If the insured has consumed alcohol or taken treatment earlier than diving, the insurance coverage firm might refuse to pay compensation within the occasion of an accident.
Ailments attributable to a speedy lower within the strain of the encompassing 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 circumstances, it could possibly even result in paralysis and demise.
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 could possibly 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 strain modifications quickly with depth. If the physique’s “air chambers,” such because the ears, nostril, and lungs, can’t stability the strain distinction between the within and outdoors of the physique in time, tissue injury might happen, leading to signs corresponding to ear ache, tinnitus, nosebleeds, and problem respiration. In extreme circumstances, it could possibly 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 firms.
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 normally 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 help bills. Nevertheless, since there’s normally a cap on the protection for remedy and follow-up visits, and decompression chamber charges are excessive, if a number of therapies are required, the coverage might not totally cowl the remedy prices.
Most compensation for emergency medical transport
Diving carries inherent dangers; incidents corresponding to assaults by marine life, sudden sickness, or gear malfunction can happen. Diving websites are sometimes removed from city areas, and medical services will not be enough. Subsequently, 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 help hotline, it’s important to test whether or not it covers emergency medical transport providers.
Guidelines for earlier than buying diving insurance coverage
When selecting journey insurance coverage, you have to rigorously assessment the phrases and situations relating to high-risk actions within the plan in response to your individual wants, and choose essentially 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 individual or coach to be eligible for insurance coverage?
- Diving depth restrict
- Does it cowl injury to diving gear?
- Abroad remedy value restrict
- Does it embody 24-hour emergency help?
- Emergency medical and physique transport providers
- 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 help hotline. Within the unlucky occasion of an accident, they have to instantly search medical help and report the incident. If the state of affairs is severe, they should contact the insurance coverage firm to tell them of the state of affairs and make emergency medical preparations. Most insurance policy 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 individual, 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 firms usually require full documentation earlier than processing a declare. Subsequently, it’s needed to gather and protect numerous paperwork to make sure a easy claims course of. These paperwork embody:
- Diving course certificates/diving report
- A acknowledged physician’s analysis certificates should embody 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 providers (if emergency transport help 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 throughout the specified interval. Nevertheless, don’t submit the identical doc repeatedly to keep away from being denied compensation.
Declare Tip 4: Take note of the declare deadline
Totally different insurance policy have totally different necessities. Policyholders usually 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 firms provide on-line declare platforms the place candidates can fill out varieties and add related paperwork on-line to file a declare. If making ready the mandatory 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, deadlines, 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 help and emergency medical transport providers
Along with a 24-hour emergency help hotline, since diving websites are sometimes situated in distant areas, it is best to have journey insurance policy that cowl emergency medical care and physique transport providers, and test their most protection limits. Earlier than departure, the insured ought to word down emergency service hotlines for unexpected circumstances.
3. Evaluate the exclusions.
Even when journey insurance coverage covers diving actions, it’s going to nonetheless listing numerous exclusions. After planning their journey, the insured wants to decide on essentially the most appropriate journey insurance coverage primarily based on their exercise necessities. Earlier than buying, they need to rigorously assessment and examine the protection and exclusions supplied by totally different insurance coverage firms.
Mercury hours offers totally different ranges of Journey insurance coverage to fulfill your wants. It covers medical take care of high-risk actions, accidents, and private property loss. Let’s request a quote and apply for insurance coverage immediately through WhatsApp.
Continuously Requested Questions
Is it coated by insurance coverage if I haven’t got a diving certificates (underwater strolling/introductory diving)?
Most journey insurance policy 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 policy would require the diver to be accompanied by a professional individual or teacher as a way to be coated. If an accident happens whereas diving alone, no compensation can be supplied. Subsequently, it is best to rigorously learn the phrases and situations when buying insurance coverage.
Are underwater cameras/computer systems coated by insurance coverage if misplaced or broken?
If the misplaced or broken gear is private gear, will probably be coated beneath private baggage and property insurance coverage, and compensation can be supplied in accordance with the depreciation of the property. Some insurance policy permit you to add additional sports activities gear protection, which will increase the protection quantity for sports activities gear and covers gear rental prices attributable to a 12-hour delay in baggage.
Is freediving thought-about a high-risk exercise? Is it coated by insurance coverage?
Journey insurance policy 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.
Beneath what circumstances are diving accidents not coated by compensation?
Even when a journey insurance coverage plan covers high-risk actions, the insurance coverage firm has the suitable to refuse compensation if the diving exercise falls beneath any of the exclusions listed within the plan. Widespread exclusions embody actions which might be business competitions or paid occasions, the insured being knowledgeable athlete, the diving space and depth exceeding the protection restrict, and the insured not being accompanied by a professional individual or teacher.

