Water Sports Travel Insurances: The Definitive Guide
verified information
Information verified by Adeline Harmant
Our articles are written by experts in their fields (finance, trading, insurance etc.) whose signatures you will see at the beginning and at the end of each article. They are also systematically reviewed and corrected before each publication, and updated regularly.
Discover the methodology
You are crazy about water sports and you are about to plan water sports holidays to practice your favorite sport? You would like to find travel insurance that is tailored for your activity in case something goes wrong?
You’ve come at the right place.
In the below guide, we will tell you everything you need to know about water sports travel insurance: what does it cover exactly, which policy you should go for, how much does it cost and other tips.
Stay tuned!
What is water sports travel insurance?
You are planning a super fancy scuba-diving trip in Galapagos Islands, or a surfing trip in California. You should definitely get water sports travel insurance.
Water sports travel insurance is not as standard travel insurance policy as it will provide you with cover tailored for your water activities.
Many water sports are seen as low-risk activities and are therefore included in standard travel insurance policies.
If you go on water sports holidays though, it is vital to get travel insurance. You must know that in Europe only, around 15 000 injuries are registered each year and are due to water sport activities.
There are two ways to purchase water sports travel insurance:
- you apply for a standard single or annual multi-trip policy and pay an add-on to get specific water sport cover
- you purchase your travel insurance policy with water sports included as standard.
Water sports usually include as standard swimming, surfing, water skiing, SUP boarding or snorkelling whereas rafting, jet-skiing, scubba-diving, sailing, yachting, wind or kitesurfing might only be covered under certain conditions.
Why do you need travel insurance for water sports?
Getting travel insurance for your water sports trip is vital.
Just to show you how important applying for travel insurance is, here are a few examples of what an unfortunate and unexpected event might cost you during your water sports travel:
| What you will need to pay without water sports travel insurance | What you will need to pay with water sports travel insurance | |
|---|---|---|
| My surf board has been damaged during the flight | £600 | £0 |
| I need to cancel my sailing trip because of medical condition | £5,000 - £10,000 (real cost of trip) | £0 until trip cancellation limit is reached (check carefully cancellation reasons allowed) |
| I am in danger at sea and need air rescue | £3750 | £0 (if planned in policy) |
| I got injured practicing water sports and need to stay at the hospital | £30,000 (if not covered by European Health Insurance Card) | £0 until medical expense limit is reached |
Good to know
Depending on your destination, you may already have some financial assistance either with European Health Insurance Card (if your water sports trip is in Europe) or with healthcare cooperation systems between countries for example UK and Australia or New-Zealand. Note that your EHIC will only cover medical treatment in public hospital (you won't be covered for any air ambulance, surgery in private hospitals etc.). It can't be seen as a substitute for travel insurance.
Compare best water sports holiday insurance
To find the right cover for your water sports travel, you will need to explore the different options you have. You’ll have to answer a series of questions such as:
- what exactly you’d like to get covered for
- the length of your stay
- the destination
- how much are you planning to practice water sports etc.
We’ve came up with a non-exhaustive list of travel insurers that cover water sports breaks abroad as standard or as option:
| Insurer | Price | Our reviews |
|---|---|---|
 | £18,37 |
|
 | £18,67 |
|
 | £18,95 |
|
 | £22,14 |
|
 | 24.12 |
|
Prices above are for a 7 days single trip to Europe with water sports cover for a 30 years old people.
What does water sports travel insurance cover?
Travel insurance for water sports holidays should include:
- specific cover for your sport activity
- must-have features you need in any travel insurance.
Good to know
If water sports is included as standard in your travel insurance policy, carefully check limits and excess amounts that you will get / need to pay in case of claim.
Specific water sports cover that you could get
Travel insurances for people practicing water sports usually include:
| Water sports cover options | Average amount |
|---|---|
| Water sports equipment damaged, lost or stolen | Depends on personal belongings cover |
| Any injuries made to yourself practicing water sports | Depends on medical expense cover terms and conditions |
| Water sport trip cancellation | Depends on trip cancellation cover terms and conditions |
| Medical evacuation at see | Depends on medical expense cover terms and conditions |
| Non-refundable water sports course fees | Depends on trip interruption cover terms and conditions |
Watch out!
