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Is DAN Diver Insurance Worth It For You?
08/24/2008 - By Melissa Malka
Universal logo for Divers Alert Network (DAN)
DAN, a non-profit organization that conducts medical research on diving safety, provides a global support network for divers, also offers an insurance policy geared towards divers. Here’s some information that will help you decide if it's worth it.
Originally formed in 1980, DAN, short for Divers Alert Network, is now a non-profit organization that conducts medical research on scuba diving safety, provides a global support network for divers, and also offers an insurance policy geared towards those who dive. You may be familiar with the red and white dive flag that has a white cross in the upper right corner – DAN’s universal logo. Most commercial dive boats today carry DAN Oxygen in case of emergencies. Here’s some information that will help you decide if buying the additional insurance is necessary for you. I’ve also provided some data and tips from DAN’s comprehensive yearly report.
DAN offers an individual membership subscription for $29 annually. Joining the organization as a member and paying your dues does not automatically enroll you into their insurance program although you are offered up to $100,000 of coverage in emergency evacuation needs by a third-party company, TravelAssist. Membership dues also include a subscription to DAN’s publication, Alert Diver, and eligibility for other benefits. In order to purchase diver insurance through DAN, you must first become a member.
DAN offers three different tiers of insurance, starting at the minimal Standard Plan to a more comprehensive Master Plan and an all-inclusive Preferred Plan. With annual fees of $25, $35, and $70 respectively, none of the plans are overly priced. All plans include a decompression illness expense and an “other” dive injury medical expense.
The most important thing however, is that both the Standard Plan and Master Plan have a lifetime max of $45,000 and $125,000 respectively whereas the Preferred Plan has a $250,000 max per incident. With decompression illness treatment costing anywhere between $28,000 to $57,000 per occurrence, not to mention emergency transportation to the nearest hyperbaric chamber, you may exhaust the Standard Plan after a single incident. DAN’s Preferred Plan also covers cost incurred from extra transportation, accommodation, and lost equipment and also covers cancelled or interrupted diving vacations, although the last two have a lifetime max coverage of $10,000. There is also no depth limit with the Preferred Plan.
According to DAN’s website, they responded to over 2,000 emergency calls in the last year and over 7,000 calls were made to their 24/7 hotlines requesting dive-related information. With their strong affiliation to Duke University, they’re able maintain some pretty cutting-edge research that in turn benefits all of the diving community. After downloading DAN’s Injury and Fatality report for 2007, available free by providing your name and e-mail, I learned that in 2005 alone, there were over thirty fatal breath-hold accidents reported. The report clearly states that the low rate of fatalities reported in earlier years was likely due to the reduced accessibility to dive injury reports.
Another interesting aspect of diving presented in the report is the suggestion that many divers’ physical fitness levels are unknown either prior to or after certification. With the demands that scuba diving places on the body, it’s encouraged to increase overall physical fitness when partaking in the sport. The dive report shows a trend; a high BMI (body-mass index) is associated with a higher risk of incident. It’s a good idea, as a diver, to keep yourself in good physical shape because you never know what kind of elements you could be facing “down there”
As for me, I signed up for the Preferred Plan shortly after my certification class because my current medical insurance company covers little of the costs that could be associated with a diving mishap. Personally, I would recommend the insurance to any divers out there, especially those who plan to dive outside of the United States. Coverage for those who reside outside of the US is also available.
DAN’s Home Page:
http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/
For information on DAN’s Insurance coverage:http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/insurance/index.asp
To download DAN’s Annual Medical Report:
http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/medical/report/index.asp
E-mail me at melissa@diveshops.com
--Mel
