BSAC

DISCOUNTED DIVING, TRAVEL &
EQUIPMENT INSURANCE FOR BS-AC MEMBERS

from Dive Master Insurance Consultants Ltd
PO Box 146 Leigh-on-Sea Essex SS9 1SQ
Tel: 01702 476902 Fax: 01702 471892

 

IDEC | SHORT TRIP TRAVEL | ANNUAL EQUIPMENT
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

If you could guarantee that nothing would go wrong when you were on holiday or while you were diving, there would be no reason to buy insurance and you could save your money. Unfortunately, nobody can make this guarantee, so it is vital to make sure you are properly covered in case something does go wrong.

With the BS-AC's new Travel Insurance Scheme you have a choice of policies all giving the best possible cover to divers at special discounted rates.

Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about BS-AC's new Travel Insurance

Q. How is the BS-AC policy different to most other standard Travel Insurance policies?
A. The BS-AC policy is made up of two parts:
The first part is the International Diving Emergency Card which is a worldwide sports injury insurance for divers.
The second part is the Travel Insurance. In addition to all the normal benefits you would expect from a travel policy, the BS-AC's scheme provides additional benefits to give extra peace of mind to divers.

Q. Why do I need IDEC as well as Travel Insurance? Surely I'm just paying for two policies rather than just one.
If you rely on travel insurance or private medical insurance to cover your diving risk, you might be taking a much bigger risk than you realise.
IDEC is a sports injury policy for divers, giving worldwide cover. IDEC will cover you for all your diving including Nitrox, Rebreather and Trimix diving. The depth limit is a maximum of 50 metres on air and 75 metres on Trimix, depending on your qualification, although there is no depth limit in an emergency or attempt to save human life. IDEC's liability does not cease when you return to the UK if you still require specialist treatment. This is important when you consider that diving injuries can last for a long time before a diving doctor can say if you will improve. You could end up on an NHS waiting list for two years for non urgent surgery whereas with IDEC you would be treated privately immediately.

Q. So if I have Travel Insurance and Private Health Insurance, would I still need IDEC?
A. IDEC provides adequate benefits to cover diving injuries and a life and disability benefit (which might be the only insurance some clients have). But this is not all it does. IDEC is not just insurance, it is also ASSISTANCE ASSURANCE which is the assistance that you receive because of the way the scheme is structured.

Q. What actually happens if I am taken ill or injured while diving?
A. You or the people looking after you should seek immediate medical attention or go to the nearest hospital, and then phone MEDEX on the special international phone numbers (collect if necessary). MEDEX will then offer a range of assistance such as message passing notifying family, friends and employers. If necessary, they will also guarantee settlement of costs where you are being treated. Other travel based insurers may provide something like this level of cover, but IDEC does something extra, it puts in to the situation what we call an RMA or Regional Medical Advisor, this will be a diving doctor in the region who is not your treating doctor. This RMA will contact the treating doctor and make sure that your treatment is appropriate. If it is not the RMA, and MEDEX have authority to arrange to move you to another treatment centre that we call "Gateway Centres". These are hospitals where we are sure you can be adequately treated.

Q. But wouldn't Standard Travel Insurance offer this cover to a diver?
A. The best way to answer this is with a true story from about 6 years ago.

Diver X was a certified professional dive instructor and was working as a guide in Australia. One day she was in charge of a group of tourist divers and lost one. She did things by the book, waited a minute and then told the remainder of the group to stay put and she surfaced did a 360 degree turn and then re-descended. By this time the missing diver had appeared and she continued the dive.
After the dive she had a splitting headache but did nothing about it and continued to dive for the next three days, taking an increasing number of painkillers.
A few days later she was due to return to the UK and boarded the long haul flight. During the flight she became unwell and lost her speech. The cabin staff alerted the pilot who put the 747 down on an Indonesian island. Her situation had improved and a local doctor was called to the plane and diagnosed "flu", gave her some antibiotics and said she was fit to fly. However one of the cabin staff had gone through her bag on the plane and found her IDEC Card. The cabin attendant was a diver and made the call to MEDEX.
The Regional Medical Advisor in that region diagnosed a case of CAGE, Cerebral Arterial Gas Embolism in her brain over the phone. The client was taken off the plane and went to the local hospital who wanted to send her to a Chamber on the south of the Island for recompression. However, the RMA knew that the chamber had lost its international certification so MEDEX and the RMA set about organising an air evacuation back to Australia, (which was difficult because she had to be flown at sea level pressure inside the air plane). The small Air Ambulances which were available were ruled out as they were only fuel efficient at their operating altitude where the cabin pressure is .75 atmosphere and she had nearly died onboard the Jumbo because of the pressure difference. It was arranged for the charter of a BEA 125 Airliner (not a small plane!). The seats were stripped out, a stretcher was put in along with enough hyperbaric oxygen for the full return trip.
The RMA and a team including 5 Medical Specialists flew to the island and picked Diver X up and flew her back to the Australian hospital - a round trip of 5,000 Kilometres! Because the plane had to fly at reduced altitude it used about 5 times the normal amount of fuel for that distance on the return flight. She had two weeks treatment at the Hospital and was delayed another six weeks at sea level pressure before she was allowed to fly home.

Someone armed with an ordinary Travel Insurance and enrolled in a private medical programme back in the UK may not have received the same support as Diver X did under the IDEC Programme. Because that is really the difference here, we are providing a "programmed response" and we believe that most people, when they understand the difference are glad they have the IDEC.

Q. OK, so that's the diving side covered. What benefits are available to me under the travel insurance?
A. Not only do you have the option of single trip insurance, you also have the choice of three different annual policies.
All the annual policies include an annual IDEC for the main policyholder, which will cover all diving UK and overseas regardless of whether it is as part of a pre booked trip.
The Travel Insurance has all the benefits you would expect under a standard travel policy, including medical expenses up to £3 million, cancellation up to £3,000, baggage up to £1,500 etc but has a few extra benefits that have been added to give divers extra peace of mind.

Q. Would I be covered for cancellation if I am fit to travel but unfit to dive?
A. Yes, you will be covered up to £3,000 for cancellation of a trip.

Q. If I become unfit or ill whilst abroad can I recover the cost of unused dives?
A. Yes, you will be covered for £15 per day up to £150 in total for pre booked dives.

Q. If my dive gear doesn't arrive at resort, am I covered to hire replacement equipment? Or if my equipment is stolen, lost or damaged during my holiday, is it covered?
A. Yes. You will be covered for hiring equipment up to £20 per day £100 in total if it does not arrive at resort. If it is stolen (by forced entry) lost, or damaged during your holiday including while in use, you are covered for £200 per item up to £1,000 in total.

You will be able to find cheaper Travel Insurance, but you will not be able to buy a better Travel Insurance package for divers. And since you only want insurance if something goes wrong - if ever you are unfortunate enough to have to use your policy, you'll be glad you paid a few pounds more!

For the full range and details of the BSAC Insurance, contact:
Dive Master Insurance Consultants Ltd, PO Box 146, Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, SS9 1SZ.
Tel: 01702 476902, Fax: 01702 471892,
E-mail: bsacinsurance@dive-master.net