Some companies, such as DAN and DiveAssure offer dive travel insurance. Dive travel insurance typically covers travel delay, trip cancellation, trip interruption, and baggage loss or theft. There are numerous reasons why you could have to cancel a dive trip or end a trip prematurely to return home for an emergency. As DAN points out on their website, here are some common examples of what could go wrong and why you should purchase travel insurance. (Photo: Brian Dombrowski)
1. You could lose money you’ve invested for your trip, such as nonrefundable deposits, if bad weather conditions cause delay or cancellation of your trip.
2. You may have to cut your trip short and return home for an emergency such as an unexpected illness or death of an immediate family member forcing you to lose the remaining pre-paid portion of your trip and pay a ticket change fee for your return travel arrangements.
3. Your luggage could be lost, delayed or stolen, forcing you to purchase additional clothes, essentials or even prescription medications.
4. The airline, cruise line, or tour operator with which you’re scheduled to travel suddenly goes on strike leaving you with no option but to cancel your trip…with no recourse for reimbursement.
5. You could run into major travel delays forcing you to miss a portion of your trip or cruise and be forced to pay additional lodging expenses while you wait.
6. You could be forced to evacuate your resort due to a predicted hurricane or other weather conditions, cutting your trip short… with no recourse for reimbursement for the remaining portion of your vacation.
7. You could lose your important travel documents stranding you while traveling abroad.
Every dive insurance company has different policies and different levels of policies, meaning the “fine print” and limitations of each policy should be thoroughly reviewed prior to purchasing a protection plan. Knowing the details and limitations of each company’s policy can greatly help you to make the right decision for your needs.