Scuba Diving Travel Insurance (2026): What You Need for Diving Trips, Medical Emergencies & Claims That Get Paid

Not automatically. Many standard travel insurance policies exclude scuba diving or treat it as a 'hazardous sport' requiring an add-on. Even policies that include diving often have strict conditions around depth limits, certification requirements, and guided diving. Always verify diving is explicitly included before purchasing, and check the specific terms that apply.

Most policies that cover recreational diving set a maximum depth—commonly 18m, 30m, or 40m. If your dives exceed the stated limit, claims can be denied. Some policies cover only PADI Open Water depths (18m), while others extend to Advanced Open Water (30m) or beyond. Match your planned dive profile to your policy's depth limit.

It depends on the policy. Some require PADI, SSI, or equivalent certification. Others cover 'try dives' (Discover Scuba/introductory dives) under supervised conditions. Technical diving certifications (cave, wreck, mixed gas) often require specialist coverage. Always check whether your certification level matches the policy requirements.

Good diving insurance should explicitly cover hyperbaric (recompression) chamber treatment for decompression sickness (DCS) and related conditions. This is one of the most important diving-specific coverages. Verify it's included—chamber treatment can cost €3,000-15,000+ depending on location and severity. Not all travel policies include it.

Liveaboard trips present additional complexities: remote locations, evacuation logistics, and limited medical facilities. Your policy should have strong medical evacuation coverage and clear wording about diving from boats. Some policies exclude liveaboards or multi-day boat excursions. If you're doing Komodo, Red Sea, or similar liveaboards, verify coverage explicitly.

Many policies cover introductory dives (Discover Scuba, DSD) when conducted under direct supervision of a licensed instructor at an accredited dive center. However, some policies require certification for any diving coverage. If you're planning a try dive on holiday, check whether supervised introductory dives are explicitly covered.

Standard diving travel insurance typically excludes technical diving: cave diving, wreck penetration, mixed gas (nitrox/trimix), solo diving, decompression diving, and ice diving. These activities require specialist policies or specific endorsements. If you're a tech diver, you need coverage designed for your activities—standard policies won't work.

Collect: dive operator incident report, dive computer data/logs if available, medical diagnosis and treatment records, hyperbaric treatment documentation if applicable, itemized hospital invoices, proof of payment, evacuation/transport receipts, certification card copy, and confirmation of the dive booking. Photo documentation can help. Keep everything—claims depend on documentation.

Some policies include diving equipment coverage for owned or rented gear (BCDs, regulators, masks, fins, computers). However, there are usually per-item sub-limits, total caps, and conditions (locked storage, theft reports required). If you travel with expensive personal dive gear, check the equipment limits and consider whether they're adequate.

Yes, but destination matters significantly. Remote diving destinations (Maldives, Raja Ampat, Socorro, Galápagos) require strong medical evacuation and repatriation coverage because facilities are limited. Ensure your policy explicitly covers the country/region and has adequate evacuation limits. The more remote the location, the more critical strong evacuation cover becomes.

Travel insurance with proper diving coverage should cover decompression sickness (DCS, 'the bends') as a medical emergency. This includes diagnosis, treatment, and hyperbaric chamber therapy. However, coverage may be denied if you exceeded depth limits, weren't certified, or violated diving safety protocols. The policy must explicitly cover diving-related medical emergencies.

Adding diving coverage to a standard travel policy typically costs €10-30 extra for a week-long trip. Standalone diving policies or comprehensive adventure coverage ranges from €30-80+ depending on depth limits, destinations, and trip length. Technical diving coverage costs significantly more. The premium is small compared to a €5,000+ hyperbaric treatment or €10,000+ evacuation from a remote island.