receiving treatment.

You can select from a range of lengths of cover with DAN. Annual insurance is superb value for money, but they can also offer short-term packages ranging from single days, weekly, or monthly packages.

We’re a DAN partner so happy to arrange this for you. Get DAN Cover Today

What Does Ocean Tribe Cover

As standard we insure every diver but it’s only up to a lower level limit. In all honesty that should cover most diving accidents but it certainly won’t cover repatriation or any other costs incurred. Insurance in Kenya has a general policy of the claimant paying first and then claiming back from the insurance company. That goes the same with ours. Suddenly there could be a big potential problem here if there is hyperbaric treatment required.

Please check with your insurance company very carefully on what your policy covers. Find out if you are covered before your dive trip, not when you require emergency treatment. We don’t want you to have to start go-fund me pages just to get help. Specialist scuba diving travel insurance is definitely the best course of action, enabling you to dive safe in the knowledge you are covered in the unlikely event anything were to go wrong.