The ability to actually obtain life insurance is unlikely to be affected by diving however there are a few things to consider which could affect the price.

Scuba diving as an occupation and scuba diving for recreation can both be assessed by insurance companies in similar ways but they also have certain key differences.

Recreational scuba divers are not required to be highly qualified in order to participate whereas people who dive for a living must possess certain credentials and keep their expertise current.

Recreational scuba diving is assessed by life insurance companies based on:

1/ The qualifications held by the diver
2/ Number of dives per year
3/ Maximum depth of dives
4/ Type of apparatus used (air or mixed gas)
5/ Location of dives
6/ Type of diving (open water, caves, wrecks etc.)

Diving as a hazardous occupation could be assessed on the following:

1/ Qualifications held by the diver
2/ Training and experience
3/ Number of dives
4/ Depth of dives
5/ Type of work involved (cable laying, maintenance, construction etc.)
6/ Use of explosives
7/ Location of dives (offshore, UK, overseas etc.)

Life insurance companies assess diving as an occupation differently from one another and while some may consider all of the above, some are quite satisfied to just know the qualifications and type of work involved.

The depth and frequency of recreational dives can result in a ‘loading’ being applied to a policy.

Wreck and cave diving is also considered higher risk than open water diving.

Because insurance companies assess cases differently it makes sense to research the market or speak with a specialist insurance broker with experience in finding life insurance for scuba divers and access to a variety of insurers.