The two main types of insurance for skydiving

1  Third party public liability insurance - insurance against harm you may cause to others by your skydiving, for instance by damaging their property through an off-landing.  Third party insurance cover is included in your BPA Membership - the insurance premium forms part of the membership subscription you pay.  

Click on an icon for a summary of the BPA Members' third party legal liability insurance policy - Word.doc   .pdf

Please note that BPA insurance cover does not apply at wind tunnels.  The premium for third party public liability insurance increased by a massive 150% in the year from 1 April 2004.  The BPA constituted an Insurance Committee that reviewed the coverage of the policy to help to reduce the exposure to risk and thereby contain future increases in premiums.  

From 1 April 2005, the coverage of the BPA insurance policy was reduced from £2m to £100,000 at overseas non-affiliated drop zones, excluding the USA where the policy, as previously, does not apply.  The limit remains at £2m for Affiliated Clubs.  As before, the policy does not provide cover for instructor negligence at non-affiliated Clubs.

Also as before, BPA insurance does not include personal accident cover.  The BPA strongly recommends that all members who jump overseas should take out their own personal accident travel insurance policy which includes cover for skydiving, with repatriation to the UK in the event of an emergency.  It should also include equipment and baggage cover. Please see section 2 below.

The good news is that there was no increase in insurance premium in the membership year from 1 April 2006. 

2  Personal accident insurance - insurance against harm to yourself when you are skydiving (or doing whatever else that a specific personal accident insurance policy may cover you).  Personal accident insurance is NOT included in your BPA Membership - you need to take it out separately.  If you are thinking of jumping outside the UK, in the rest of the European Union or the rest of the world, personal accident insurance should include medical fees and repatriation cover to the UK in the event of a serious skydiving injury or any medical emergency.  The BPA strongly recommends that Members should take out travel [personal accident / medical repatriation] insurance cover that is suitable for your own personal needs, see below.

If you're jumping in the UK only, many UK Drop Zones may be able to provide information on companies that provide Personal Accident Insurance that covers UK jumping. 

Click here for 'Insurance essentials for skydivers'

Insurance meeting

The BPA held a meeting on insurance with Drop Zone Operators on Thursday 6 September 2007 at the BPA Office in Leicester.  The meeting was also open to other BPA Members.   Click here for a background paper ‘Insurance – the facts’ published in Skydive the Mag for August 2007.

Report on insurance meeting with DZ operators on 6 Sept 07 - Click here

Insurance essentials for skydivers 

BPA liability insurance
BPA Members benefit from third party public liability insurance cover, within the limitations of the terms of the policy. For example, if you accidentally landed on someone's car the BPA insurers would be responsible for paying for repairs. The premium for this is included in the membership subscription, be it full, provisional or temporary. But what the policy doesn't cover is medical insurance, personal accident (compensation in the event of injury or death), or cover for travel, equipment or baggage.   Nor does the BPA policy apply at wind tunnels.

Ensure you insure
Although statistics prove skydiving to be nothing like as high risk as some non-skydivers may perceive, as with any action sport, it can never be entirely risk-free. The risk is reduced to an acceptable level by strict operational procedures but can never be entirely eliminated.  Skydivers must therefore voluntarily accept an element of risk, which it is common sense always to insure against.

Medical and repatriation
A number of British jumpers have been seriously injured skydiving overseas when they did not have repatriation cover. The cost and hassle of getting a seriously injured person home to a UK hospital is surely more than anyone would wish to impose on their partner, family or friends (who will already be stressed enough!). We all pay into the NHS but this won't get you an air ambulance should you need it. These cost thousands of pounds. The whole medical and repatriation bill can be tens or even hundreds of thousands. Okay, this is a worst possible scenario but it does happen. It could happen to you.

Medical insurance cover including repatriation is the absolute minimum that any skydiver should have whilst parachuting abroad - a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) - see below is not enough!  According to the 2002 BPA survey, 12% of the membership had had a skydiving injury in the previous 3 years. 82% sometimes jumped abroad.  How do your odds stack up, if you jump abroad without adequate insurance?  Insurance should include cover for non skydiving medical emergencies too. 

