When we divers tote thousands of
dollars of diving and camera equipment
through dark foreign airports — or
Miami, for that matter — it’s no wonder
that we worry about whether it will arrive.
Airline confusion is one thing. Someone
rifling our bags is quite another.
Baggage loss or theft may be covered
by homeowners’ or renters’ policies that
have an “off-premises” clause. And if
you’re traveling and charge the trip on
your credit card, coverage may be
provided as a cardholders’ benefit.
If you’re interested in extra baggage
loss and baggage delay coverage, it’s
available in many travel packages,
including travel coverage written by
Access America (800-284-8300), Travel
Guard (800-826-1300), CSA (800-348-
9505), and TravelSafe (888-885-7233).
However, make sure the policy covers dive
travel before you purchase coverage.
(Some companies, such as Travel Insured,
will not cover you if diving is the principal
purpose of your trip.)
Be aware that baggage loss policies
often have low limits, typically $200 to
$2000, and that baggage delay coverage is
generally intended only to cover replacement
of essential personal items —- a
toothbrush and a bar of soap. It usually
does not cover rental dive gear (although
claims up to the coverage maximum
could be made for lost gear).
When I attended the Diving Equipment
and Marketing Association Trade
Show in January, I learned about a new
equipment loss policy just for divers: the
Diver’s Equipment Protection Plan
(DEPP), offered by Innovative Programs
Group, a Louisville, Kentucky, insurance
brokerage. It’s underwritten by American
International Group (AIG), which is
listed on the NYSE and rated A+ by A.M.
Best Company, the independent agency
that has been rating the reliability of
insurers since 1905.
IPG Vice President Sandy Hall told
Undercurrent that “the idea of dive
equipment coverage grew out of an
experience of my husband, Gary. He had
his dive gear stolen and thought it was
covered under his homeowners’ insurance.
He recovered only $150 because
the company depreciated all of his
equipment.”
IPG’s plan, which offers a minimum
of $1000 coverage for $35/year and a
maximum of $10,000 for $145/year,
covers damage, breakage, loss, and theft.
DEPP also covers rental gear (up to $150)
— and it insures cameras and photographic
equipment.
DEPP has a few unusual policy
restrictions: coverage only becomes
effective thirty days after IPG receives an
itemized list of equipment, and IPG does
not pay cash when settling claims. Instead,
it replaces or repairs the equipment,
because, as Hall says, “that way there is no
incentive to create mysterious or fraudulent
losses.”
(For more information about DEPP,
call 1-800-788-4096 or 502-454-4152 or
innprogrp@aol.com. You can enroll
either over the phone or on their web site
-- www.programservices.com.)