Is Scuba Diving Covered? | Travel Insurance Direct (TID)

• What's covered?
• What's not covered?

You’ve hit your dream destination, and the beach is looking pretty good… but you’re keen to explore what’s under the water as well as above. 

Whether you’re an experienced diver or want to try it for the first time, many of our plans offer travel insurance cover for scuba diving and snorkelling. 

Coverage available on the following plans:

TID offers some flexible travel insurance coverage options no matter which land, air or water sport or adventure activity you’re planning. Our plans can offer cover for many activities and sports.

• The Works
• The Basics
• Annual Multi Trip
• International

What's Covered

• Overseas medical expenses for sudden illness or serious injury while scuba diving
• Medical evacuation to the nearest facility for treatment
• Treatment in a decompression chamber if required.

Note: You should note that you must be appropriately qualified and hold an open water diving licence – if you don’t you must dive under the instruction of a qualified instructor. If you’re not sure about the qualification/s of the instructor or the dive shop, it’s not worth risking your life and heading underwater.

Cover for your gear

Scuba equipment can be covered under the policy up to $700 when not in use. To avoid having depreciation applied to your scuba equipment or if your equipment is worth more than $700 you can specify it up to $4,000 and pay an additional premium. Here's more information about cover for Luggage and Personal Effects. 

A helping hand when you need it the most

Our Emergency Assistance Team are on call 24/7 to help get you back to exploring the seven seas. The EA team are available 24/7 to help in any kind of medical emergency, and ready to answer urgent questions.

Get a quote to get your next domestic or international adventure underway today.

What's not covered?

There are several things not covered under your policy which you should make sure you’re aware of before you dive back into the deep blue. These include, but are not limited to: 

• Risky or reckless behaviour – and that includes doing anything that could pose a risk to your personal safety.
• Make sure you’re qualified… or your instructor is:  If you’re a first timer, make sure you dive with a qualified instructor and if you’re diving without an instructor, you must have the right open water qualifications and not dive beyond the depths and locations to which you’ve been qualified. That means no free diving, wreck diving or anything else beyond your licence. 
• Racing or professional sports, i.e., you are receiving a wage, salary, or appearance fee for training for or participating in the activity.
• Travelling somewhere against Do Not Travel warnings – if there’s a government advisory against going there it’s probably not a good idea. And this includes scuba diving sites that are off-limits. 
• Diving under the influence – being intoxicated while diving is a bad idea and not only can affect any claims you may make but can put at risk your life and those who are diving with you.  
• Medical fitness: diving is one of those sports you do need a certain level of medical fitness.  If the doctor says you can’t dive, or you have an existing medical condition that prevents you from diving safely, that can affect any claims you make under this section of the policy. 

Tips on how to choose travel insurance when on your scuba diving holiday

Here are a few tips to help you make the right choice when planning an adventure holiday:

• Understand your needs: different adventure sports and activities come with different risks. Understand the risks associated with your chosen activity and choose a policy that covers those risks.
• Read the Fine Print: make sure to read the Product Disclosure Statement details carefully. Understand what is covered and what is not. Look for any terms and conditions, exclusions, or limitations.
• Compare our policies: don't just go with the first policy you find. Compare different policies and choose the one that offers the best coverage at the best price for your sports and activity needs.
• Check the level of cover for your sport: some activities and sports may require extra level of cover or may not be covered. Make sure you clearly understand the level of cover for your selected activities.
• Only work with qualified and licensed instructors - if you are planning to participate in any activities that require an instructor, then make sure whether that instructor has received the right training. They must be qualified to lead hiking, rock climbing, scuba diving, abseiling, or other types of tours and be registered with the governing association for their recreational activity.

The above features and benefits are a summary of cover only. Cover is subject to the full terms, conditions, limitations, and exclusions outlined in the Product Disclosure Statement.