Dive Insurance

Specialized insurance covering scuba diving accidents, including hyperbaric chamber treatment, emergency evacuation, and dive-related medical costs.

Dive insurance covers the costs of a diving accident: recompression treatment in a hyperbaric chamber, emergency transport to reach one, hospitalization, and follow-up care. This matters because many standard health and travel policies exclude scuba diving or cap it at shallow depths, while a single chamber treatment series can cost tens of thousands of dollars, and a helicopter evacuation from a remote dive site even more.

Policies differ in depth limits, coverage for technical diving, trip coverage for lost gear or cancelled liveaboards, and whether they pay providers directly or reimburse you. DAN is the best known provider, but several agencies and specialist insurers offer equivalent products. Read the fine print if you dive nitrox, go below 40 m, or plan decompression diving, since some entry-level policies only cover recreational profiles.

Dive operators and liveaboards increasingly require proof of dive insurance before letting you on the boat, so keep the policy number and emergency hotline with your certification card. Check renewal dates before a big trip, since a policy that lapsed mid-season tends to be discovered at the worst possible moment, and confirm coverage applies to every destination and every kind of diving on the itinerary.