Kit / diving insurance

As my pile of kit is slowly growing, i'm feeling it may be time to break out
and spend some money on insurance. I've covered on house insurance, but as
it won't cover being left in the car or while diving (the two places its
most likely to be stolen / damaged) i'm thinking I need something better.
I've had a good scout around, and seem to have come up with Westfield - i've
got around £2800 of kit, so say £3000. Thats ~£120 with Westfield, and
seems to include any time i'd lose or damage the kit, including specifically
from a locked car and in use, and on planes. They don't cover much for
injury, only £5000. Dive Master though do the same value of kit for £103,
with seemingly no personal injury cover, and their policy seems to have more
get-out clauses - such as "overnight storage in a vehicle ... provided there
is no alternative place of storage" - if we're diving somewhere and staying
in say a B&B overnight, would they argue that I should have dragged it all
into the room, soak the place, and drag it back down in the morning?
And do I need medical-type cover for this country - presumably the NHS
covers me for everything here doesn't it? Do I need to worry about Dive
Master not including anything like that, since i'd need full travel
insurance if I dive abroad anyway?

So, anyone dealt with Dive Master? Am I going to get stuck if something is
taken from the car left overnight? Any missing exclusions from Westfield
i've not noticed? From past comments they seem to be saying Westfield is
good insurance, but a little expensive - but at only £15 more than Dive
Master if its better insurance its probably worth having.

Comments, other suggestions? Any smaller, lesser known insurance companies
worth looking at?

Cheers

David

Try Dive-Guard (now part of Swinton) in Rotherham, tel 01709 371995. They
cover you if you have to jettison your kit underwater, which the others
don't, and they insured my Sea & Sea Aquapix. I've never made a claim
though. They have a specialist in the office that deals with divers. Her
name is Rita Weldon.

For here, just insure your kit with them, the NHS look after you but find
out where your nearest pot (recompression chamber) is. I have a yearly
insurance for abroad as I dive 3+ times a year abroad, but if you only dive
twice just insure on the hop before you go. Talk to Rita and tell her what
you want. Get separate travel insurance for cancelled flights and your
other baggage, I use Lloyds TSB as I have a bank account with them and it's
free. (well, £10 month charge) Althought I do get free luggage tags and
credit card cover with Sentinel so that's included in that cost. There's
nothing to be gained from telling you what I pay as I assume we have
different kit.

You get what you pay for IMHO, but shop around and cover every eventuality,
because you can bet the one you skimped on will be the one you need to claim
on.

Hope this helps
Chrystianne


"David Walker" <wbsdavenews@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:cg0gd3$nfr$1@wisteria.csv.warwick.ac.uk...
> As my pile of kit is slowly growing, i'm feeling it may be time to break
out
> and spend some money on insurance. I've covered on house insurance, but
as
> it won't cover being left in the car or while diving (the two places its
> most likely to be stolen / damaged) i'm thinking I need something better.
> I've had a good scout around, and seem to have come up with Westfield -
i've
> got around £2800 of kit, so say £3000. Thats ~£120 with Westfield, and
> seems to include any time i'd lose or damage the kit, including
specifically
> from a locked car and in use, and on planes. They don't cover much for
> injury, only £5000. Dive Master though do the same value of kit for £103,
> with seemingly no personal injury cover, and their policy seems to have
more
> get-out clauses - such as "overnight storage in a vehicle ... provided
there
> is no alternative place of storage" - if we're diving somewhere and
staying
> in say a B&B overnight, would they argue that I should have dragged it all
> into the room, soak the place, and drag it back down in the morning?
> And do I need medical-type cover for this country - presumably the NHS
> covers me for everything here doesn't it? Do I need to worry about Dive
> Master not including anything like that, since i'd need full travel
> insurance if I dive abroad anyway?
>
> So, anyone dealt with Dive Master? Am I going to get stuck if something
is
> taken from the car left overnight? Any missing exclusions from Westfield
> i've not noticed? From past comments they seem to be saying Westfield is
> good insurance, but a little expensive - but at only £15 more than Dive
> Master if its better insurance its probably worth having.
>
> Comments, other suggestions? Any smaller, lesser known insurance
companies
> worth looking at?
>
> Cheers
>
> David
>
>
>