Insurance and the Traveling Diver; Part I: Undercurrent 03/2023

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For traveling divers, dive insurance is essential because dive injury treatment is unique, perhaps even requiring air evacuation. For general travel insurance - flight delays, missing baggage, trip interruption, illness before departure, medical coverage - some people take their chances, and, in a sense, self-insure. Still, as divers age, taking out a general travel and medical policy becomes wise, especially recognizing that Medicare does not cover medical costs outside the U.S. and its territories. One can find all kinds of policy variations to meet individual needs - trip interruption, COVID coverage, medical, medical evacuation, etc.

Insurance companies are not munificent uncles that pay out unstintingly

We asked Undercurrent readers to tell us their experiences with diving and travel insurance, and scores responded, some with successful reimbursements and others with unfortunate outcomes. We've pulled together the most salient examples of issues you might face, including some tips if you ever need to file a claim.

Make an Error, and You're Toast

Insurance companies are not munificent uncles that pay out unstintingly. Like any business, they must take in more money than they spend, and to accomplish that, their policy language is precise. And your claim must be as well.

As an example of how tough a travel insurance company can be, Ralph Bell (Springfield, VA) told us of his plight: Last year, he checked in for his American Airlines flight to Providenciales, where he was to board the Turks and Caicos Aggressor, but A.A. refused to board him. For whatever reason, his passport number did not match the number on his T&C travel authorization document. Much to his great disappointment, he could not fly to Provo to board his boat. After several months, Trawick International refused his claim for reimbursement for an error they did not cover....

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