Insights
Will your insurance cover scooters, diving and adventure sports?
The motorbike crash and the dive accident are two of the most common ways a claim gets denied. Here is what standard policies typically exclude, and how to stay covered.
Key takeaways
- Motorbikes and scooters are the number-one gotcha: cover commonly requires a licence valid for that engine size and a helmet, and claims are routinely denied without either, even where local law does not require a helmet.
- Recreational scuba is often covered to a depth limit (commonly around 30m) tied to your certification; deeper or technical diving usually needs an add-on or is excluded.
- Skiing, mountaineering, high-altitude trekking and surfing are usually optional add-ons, not standard cover.
- Standard policies exclude "hazardous activities" unless declared, and the exact list and limits differ by policy, so read the schedule.
- The numbers (engine sizes, dive depths, altitude ceilings) are set per policy, so never assume an activity is included because it feels low-risk.
The scooter trap
This is the one that catches more nomads than anything else. A rented scooter is the default way to get around in much of Southeast Asia, and it is also where claims go to die. Cover commonly depends on two things: holding a licence that actually entitles you to ride that class of vehicle, valid for the country you are in, and wearing a helmet. Ride a 150cc bike on a car licence, or skip the helmet, and a medical claim after a crash can be refused outright, leaving the hospital bill and any evacuation to you. UK government guidance flatly lists the hire of mopeds and quad bikes among activities standard policies do not usually cover.
The helmet rule bites even where the law does not. Insurers commonly require one at all times, so "nobody here wears one" is not a defence against a denied claim. Thailand and Bali are the textbook hotspots, but the principle travels: licence for the class, helmet on, every time.
Scuba and the depth limit
Diving is usually covered, within limits. A common structure is cover for recreational diving to around 30m on an entry-level certification, extending to roughly 40m with an advanced qualification, and sometimes only when diving with a qualified instructor or divemaster. Expect to dive within your training and to produce your certification card if you claim. Go beyond your certified depth and you can void not just that dive but, on some policies, the whole trip's cover. Technical, cave, solo or decompression diving is usually excluded or needs a specific add-on. The exact depths are policy-specific, so read them rather than assume.
Winter sports, trekking and the rest
Most other adventure pursuits follow the same pattern: an optional add-on, or nothing. Skiing and snowboarding generally need a winter-sports option, and off-piste often needs extra cover or a guide. Mountaineering and high-altitude trekking are commonly covered only up to an altitude ceiling, with the high Himalaya or Andes needing specialist cover. Even surfing and other water sports can sit outside standard cover. Higher-thrill activities like bungee jumping, skydiving and jet skis are usually not included as standard at all.
The principle: declare it, or it is not covered
The throughline is simple. Standard policies exclude hazardous activities unless you declare them and add the relevant option, and each insurer draws the line in a different place. So the rule is not "is this risky enough to worry about" but "is this specifically listed as covered". Check the policy schedule, add the activities you will actually do, and keep the licence or certification the policy assumes you hold. It is a five-minute check that stands between you and a five-figure bill. For the wider list of what policies leave out, see what nomad insurance doesn't cover
FAQ
Usually only if you hold a licence valid for that class of bike and wear a helmet. Without either, a medical claim after a crash is commonly denied, even where local law does not require a helmet.
Recreational diving is often covered to about 30m, tied to your certification and extendable with advanced training. Deeper or technical diving usually needs an add-on or is excluded, and limits vary by policy.
Usually as add-ons rather than standard. Off-piste skiing often needs extra cover or a guide, and high-altitude trekking is typically capped at an altitude ceiling.
The two classic triggers are riding without a licence valid for that engine size, and riding without a helmet. Either can invalidate the medical claim.
Declare the activities you will do, add the adventure or sports option, read the schedule for limits, and carry the licence or certification the policy assumes.