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We recommend that all divers have their own travel and diving insurance. In the very unlikely event of a problem, treatment for diving accidents can be expensive. Your general travel insurance may cover diving, but you should check this before traveling.

Recommended Diving and Travel Insurance
aqua med - the emergency hotline for divers

aqua med is a trademark of the Medical Helpline Worldwide GmbH (MHW), an international operating medical emergency competence center.
Specializing as it does in diving and travel medicine and providing an inclusive insurance package for diving accidents and overseas travel, aqua med has been active in the international markets for around 15 years now.

The dive card, a signal red customer card, ensures access to the special know-how of aqua med.
The dive cards from aqua med offer worldwide all-round protection when travelling or diving:
• dive card basic for scuba divers
• dive card professional for diving instructors
• dive card family for scuba diving families
For non-diving partners or travelers there is also the aqua med travel card option.

When will the dive card start and for how long is it valid?
Your application will take effect the moment you apply online. This means you can decide to go diving spur of the moment and will be covered immediately! Even if you have not yet received your red card by post you can always ask for a contract confirmation for/during your holidays right away. If you wish the contract to start later, please state this on the application. The dive card is always valid for a full year, and is extended by one year each time unless you terminate it in writing at least two weeks prior to expiry.

How do I apply for a dive card?
Easily apply for a dive card online here. The following cards are offered:
• dive card basic for divers
• dive card professional for instructors
• dive card family
• families travel card of a dive card owner

Which dive card is right for me?
The dive card basic is perfectly suited for “normal” leisure divers. It includes the aqua med 24-hour medical hotline and the possibility of storing medical data (e.g. blood group or allergies) in order to provide immediately the right information to the doctors involved in an emergency. A worldwide diving accident insurance, as well as fully adequate international travel insurance, both with unlimited coverage is also included. Furthermore, all the dive cards dispose of personal liability insurance in case of liability claims during diving activities.

The dive card professional is designed for professionals and contains additionally to the dive card basic services a professional liability insurance for diving instructors as well as diving accident protection, Student Protect.

The dive card family insures the whole family. It includes the dive card basic services for every family member, in total for max. 2 life partners and 2 children under 21 years, living in the same household.

The travel card card is an addition to your own dive card for non-diving family members (max. one partner and two children under 21 years). It contains worldwide emergency call service and international travel insurance. The travel card does not contain a diving accident insurance.
If you have more than 2 children, each additional child under 21 years just costs 15,-Euros extra per year.

What happens when I call aqua med emergency hotline?
The worldwide emergency hotline for aqua med customers is +49(0)700-34835463 (=”diveline”). As, in very rare cases, foreign telephone companies do not permit connections to special German numbers, there is also a landline number of +49 421 222 27-22 as an alternative.
With this number you can contact 24 hour medical emergency info and be attended by aqua med doctors. If you are mildly ill these doctors also help with the decision of what to take for diarrhea, for example. If necessary or requested they will take charge of complete organization of treatment, such as hospitalization, movement to a pressure chamber or cost coverage. The affected parties realize the value of this help when they are at a loss because, for example, they are lying in a hospital: who will look after the hotel room and luggage? Of course, aqua med also assist further here, and maintain contact with the family members and Department of Foreign Affairs in emergencies.

What procedures do I need to follow in case of a claim? Must I first call aqua med?
To receive insurance benefits under the dive card, there is no obligation for aqua med to be informed beforehand. You can deal with simple claims yourself, provided that there are no language problems and unless you have run out of travel money. Before you can be reimbursed from aqua med, you shall need to send them the original receipts by post, medical reports (if available), evidence of the duration of the trip (e.g. a copy of the flight ticket) and information on any other insurance which might in existence.

In more complex cases, especially high-cost ones or where hyperbaric chamber or hospital treatment seems to be required, we recommend absolutely contacting our hotline physicians. They will coordinate the treatment in consultation with the local physicians, help if there are any language problems and will, if needed organize your return home. The costs are then billed directly to aqua med.

How long is my insurance cover valid abroad?
The dive card travel insurance is valid for 56 consecutive days (= 8 weeks) abroad. If you return to your homeland, another 56 days will be valid again for your next trip.

How high are the insured sums for pressure chamber therapy in the event of a diving accident?
The pressure chamber costs are covered for an unlimited amount worldwide (i.e. even within your home country).

The dive card also covers medically REASONABLE treatments. What does this mean exactly?
It is a fact that insurance policies normally only cover “necessary” treatments. If, for example, you break a bone, it must be put in plaster. However, it is much more sensible to treat the injury with an operation. After consultation with aqua med, also the latter is covered.
With regards to the hotel costs: the pressure chamber therapy abroad is usually ambulant, i.e. you continue to stay in a hotel during pressure chamber treatment, which is normally not paid for. But also these costs are borne by us after a diving accident.

Do I require a valid diving fitness examination for the dive card?
No, this is not a condition for benefits to be paid out under our dive card. However, we naturally recommend every diver to regularly undergo a diving fitness examination for his own safety.

Must I purchase the additional insurance for the hyperbaric chamber that is offered locally in some countries?
In Egypt for example, additional insurance policies covering hyperbaric chamber costs are offered locally, or else donations are sought towards the operation of local hyperbaric chambers.

The diving accident insurance provided by aqua med under the dive card is valid worldwide, irrespective of local conditions. Even a donation to support the local hyperbaric chambers is of course voluntary and is not a precondition for receiving insurance benefits under the dive card.

In the Balearic Islands (Majorca, Menorca, Ibiza), there is in fact a requirement for the payment of a compulsory hyperbaric chamber fee (“Licencia de Buceo”), a fee which every diver has to pay. This goes to fund the 24 hour availability of the chamber. If you present a valid aqua med dive card, however, you can receive a discount on the annual fee for the Licencia de Buceo.

The local hyperbaric chamber says it does not recognise the dive card...
Most of the hyperbaric chambers in the well-known diving areas are familiar with aqua med, and so once a valid dive card is presented, there are no problems in terms of billing.

Should however any doubts arise after all, aqua med can be contacted. They will then contact the chamber and send them a statement confirming the existence of a direct billing facility. The hyperbaric chamber can then bill for its services directly with aqua med. If a hyperbaric chamber insists on immediate payment, aqua med can process this through a company credit card. In addition to this, aqua med have partner companies in some countries who then deal with the processing of the payment on their behalf.