Diving abroad: what is it, where is the best place to go, and are you insured?

What is diving or scuba diving?

• Diving is staying underwater for a long time with an air tank on your back to be able to view the underwater world up close and personal.
• A diver breathes through his breathing apparatus, looks around through a diving mask, swims calmly through the water with fins and often wears a diving suit to stay warm.
• Diving is also called scuba diving.
• SCUBA is the abbreviation of Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus. That is the international term for a compressed air device such as that used by divers.

Why would you go diving abroad?

• Distraction: only a few things work better as a distraction than making a deep sea dive.
• Relaxation: once underwater you end up in a rare quiet environment, at a slow pace you swim through a completely different inhabited world.
• Adrenaline: some dives can provide encounters with special fish species or large coral inhabitants. You will never forget the thrill of swimming quietly past or through them.
• Love of nature: you will encounter so much beauty that you will often put protecting the underwater world higher on your list.

What do you need when you go diving abroad?

• Good health: diving can involve risks if you are not fit enough or suffer from certain ailments.
• Respect for the underwater world: as a diver you can destroy more than you would like.
• A bag with useful items for diving, for before and after the dive (water, sunscreen, etc.).

To what extent are you insured for the risks of diving abroad?

• On average, diving is no more dangerous than most other sports.
• However, preparation and learning about the dangers of diving are more important, so you are well prepared when you face challenges.
• It is not without reason that the diving schools first require you to obtain your diving certificate (for example PADI) before you can go out on your own. But even with your diving certificate in your pocket, it is often wise to go out with a local dive master.

What are the consequences if something goes wrong while diving?

• If you end up in hospital, you may have to pay the costs yourself if you have not taken out insurance that covers your activities.
• If you are insured for diving abroad is generally subject to restrictions by regular insurance.
• You usually also run a greater risk of having an accident or bad luck.
• Read more: Travel insurances and insurances for backpacking abroad
• Read more: Verzekeren van duikactiviteiten in het buitenland (NL)

What are the best dive destinations?

• Micronesia: Palau
• Red Sea: Egypt, Djibouti
• Indian Ocean: Maldives, Pemba & Zanzibar
• Caribbean: Bonaire, Cayman Islands
• Indonesia: Sulawesi (Bunaken!), Lombok (cheap) Raja Ampat
• Malaysia: Borneo (Sipadan!)
• Papua New Guinea: multiple options
• Australia: Great Barrier Reef, if in the right location
• Central America: Honduras, Cozumel (Palancar reef), Panama (Bocas del Torro), Belize
• India: Andaman Islands, Ladakshadweep Islands
• Oman