Scuba diving guarantees an exciting adventure on your tropical vacation, but comes with risks
Many vacationers who head to the warmer weather decide to take up S.C.U.B.A.(Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus) diving. Many destinations specialize in scuba diving, offering many tours, equipment rentals, and guides.
With the adventure of scuba diving comes additional risk. Any time you are dealing with activities such as this, you are at a higher risk for injury. Even with proper training and diving conditions, it is still riskier than sitting in a chair reading a book (for instance).
Travel insurance is available, but make sure your policy covers scuba diving
Travel insurance is a good idea for most trips, whether you are insuring against the cost of a canceled trip or for medical emergencies while away from home. But how do you know if your travel insurance will cover scuba-related incidents?
All travel insurance policies have a list of exclusions. These are situations in which the policy would not pay. For activities, travel insurance typically excludes injuries resulting from:
• Mountaineering requiring ropes/guides
• Hang gliding
• Parachuting
• Bungee jumping
• Horse, vehicle, or motorcycle racing
• Snowmobiling
• Water skiing
• Snow skiing
• Snow boarding
For scuba diving, different companies have different policies. Some cover scuba diving completely, some cover scuba diving in certain conditions, and others exclude scuba diving all together.
Some travel insurance companies will cover scuba divers. Discover which ones in the table below
Here is a helpful table listing major travel insurance companies and which plans provide coverage for scuba diving. Two companies offer complete scuba diving coverage, Travel Guard and Travel Safe.
| Company | Product Name | SCUBA Diving coverage |
| Access America (now Allianz Travel Insurance) | All products | If accompanied by a dive master and not more than 130 feet deep |
| CSA Travel Protection | Freestyle | Not Excluded* |
| HTH Worldwide | TravelGapTrip Protector | Limited coverage amounts, must be PADI or NAUI certifiedNot Excluded |
| IMG | Patriot Extreme | Covers recreational diving up to 50 meters |
| M.H.Ross | All products | Not Excluded* |
| SRI | Liaison | Covers scuba diving if PADI or NAUI certified |
| Travelex | All products | Must be PADI or NAUI certified or accompanied by a dive master Must not be more than 130 feet deep |
| Travel Guard | All products | Covers recreational scuba diving |
| Travel Insured | All products | Not Covered |
| Travel Safe | All products | Covers recreational scuba diving |
*Not listed under “exclusions”, also not specifically addressed as being covered
Where can I get travel insurance quotes for my scuba diving trip? (see How to Compare Quotes with a Travel Insurance Comparison Site)
