If the insured has consumed alcohol or taken medicine earlier than diving, the insurance coverage firm might refuse to pay compensation within the occasion of an accident.
Illnesses attributable to a speedy lower within the stress of the encircling atmosphere can happen if an individual quickly ascends again to the floor whereas diving. If nitrogen can’t be expelled in time, bubbles might kind within the physique, resulting in dizziness, vomiting, weak spot within the limbs, and joint ache. In extreme instances, it may well even result in paralysis and dying.
As diving depth will increase, the focus of nitrogen within the water additionally rises. If an excessive amount of nitrogen dissolves into the blood and nerve tissue, it may well produce toxicity, inflicting signs just like intoxication, impaired judgment, slowed response time, and even hallucinations. This will simply result in severe errors and errors, leading to life-threatening conditions.
When diving, water stress adjustments quickly with depth. If the physique’s “air chambers,” such because the ears, nostril, and lungs, can’t steadiness the stress distinction between the within and out of doors of the physique in time, tissue injury might happen, leading to signs akin to ear ache, tinnitus, nosebleeds, and issue respiratory. In extreme instances, it may well even result in pneumothorax and air embolism.
*The default journey vacation spot is Asia.
*The above info is for reference solely as of January 26, 2026. All info is topic to the bulletins of the related insurance coverage corporations.
Medical bills restrict for diving accidents and most compensation for emergency medical help
Decompression chamber remedy value
If an accident happens throughout diving and causes a diving-related sickness, emergency remedy in a decompression chamber is often required, which can incur medical bills of over HK$100,000. Usually, so long as the insured has not violated any exclusions for high-risk actions within the insurance coverage plan, the insurance coverage firm will cowl emergency medical assist bills. Nonetheless, since there’s often a cap on the protection for remedy and follow-up visits, and decompression chamber charges are excessive, if a number of remedies are required, the coverage might not absolutely cowl the remedy prices.
Most compensation for emergency medical transport
Diving carries inherent dangers; incidents akin to assaults by marine life, sudden sickness, or tools malfunction can happen. Diving websites are sometimes removed from city areas, and medical services might not be ample. Due to this fact, emergency medical transport is essential when extra superior medical care is required and a switch to a different hospital is critical. When contemplating an insurance coverage plan, along with a 24-hour emergency assist hotline, it’s important to test whether or not it covers emergency medical transport companies.
Guidelines for earlier than buying diving insurance coverage
When selecting journey insurance coverage, it is advisable to rigorously assessment the phrases and circumstances concerning high-risk actions within the plan in line with your personal wants, and choose probably the most appropriate journey insurance coverage plan:
- Does it cowl high-risk actions?
- Does it cowl snorkeling/scuba diving/freediving?
- Is it essential to be licensed or accompanied by a professional particular person or coach to be eligible for insurance coverage?
- Diving depth restrict
- Does it cowl injury to diving tools?
- Abroad remedy value restrict
- Does it embrace 24-hour emergency assist?
- Emergency medical and physique transport companies
- Varied Uninsured Gadgets
Diving accident declare insurance coverage course of and suggestions
Earlier than touring, policyholders should save the insurance coverage firm’s 24-hour emergency assist hotline. Within the unlucky occasion of an accident, they have to instantly search medical help and report the incident. If the scenario is severe, they should contact the insurance coverage firm to tell them of the scenario and make emergency medical preparations. Most insurance coverage have a declare deadline. The insured should fill out a kind and acquire all needed paperwork earlier than the deadline and submit the declare software by mail, in particular person, or on-line. If the paperwork are full, the insurance coverage firm will take roughly 4 to 12 weeks to assessment the paperwork and full the claims course of.
Declare Tip 1: Search instant medical consideration and report the incident to the police.
Within the occasion of an accident, it is best to search medical consideration and report the incident instantly. Delaying reporting might end result within the denial of compensation. If emergency rescue is required, you may name the insurance coverage firm’s 24-hour emergency rescue hotline.
