The DIVER Travel Planner 1999
INTRO |
Dive centres |
What to take |
Airline baggage allowances |
Insurance |
Australia/Pacific |
Far East |
Indian Ocean |
World dive locations |
Africa |
Red Sea/Middle East |
Mediterranean/Northern Europe |
Caribbean/Atlantic |
North America |
Which countries offer what |
Best times to go |
Seasonal extremes |
Reef health |
Contact details
INSURANCE
A vital consideration for any diving holiday is to make sure you have the right insurance.
Even if you are planning to have only a couple of dives while on holiday, you might well invalidate your insurance if you have taken out only a standard policy. Many specifically exclude dangerous sports or hobbies, including diving. Others may include diving, but restrict dives to 30m and increase the excess on medical expenses.
When you take out diving insurance, it is wise to make sure you know the limitations of the policy. It might limit dives to a maximum of 50m on air and 75m on trimix. And there are generally exclusions on decompression dives.
Go any deeper or undertake a decompression dive, and you will find your cover invalidated - an expensive mistake if you need recompression treatment, a lengthy stay in hospital or repatriating for specialist treatment back home.
Most specialist dive policies cover all the usual areas of a travel insurance policy, but in addition reimburse for lost diving days, cover expensive equipment and do not exclude diving-related medical expenses.
Shop around to get the best deal, but go for the policy that offers the most benefits, not the cheapest premium. You will then be able to dive confident that, should the worst happen, you are at least well covered.
Appeared in DIVER - June 1999