When travelling within Europe, it's a good idea to get a European Health Insurance Card  - the passport to free or reduced cost emergency medical treatment in most European countries. Pick up an application from the Post Office in the leaflet Health Advice for Travellers, telephone the Health Literature Line on 0800 555 777 for a copy, or or you can apply over the phone on 0845 6062030 or apply online at: www.ehic.org.uk or  www.dh.gov.uk/PolicyAndGuidance/HealthAdviceForTravellers/fs/en  

Having a European Health Insurance Card means you can get free or reduced-cost medical treatment if you fall ill or have an accident while you're in one of the European countries listed in the above leaflet.  A European Health Insurance Card might also save you money by covering the excess - the first part of the claim, which you normally have to pay yourself - if you do have to claim on your insurance.

Remember that the European Health Insurance Card is intended to provide cover for illness and emergency medical treatment. It doesn't cover repatriation to the UK if you have a serious skydiving accident and it doesn't give longer-term cover after the immediate emergency is over - when things can get very pricey.  A European Health Insurance Card is good to have and can help you out but don't depend on it to the exclusion of a proper insurance policy, or you could end up seriously out of pocket.  It is not a substitute for travel insurance.

The information in the leaflet Health Advice for Travellers is also available on the UK Government Department of Health (DoH) website - see link above. (If this directs you to the DoH home page, click on the link 'Health advice for travellers'.) 

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) publishes sound advice, including their booklet 'Passport to Extreme Fun', which is available as a downloadable pdf from the FCO website: 

www.fco.gov.uk/en/travelling-and-living-overseas/ta-relevant-to-you/sports

Paying the bills
There's also the disablement side of personal accident insurance for which - you guessed - an additional premium is payable. This sort of policy pays out for serious injury such as the loss of an eye or limb or in some cases, death. Some policies may also make a contribution to lost earnings - say you are a driver and your leg ends up in plaster. Who is going to pay your bills and those of your dependants, with no money coming in?

Travel, equipment and baggage
There's also travel, baggage and equipment insurance. If you have a household policy, it may already give baggage cover or be extendable.

Single or multiple trip?
Typically, insurance is available for single or multiple trip, in various parts of the world such as Europe, USA or beyond. An annual multi-trip policy may be better value compared with a separate policy for each holiday.

Note that most general insurance policies don't cover skydiving. Start with the skydiving and add personal accident, travel, equipment and baggage cover as required. Be wary of any offer of free travel insurance, such as for example on a credit card, as it is highly unlikely to include 'higher risk' activities such as skydiving.

Make a checklist and shop around
Make a checklist (see top of page) and go through it with the insurance company as it can be easy to forget something that later turns out to be important.  Think about what is important to you and customise the checklist to your own requirements.  Never be afraid to ask, however silly a question may seem. Few of us are insurance experts so if you see a jargon word or phrase, ask what it means in plain English.  Getting the policy that's right for you is your own personal responsibility, not the insurers!

Ask around
The acid test of an insurance policy is when you make a claim. Find out from other skydivers about any claims they have made, how easy it has been, whether they have had problems with exclusions and so on.

Keep your policy handy
If you do need to call on an insurance policy, remember that you may not be in a fit state. Keep your insurance details somewhere obvious, such as in your log-book holder, wallet or purse and tell others so they can find it easily in an emergency.  If you are in a coma, you can't tell anyone where it is!  You might think this doesn't bear thinking about but we can assure you that from recent experience, it's only sensible to plan in this way. It is also worth making photocopies of all your documents to carry with you, just in case your bags are misplaced or stolen.

General travel tips

Buy a guidebook to read up on your destination.  Speak to other British skydivers who have visited the country.

Check for travel advice at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office website  www.fco.gov.uk/travel before you go.

Ensure that your passport is valid and that the 'next of kin' details are filled in.  Take photocopies, keep one with you when you travel and leave the other with family or friends in the UK. 

Get the contact details of the nearest British Consulate to where you will be staying.  Keep them with you while you are there - they could come in useful if you find yourself in any difficulty.

Check out the medical requirements for travel online or with your GP, for example you may need vaccinations if you are travelling to certain parts of the world.