Does Life Insurance Cover Scuba Diving
High-risk recreational activities, like skydiving, hang gliding, rock climbing, and scuba diving may increase your adrenaline, but it could also increase your life insurance rates. However, each insurer is different; where one life insurer may consider your hobby high risk, another may not.
But, how will they know about your dangerous activities? When you apply for a life insurance policy, you are required to disclose specific, requested information in order to approve your policy or lower your premium. Because of this, some people may choose to omit certain high-risk habits and activities from their application to receive a lower premium.
High risk hobbies, habits, or activities people tend to leave off their application include tobacco use, DUIs, dangerous travel, and previous health conditions. However, insurance companies use several resources to confirm your medical history, driving record, and other pertinent information with regards to your term life insurance policy.
Additionally, when you consider a life lived in the digital age, many people document their day-to-day actions and their adventures are open for all to see on social media.
Insurance companies are also not required to automatically approve claims. For life insurance specifically, there is a short period of time when a life insurance company can investigate, and subsequently, deny a claim. In most states, the contestability period is two years and starts when the policy goes into effect.
It breaks down to mean, if you sign up for high-risk life insurance and die within this two-year span, the company may deny death benefits if it’s discovered you falsified or left significant information off your life insurance application. Because life insurance benefits are typically set up to aid family or other beneficiaries left behind, dishonesty on your application can delay or prevent them from receiving funds.
There is a misconception that life insurance for scuba divers will be impossible to obtain or that life insurance for scuba divers will be extremely expensive. Even though scuba diving is classified as an extreme sport it is possible to find a policy that will protect you while participating in this recreational activity at a reasonable price from a well-known reputable life insurance company.
Three Steps to Finding the Best Rate
- We obtain detailed information about your scuba diving history through a quick phone interview or filling out a scuba diving questionnaire.
- We match your unique scuba diving details into all the top-rated life insurance companies underwriting guidelines for scuba diving and determine the best company.
- We present you with the best fit based on your unique scuba diving risk.
How much extra will I pay for an extreme sport?
Typically, insurers will tack on $2 to $10 for each $1,000 of your policy. So, let’s say you want a $500,000 term life policy. Here’s what you could pay in extra premiums per year, based on your choice of “hazardous vocations.”
- Motorcycle riding: $1,000 per year
- Scuba diving: $2,500 per year
- Mountain climbing: $1,750 to $2,500 per year
- Hang gliding: $2,000 per year
- Rock climbing: $1,500 per year
- Hunting: $500 per year
- Recreational boating/fishing: $750 per year
SCUBA diving has recently gained a lot of popularity among thrill seekers in America. With various oceans, reefs and even lakes to discover, more and more people are donning SCUBA gear and leaving the sandy beaches, in order to explore the marine life. The recent rise in SCUBA diving is also leaving many wondering if SCUBA diving is covered by life insurance, or if additional policies need to be purchased. This article will further details what SCUBA diving is, the life insurance needed, and serves as a helpful guide to all who are looking to put on SCUBA gear and explore the beautiful water and its wildlife.
Life insurance is something which has typically only gets considered when people get married, aging, or recently had a child. However, life insurance which is something every person should take a closer look at and consider purchasing. These five groups of people should highly consider purchasing life insurance:
- Empty nesters – the children may be gone, but a life insurance policy can help maintain a standard of living in the event if one of the spouses passes away.
- Singles without children – take advantage of being young and healthy and lock in a lower premium rate
- Small business owners – life insurance helps to fund a retirement plant
- Retirees – retirees typically travel more and life insurance is a great protection plan in the case of an unforeseen accident
- Stay at home parents – this group often over look the fact that if something happened to the stay at home parent, the working parent would then have to find childcare and pay for other services currently being provided for by the stay at home parents.
When applying for life insurance, insurance companies do consider far more than your health and age, they also consider your hobbies. People with higher risk hobbies, such as sky diving and SCUBA diving, are considered high risk clients and may find themselves having a harder time obtaining life insurance. If you are a certified SCUBA diver you will find you qualify for lower rates than those who SCUBA dive recreationally.
If you currently have a life insurance policy and are trying to determine if your current will cover your upcoming SCUBA diving excursion, it is best to call your policy holder and check with them to make sure you are covered. If you are not covered you will need to answer more questions, provide more information about your upcoming trip, and may see an increased premium in order to obtain coverage. As a best practice, if you are ever doubtful of if you are covered by your current insurance policy, call your insurance company and check with them before embarking upon any new adventure.