Declare Tip 2: Put together all related paperwork
Insurance coverage corporations sometimes require full documentation earlier than processing a declare. Due to this fact, it’s needed to gather and protect numerous paperwork to make sure a clean claims course of. These paperwork embrace:
- Diving course certificates/diving file
- A acknowledged physician’s prognosis certificates should embrace the insured’s title, signs, date of remedy, and receipt.
- A certificates issued by a health care provider proving the severity of the incapacity.
- Authentic hospital invoice
- Police report
- Invoices for emergency transport or helicopter companies (if emergency transport assist is concerned).
Declare Tip 3: Don’t submit the identical doc repeatedly.
If any paperwork are lacking, they are often uploaded or despatched to the insurance coverage firm inside the specified interval. Nonetheless, don’t submit the identical doc repeatedly to keep away from being denied compensation.
Declare Tip 4: Take note of the declare deadline
Completely different insurance coverage have completely different necessities. Policyholders sometimes have to notify the insurance coverage firm in writing and supply related supporting paperwork inside 21 or 30 days of the incident to course of the declare. Some insurance coverage corporations supply on-line declare platforms the place candidates can fill out types and add related paperwork on-line to file a declare. If making ready the required paperwork takes longer, candidates can contact the insurance coverage firm for help.
Suggestions for buying diving journey insurance coverage
1. Fastidiously learn the claims phrases and protection particulars.
Policyholders ought to rigorously learn the claims phrases, assessment the claims course of, cut-off dates, and required paperwork, and take note of the plan’s medical protection, abroad medical protection, most private accident compensation, and protection quantity for follow-up medical bills in Hong Kong.
2. 24-hour emergency assist and emergency medical transport companies
Along with a 24-hour emergency assist hotline, since diving websites are sometimes situated in distant areas, it is best to have journey insurance coverage that cowl emergency medical care and physique transport companies, and test their most protection limits. Earlier than departure, the insured ought to observe down emergency service hotlines for unexpected circumstances.
3. Evaluate the exclusions.
Even when journey insurance coverage covers diving actions, it can nonetheless record numerous exclusions. After planning their journey, the insured wants to decide on probably the most appropriate journey insurance coverage based mostly on their exercise necessities. Earlier than buying, they need to rigorously assessment and examine the protection and exclusions provided by completely different insurance coverage corporations.
Mercury hours offers completely different ranges of Journey insurance coverage to fulfill your wants. It covers medical look after high-risk actions, accidents, and private property loss. Let’s request a quote and apply for insurance coverage immediately through WhatsApp.
Often Requested Questions
Is it lined by insurance coverage if I haven’t got a diving certificates (underwater strolling/introductory diving)?
Most journey insurance coverage that cowl high-risk actions will cowl leisure diving inside a specified space and at a restricted depth. If the insured doesn’t have a diving license, most insurance coverage would require the diver to be accompanied by a professional particular person or teacher to be able to be lined. If an accident happens whereas diving alone, no compensation will likely be supplied. Due to this fact, it is best to rigorously learn the phrases and circumstances when buying insurance coverage.
Are underwater cameras/computer systems lined by insurance coverage if misplaced or broken?
If the misplaced or broken tools is private gear, it is going to be lined below private baggage and property insurance coverage, and compensation will likely be supplied in accordance with the depreciation of the property. Some insurance coverage will let you add additional sports activities tools protection, which will increase the protection quantity for sports activities tools and covers tools rental prices attributable to a 12-hour delay in baggage.
Is freediving thought of a high-risk exercise? Is it lined by insurance coverage?
Journey insurance coverage outline freediving as a high-risk exercise. When buying journey insurance coverage, it is best to take note of whether or not the phrases cowl freediving and test the water depth and diving qualification necessities.
Underneath what circumstances are diving accidents not lined by compensation?
Even when a journey insurance coverage plan covers high-risk actions, the insurance coverage firm has the appropriate to refuse compensation if the diving exercise falls below any of the exclusions listed within the plan. Frequent exclusions embrace actions which might be industrial competitions or paid occasions, the insured being an expert athlete, the diving space and depth exceeding the protection restrict, and the insured not being accompanied by a professional particular person or teacher.