Note that if you injure someone else during your sport practice, you may not be covered unless it is clearly mentioned in your policy booklet.
Must-have features your water sports travel insurance should cover
| Compensation | Average amount | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Medical expenses | From £5M to £10M (depending on your medical situation and your destination) |
|
| Repatriation | Real fees |
|
| Trip cancellation / curtailment | £5000 – £10000 (depending on your destination) |
|
| Baggage or personal belongings | Minimum of £1500 limit |
|
| Missed departure, delay | Minimum £500 limit (minimum £200 limit for delay) |
|
| Personal liability | Average £2 million limit |
|
| Legal expenses | Average £15000 limit |
|
Watch out!
Always carefully check the age limit and compensation amounts as well as deductibles you’ll have to pay in case you need to make a claim. For medical expenses, always get your insurer to accept them before paying if you need to advance fees.
As nice-to-have features, you may want to get in addition to your water sports travel insurance included features:
- business trip insurance
- emergency dental treatment
- loss of passport or documentation
- gadget cover
- Schedule Airline Failure (at least £1500)
- money and cash cover.
Can I get water sports travel cover if I have pre-existing medical conditions?
Of course you can.
The best option would be to purchase a pre-existing medical condition travel insurance tailored for your holidays, and add a water sports cover option if not included as standard.
Watch out!
If you purchase water sports travel insurance or any other insurance without disclosing your medical condition, that is called “fronting”. Your claim can be invalidated by your insurer, such as your entire travel insurance policy.
Can water sports travel insurance be included if I purchase an annual multi-trip or a single trip policy?
Short answer: yes, it can be.
Water sports, as many other sports, can be included as standard or purchase as extras on both single and annual multi-trip travel insurance policies.
You will need to specifically dig into insurers policy booklets to see which activities are covered as standard.
As a reminder:
| Travel insurance type | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Single trip insurance | These travel insurance policies are for one-off holidays. You will be covered from the start of the journey until the end. You can decide the number of days you want to be covered for. |
| Annual multi-trip insurance | These policies are made for frequent people practicing water sports going away for water sports holidays several times a year. You would need to check whether it is more competitive to buy two or three single trip insurance policies or an annual multi-trip policy. |
Do I need to buy specific water sports travel insurance?
It depends on the travel insurance policy you purchased. This will be clearly outlined in your policy booklet.
If you haven’t bought your water sports travel cover yet, we would advise you to go for an insurer providing specific cover for water sports equipment, competition etc. either as standard or as full option for an extra fee.
How much does water sports travel insurance cost?
You will find below indicate travel insurance price including water sports cover:
| Age range | Single trip to Europe* | Annual multi-trip to Europe |
|---|---|---|
| 18 - 35 | £13,98 | £38,95 |
| 36 - 54 | £19,14 | £19,14 |
| 55+ | £23,85 | £23,85 |
*Quotes above are for a 7 days water sports holidays.
It is, however, quite difficult to give precise ranges of how much a travel insurance will cost for you as prices are based on a wide range of criteria. It will mainly depend on:
- How often will you practice water sports
- If you are going on single water sports trip or annual multi_trips
- If you purchase other upgrades in addition to your water sports cover such as gadget cover
- If your teen has pre-existing medical conditions
- The duration and destination of your stay
- The financial limits you’d like to get in case of a claim
- The excess amount you’re willing to pay.
What else should I check before purchasing my water sports travel cover?
While shopping around for sport_name holiday insurance, always pay attention to:
- The compensation amounts you will get for each claim (especially personal belongings compensation limit if water sports is included as standard in your policy)
- The deductible amounts you’ll have to pay in case of claim (don't forget that extreme sports or hazardous activities lovers often need to pay extra medical excess if they got injured whilst practicing their sport) - opt for excess waiver cover if you are practicing adventurous sports
- The exclusions you may have in your policy
- The claim process (100% online? How many days do you have to make a claim?)
- The maximum duration of each trip included as standard (at least 31 days)
- The upper age limit (if you are a senior travelling).
