As divers, we are constantly taught and reminded about safety at every step of our dive. Whether it’s checking your equipment or following appropriate surface and underwater procedures, all dive professionals stress it to make sure you have the safest experience possible. However, what we don’t talk about enough is having diving accident insurance! While this might seem like a grim topic to read and discuss, it is extremely important for divers, just like any other insurance in your life might be. In the unlikely event of a mishap, Diving accident insurance could be the one that makes or breaks a recovery from a minor or major diving mishap. Your safety should not be limited to your gear and diving procedures but should extend to unpredictable situations as well.
Is Diving a Risky Sport?
Scuba diving has significantly evolved over the last few decades and is now safer than ever. Training and diving procedures have improved to be prepared for any kind of emergency to minimise the chances of accidents. It is one of the safest adventure sports out there, and the rate of accidents in the sport is significantly low. However, this does not eliminate the possibility of mishaps. The fact that most diving destinations are located away from well-equipped medical facilities and on remote islands exacerbates the problem.
Potential Hazards from Diving
While scuba diving in itself is a safe adventure sport, it comes with its own set of possible hazards that could occur due to improper or complete lack of application of safety procedures. Common diving accidents and illnesses include decompression sickness, lung over-expansion, barotrauma, carbon monoxide poisoning, and accidents caused by nitrogen narcosis or equipment failure. A lot of these occur due to human error and disregard for safety procedures.
Why Should You Get Diving Insurance?
All of the above mentioned illnesses and accidents come with a high cost. Dive medicine is a niche in the medical field, and there are very few who understand and can treat these problems. This also means treating them is very expensive. Further, since most dive destinations are located in remote places, there is no immediate access to a good medical facility, particularly
one with a hyperbaric chamber. Transferring a victim from an island to the nearest hospital with a hyperbaric chamber can prove to be a lot more expensive than you think. The use of helicopters and the chamber itself for treatment would send your medical bills soaring through the sky. Having diving insurance will keep you protected from such costs, along with avoiding any delay in access to medical care. With diving-related accidents, the chances of recovery are high when care is provided immediately. Having insurance could significantly improve your chances of recovering from an unfortunate mishap during a holiday.
Will my Travel Insurance cover Diving related Accidents?
Most travel insurances these days cover scuba diving-related accidents up to a depth of 12m. However, they do not provide complete coverage and have strict terms and conditions, which might not cater to all your needs if you’re diving more regularly and plan on going deeper.
Will my Travel Insurance cover Diving related Accidents?
Several insurance companies offer complete diving accident coverage. Some of the popular ones include DAN, DiveAssure, and PADI, which now also offer diving accident insurance. At Divinguru, we ensure that safety is our utmost priority. Our instructors follow the highest safety standards and make sure that you have a safe and enjoyable experience with us. As a dive centre, we hold liability insurance from V-Insurance, which includes public, product, and professional liability. We are the only dive centre in Sri Lanka that is fully insured. We hope you are already getting your insurance ready for your next diving adventure! If you have any questions, please feel free to get in touch with us!
