Protecting Your Loved Ones: A Guide to Family Dive Insurance
October 18, 2024
Diving as a family can be a great bonding experience. There is nothing more emotional than coming up from a dive filled with marine life encounters and being able to share that with the people closest to you. When diving together, there are plenty of things you need to consider and organize, one of the most important, for everyone’s safety, is a dive insurance plan.
In this article, we will take a look at the risks involved in diving as a child, dive insurance in general, and family insurance plans.
Things to Consider When Diving with Children
While diving is a lot of fun, it is not without its risks. Considering that we are going under the waters’ surface, will be subjected to a higher pressure than our body is used to, and that we are dependent on our diving gear, things could go wrong.
When it comes to children and diving, there are additional things to consider. Firstly, it is important to determine if your child genuinely wants to learn to dive. Often, if parents are divers, they may want their child to dive regardless of the child’s interest. A critical question to consider is whether your child truly wants to dive or if it is more about fulfilling your wishes.
It is not uncommon for parents to exert pressure, which can be a warning sign. It is essential never to force a child into a scuba diving course if they are uncomfortable or feel obligated, as this can create a hazardous situation for everyone involved.
1. Physical and Health Risks
Before deciding if your children can dive, they should undergo a medical evaluation, and their doctor should be aware of several important factors. These include pulmonary development, which continues until around age eight, and increased pulmonary closing volume, the point at which the smallest airways collapse.
Other factors for their doctor to consider are the immature Eustachian tube function and a higher incidence of inner ear and sinus problems, which can complicate diving. Additionally, any cardio/respiratory or musculoskeletal issues, incomplete bone development, and an unfavorable body surface-to-weight ratio (which heightens the risk of hypothermia) should be assessed.
Finally, the child’s emotional maturity and ability to accurately assess risks are critical for ensuring their safety while diving.
2.Psychological and Emotional Considerations
Dive instructors should assess the child’s maturity through several key questions. They need to determine if the child can listen, understand, follow rules, and interpret hypothetical situations. Assessing if the child can grasp mathematical and physical concepts is also important.
Evaluating their ability to recognize and appropriately respond to fear, stress, or frustration is crucial. Determining if they can communicate issues, ask for help, and assist others is also important. Another consideration is whether your child can take care of themselves and others.
At a young age, children’s attention spans can be quite short. Although they might be fully capable of the physical side of diving, they may not yet be mentally ready to sit for hours and learn about the science behind diving to ensure they behave and dive safely and truly comprehend the possible dangers.
Additionally, there must be diving equipment available in their size, and they should be physically capable of carrying a tank on their back. This ensures they are comfortable entering and exiting the water fully equipped if needed.
3.Environmental Concerns
When diving with children, you need to consider the environmental challenges they may face. Children must be strong enough swimmers to handle adverse dive conditions such as waves and strong currents, which can be particularly demanding.
Sun exposure during long days can lead to sunburn and dehydration, so protective measures like reef-safe sunscreen and hydration are essential. Additionally, difficult conditions such as cold water and diving in poor visibility require children to be prepared both physically and mentally.
Ensuring that your children are capable of managing these environmental factors is vital for a safe and fun diving experience.
What is Dive Insurance?
Although there are a few additional concerns when it comes to children and diving, there is no need for specialized dive insurance for children. The possible incidents that could occur are equal to that of what could happen to an adult and the costs would be very much the same.
Dive insurance offers the coverage you need for unexpected incidents that could occur while scuba diving. Medical expenses, emergency medical evacuations, hyperbaric treatments, and other specialized diving accident treatments can be costly.
Diving accident insurance typically covers emergency, diving-related medical expenses, evacuation and transport costs to a medical facility, equipment loss/damage during an accident, compensation for loss of limb or loss of life, and more.
If you opt for diving travel insurance you will also gain medical coverage for non-diving accidents, loss of luggage or dive gear during your vacation, cancellation coverage, and more.
In the event of something unexpected, you can remain calm knowing that your insurance provider has got you covered and will guide you and/or the dive center staff through how to respond in each situation.
Can You Get Family Dive Insurance Plans?
Yes. When children start to dive within a diving family, it is a good idea to purchase a family plan. DiveAssure offers a family discount* with 10% off additional family members purchasing the same plan. It is important to note that the family plan discount is only offered at the time of purchase of the primary policyholder.
It does not matter how much you dive, or how often you dive as a family. If you plan to go diving, you will need a dive insurance plan. If you dive more than once a year together, it probably makes sense to purchase an annual diving plan. This way you also ensure that there are no gaps, nor do you need to worry that you will forget to purchase a plan before your next trip.
The most cost-effective way to purchase dive insurance for your whole family is to purchase it all together on the same day and apply for the family discount. Another great benefit of purchasing a family plan is that you receive one certificate with all family members included. That means you only need to take one copy of the certificate with you, and you are all together in one place.
*Please note that family members MUST share the same address to be eligible for the family discount.
When diving, we often focus on the beauty of marine encounters, colorful reefs, and the tranquility of breathing underwater or holding our breath while freediving. However, it is important not to overlook potential risks and uncertainties.
Having comprehensive dive insurance offers protection and peace of mind, so you can fully enjoy your underwater adventures together as a family.
Ready to plan your next family dive adventure?
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here are some common frequently asked questions that we get from divers looking to purchase a DiveAssure coverage plan for the first time:
1. Do the DiveAssure plans have age limitations?
The DiveAssure diving accident plans cover divers from at least 8 years of age but no more than 75 years of age. Under our dive-travel plans, we welcome young travelers from age 2 weeks and up!
2. Can I purchase your programs even if I am not diving?
Yes. Our travel programs offer cancellation, interruption, and other travel coverage as well as non-diving medical coverage. Travel insurance exists to protect your investment and cover your medical bills if things go wrong. It will also cover your lost luggage, trip delays, missed connections, and much more. You can also purchase the travel program as a diver and add non-diving family members at a discounted rate.
3. What is the right time to purchase travel insurance?
Be sure to purchase travel insurance as soon as you put down the first deposit for your trip. This will protect your investment.
5. How can I purchase a family dive insurance plan?
To register a family plan and be entitled to the 10% discount, enter the information of the first diving member and then click below to "add family member." Continue to add as many family members as should be included in the family plan. Please note, with a family plan you will receive one certificate for all family members covered under that plan.
6. What is the best way to purchase a program?
To purchase a program you can either register yourself online using our quote system found on the homepage of the DiveAssure website or call our customer support team on the national numbers indicated on our website.
This article was written by Elizabeth Langenberg / Tal Tamir in cooperation with our insurance partners at DiveAssure.
Disclaimer:
The information in this article could change at any time, please check full terms and conditions for full details before purchasing any of our coverage plans.