Dive insurance: what it covers and what to check before you buy

Diving accidents are rare, but when they happen they can be very expensive. Treatment for decompression sickness usually means sessions in a hyperbaric chamber, and reaching one can require an evacuation by boat, ambulance or air from a remote island. Those costs can run into tens of thousands of dollars.

Many general travel insurance policies exclude scuba diving, cover it only to a shallow depth, or exclude it unless you are diving with a professional. Some do not cover hyperbaric treatment at all. It is common for divers to discover these limits only after something goes wrong.

Dedicated dive insurance, from providers such as DAN, Dive Assure and others, is designed around these risks. Typical cover includes emergency medical treatment for diving injuries, hyperbaric chamber treatment, emergency evacuation and repatriation, and access to a medical hotline staffed by people who understand diving.

Many policies also offer optional extras such as cover for lost or damaged dive gear, trip cancellation, or missed dives because of illness or weather. Some are sold per trip and others per year, which is usually better value if you dive more than once or twice a year.

Depth limits: check the maximum depth covered and whether it depends on your certification level. A policy limited to 30 meters will not help if you have an accident on a 40 meter dive.

Type of diving: technical diving, decompression diving, wreck or cave penetration and diving with rebreathers are often excluded or need a higher tier.

Certification and supervision: some policies require you to dive within the limits of your certification, or with a buddy or professional.

Medical conditions: pre-existing conditions may need to be declared, and some require a medical statement before diving.

Where you dive: confirm the policy covers the country, and whether it covers diving in your home country as well as abroad.

Save the emergency number of your insurer in your phone and on paper, and tell your buddy or the dive center which insurer you use. In an emergency, call the insurer's hotline as early as possible: they can arrange chamber treatment and evacuation, and many policies only pay costs they approved in advance.

Keep your policy number, the dates of cover and the emergency number together with your certification cards, so whoever is helping you can find them quickly.

Frey Dive keeps your insurance policies alongside your dives and certifications, with the company, plan, dates of cover and a photo of the policy. It reminds you before a policy expires, so you do not discover a lapse at the dive center, and tells you when you have no active cover.

If you do not have a policy yet, Frey also shows an offer from our partner Dive Assure, with a discount for Frey Dive users.