Travel Insurance for Adventure Seekers: What Skydivers and Scuba Divers Need to Know

Your breath catches as you soar into the air or dive into the water. Skydiving and scuba diving are exhilarating but high-risk activities. What happens if things go wrong? Insurance can provide peace of mind and financial assistance in case of injuries, equipment damage, and loss… but you need the right insurance. Regular travel insurance tends to exclude high-risk activities, and you’d be surprised that even basketball is considered high risk.

Adventure and sports travel insurance can save you a lot of money and stress. Let’s go over the importance of travel insurance, add-ons for high-risk activities, and what adventure travelers need from insurance.

Why Standard Travel Insurance Often Falls Short

Standard travel insurance typically excludes “hazardous” or “extreme” sports. You won’t receive compensation for injuries or equipment damage for them, even if you have medical travel insurance or trip cancellation insurance. This means if you break your leg while playing soccer and need to go home early, your claim could be denied.

Here are common activities that are usually excluded by normal travel insurance.

• Skydiving
• Scuba diving
• Bungee jumping
• Basketball
• Soccer
• Mountaineering
• Jet skiing

Key Coverage Areas to Consider

Emergency Medical & Evacuation

While extreme sports take safety measures into account, they are inherently higher risk activities. They can expose you to high-speed impacts, concussions, broken bones, and even death.

If you’re severely injured, you might need an air ambulance or hyperbaric chamber treatment. The exact cost of medevac services depends on how remote you are and whether this is international or domestic. It could even cost hundreds of thousands of dollars!

Search and Rescue Operations

Search and Rescue Operations are crucial for aiding people who get lost or injured in a hazardous situation.

However, they are not always included in travel insurance policies. Rescue operations could cost you thousands of dollars depending on what is necessary.

It’s a good idea to check if your insurer covers SAR services, since travel insurance companies may only cover medevacs and not SAR.

Trip Cancellation or Interruption Due to Injuries

If you get injured by a hazardous activity and can no longer continue your trip, a trip interruption insurance policy can come in useful. Just make sure that the policy you choose covers interruptions due to injuries from high-risk activities.

Trip interruption sports insurance can be great for those who are worried about an accident during a multi-leg adventure tour or sports event.

Also consider CFAR (Cancel for Any Reason) insurance if you’re uncertain about an upcoming trip. It’s normal to be afraid of mountaineering and want to cancel your flight plans last minute. CFAR insurance would provide a significant reimbursement of your prepaid, nonrefundable costs.

Accidental Death & Dismemberment

AD&D insurance for adventure seekers generally covers:

• Body part loss (usually half of the full benefit is paid)
• Speech, hearing, and sight loss
• Paralysis
• Death directly resulting from the activity

AD&D insurance can be helpful for people engaging in high-risk sports. For example, if you’re bungee jumping and injure your eyes due to the abrupt pressure changes, travel AD&D insurance can help by providing a death benefit or dismemberment benefit. Traditional life insurance policies may be harder or more expensive to purchase if you are involved in extreme sports.

If the insured adventurer ends up severely disabled or dead as the direct result of the accident, AD&D insurance coverage can ensure the insured’s dependents will be financially assisted.

Note: AD&D insurance only gives payouts in case of an accident. Adventurers should instead consider other specialized insurance products, such as life insurance for specific dangerous activities.

Gear Protection

If you’re traveling with sports equipment, it’s important to know that gear is typically excluded from travel insurance. You need insurance for lost or damaged adventure equipment.

Sports equipment coverage can compensate you if your equipment gets stolen, lost, or damaged. The amount of coverage you need depends on the value of your gear. If you’re travelling with an entire sports team or club, you will likely need better coverage than if you were just taking your own skis onto a flight.

Your policy may also have special clauses for rented vs. owned gear.

Special Policy Types and Add-ons

Read on to learn about popular policy types as well as insurance specifically for scuba diving and skydiving.

Adventure Sports Riders or Extreme Sports Packages

Most travel insurance companies offer adventure sports riders and add-ons to ensure you get the proper coverage for your trip. Just search it up online, call to ask, or browse their website for their insurance rider options. Important insurance add-ons for adventure seekers include:

• Hiking and mountaineering insurance
• Scuba diving insurance
• Skydiving insurance
• Rafting and kayaking insurance

Be sure to select the exact activities you are likely to participate in during your trip. Otherwise, you might not have adequate coverage. Also check for country and altitude limitations. For example, if you’re climbing Mount Everest, you would want specific insurance for mountaineering up Mount Everest.

