May 1998

Vol. 13, No. 5     What's this?

Why Depth Limits?

from the May, 1998 issue of Undercurrent  

If, like me, you wondered why insurance companies arbitrarily draw the line on dive depth at 120 feet, you might be interested to know that DAN itself has questioned whether insurance companies have valid reason to be skittish about deeper dives. In fact, a 1992 DAN report on dive accidents found that the highest number of accidents occurred in the first 30 feet of water and that there is little, if any, extra mortality risk for the diver who infrequently makes dives in the 60 to 100 foot range. In addressing a meeting of the insurance industry Risk Appraisal Forum in 1994, DAN suggested that insurers should be more concerned about divers with medical conditions that should preclude diving in the first place, and mentioned that a questionnaire for insurance applicants might include the question, “Have you ever run out of gas on the freeway”?