When to Consider a Specialized Provider

You can benefit more from a niche provider if:

• Your trip focuses on one type of high-risk activity in particular (e.g. scuba diving in Hawaii or a mountain expedition in the Alps)
• You’re bringing valuable gear or equipment
• You’re traveling to a remote location
• You need higher coverage limits

Certification Requirements

Some travel insurance policies require a certification for proof that you are capable of a sport. This is because people without specialized training for extreme or technical sports are more likely to get severely injured. Here are certifications and preparations that you may need to show the insurer if you’re buying the associated insurance policy:

• Advanced Open Water certification
• Acclimatization to high altitudes and guide accompaniment
• USPA A license for solo skydiving

Scuba diving Insurance

If you’re planning to scuba dive, you might want scuba-specific insurance. Popular options include DAN (Divers Alert Network)’s DAN dive accident insurance and DiveAssure. Specialized insurance companies are useful because they cater to specific needs and risks, such as:

• Dive gear replacement
• Hyperbaric chamber treatment
• Dive-related injury, causing trip interruption
• Emergency medical evacuation from remote dive sites

Skydiving insurance

Skydiving is a red flag for many travel insurance companies despite hitting record low fatality rates (~10 fatalities in 3.65 million jumps). Be aware of higher premiums if you want adequate coverage. High-risk applicants who skydive regularly will receive even higher premiums, so skydiving insurance could cost over $1,000 a year.

Skydivers should select suitable skydiving insurance terms, benefits, and liability caps for every jump. Insurance for skydiving can cover:

• Medical costs
• Property damage
• Liability

If you have a USPA membership, they also offer insurance that covers third-party bodily injury and property damage. Just confirm whether this insurance works for your upcoming trip.

How does PADI/NAUI certification impact insurance?

Divers who have a PADI, NAUI, or other recognized certification can often obtain more comprehensive diving insurance. These certifications are both from reputable scuba diving agencies that care about diving accessibility and education.

Exclusions and Fine Print to Watch Out For

Read. The. Fine. Print! Exclusions can catch you off guard when you need to file a claim. Some acts can also void the insurance policy, even if you have all the necessary certifications. Let’s review common exclusions and limits on extreme sports insurance.

Depth limits for scuba diving

Many policies place maximum depth limits on qualifying SCUBA activities. For example, certified divers might only be covered for a depth of 30 meters. Uncertified divers will have shallower depth limits. Take care not to accidentally exceed these limits since any resulting medevac or medical claims can get denied.

Altitude thresholds for skydiving and trekking

Insurance for adventure sports often comes with altitude restrictions based on your policy. Check your plan to see if there are:

• Jump altitude restrictions (e.g. 15,000 feet for skydivers)
• High-altitude trekking restrictions for specific elevations (e.g. trekkers for Kilimanjaro or Mount Everest)

Alcohol or drug-related exclusions

Even if you adhere to everything else, having medications or drugs in your system could impact the claim decision. If you consume any of the following before your high-risk activity, be aware that your claim may be denied.

• OTC medications that impair judgment
• Alcohol
• Drugs

These terms are strictly enforced by travel insurance companies and are very common. If you require certain medications, check with your insurer to see whether their usage would made it hard to get your claim accepted.

Unlicensed or uncertified activity exclusions

If you end up engaging in a high-risk activity without a proper certification or professional guide, your claim could get denied. Joining an athletic competition without proper documentation may also put your insurance coverage at risk.

Because of all the exclusions of travel insurance policies, it is a good idea to disclose your intended activities before buying an insurance policy. Although chatting with an insurance agent can feel irritating, a good company and due diligence can prevent a potential catastrophe later on.

How to Choose the Right Policy

Before buying adventure sports insurance, make sure to ask about exclusions and premiums. Here are tips for how to choose the right adventure sports insurance.

• Check what drugs and medications void coverage
• erify any altitude/depth restrictions
• Show any licenses, certifications, or credentials
• Disclose your intended activities and consider sport-specific insurance
• Assess the value of your equipment for a suitable coverage limit
• Assess the medevac cost of your destination
• Beware of red flags, like insurers that use vague terms (e.g. dangerous sports, reckless behavior)

Final Tips for Adventure Travelers

Before taking off on your exciting journey, it’s a good idea to buy insurance. To improve the insurance buying process, here are some useful tips:

• Always disclose your plans honestly when buying insurance. Failure to disclose can lead to a claim rejection, even if it seems harmless

• Keep digital and printed copies of your policy as you travel. Your insurer may also offer emergency contact info and rapid response options

• Know the local emergency protocols and provider contact info. Remote locations have greater risks for travelers

Conclusion

Whether you’re taking a dive beside beautiful fish or scaling a remote cliff, the right adventure sports insurance policy ensures you can focus on the thrilling adventure, and not the potential financial and medical risks. Let’s recap:

• Most travel insurance companies offer add-ons for extreme sports; otherwise they won’t cover high-risk activities
• Specialized providers offer more comprehensive protection for your desired activity
• Always read the fine print for exclusions and caveats

Double-check your coverage before your next leap or dive. Here are top travel insurance companies for skydivers, scuba divers, trekkers, and other adventurers.