All skydivers (incl. students) must have a proper skydiving insurance and are required to show written proof of 3rd party liability insurance for skydiving (please specify skydiving not parachuting!) whilst in Spain. If you are not in the possession of a valid third party liability insurance for skydiving, you will have to sign up for our local FEADA insurance, which is provided through the Andalucian Aerosports Federation. All experienced skydivers who are members of a national association or federation, please double check if third party liability insurance is included in the coverage (incl. Spain!) and bring the according documents upon arrival at the DZ.
Some travel insurance companies may provide this liability insurance, but please ask them specifically for a written confirmation. Besides the for the DZ mandatory third party liability insurance, we highly recommend as well the coverage for personal accident. Please note that UK travel insurance companies may only cover you if you are a UK resident. If you are a citizen of an EU country please make sure you bring your European Health Insurance Card (see notes on EHIC). This card will be accepted in all the hospitals and will avoid any delays in treatment. You must bear in mind that any hospital bills will be expected to be paid and that you will then claim the money back from the insurance company. Make sure you fully understand your insurance policy and methods of claims.
If you require our Spanish FEADA insurance, please tell us in advance upon booking.
Spanish Feada Insurance for 2010:
- 1 month (third party, personal accident and health): 65 Eur
- 3 months (third party, personal accident and health): 75 Eur
- year until 31.12.10 (third party, personal accident and health): 120 Eur
BPA and FEADA 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 insurers would be responsible for paying for repairs. However, FEADA members also benefit from personal accident and health cover. This covers you for medical expenses only, not loss of earnings.
Accepting the risk:
Although statistics prove that skydiving is not likely as high risk as some non-skydivers may perceive, it can never be entirely risk-free, as with any action sport. The risk is greatly reduced by strict operational procedures but can never be entirely eliminated. Skydivers must therefore voluntarily accept an element of risk, which is prudent to always insure against.
Paying the bills:
There's also the compensation 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 dependents, with no money coming in?
Form EHIC (European Health Insurance Card):
When travelling within Europe, it's a good idea to get a Form EHIC - free or reduced cost emergency medical treatment in most European countries. Remember that the EHIC is intended to cover 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. An EHIC is good to have and can help you out but don't depend on it to the exclusion of a proper insurance policy.
Click EHIC details for more info.
Personal accident insurers in the UK:
Shop around to find the best insurance, and choose between one-off holiday cover and annual multi-trip packages. When choosing, be aware that many insurers will charge an excess. Make sure the policy explicitly mentions skydiving/parachuting and that the insurance includes third-party/ personal liability cover for both of these activities whilst jumping in Spain. Following you find a list of insurance companies which include skydiving:
Sportscover Direct, Tel. UK: 0845 120 6400
Adrenalin Travel, Tel. UK: 0845 260 1574
JS Insurance, Tel. UK: 0844 848 1500
Harrison Beaumont, Tel. UK: 0870 121 7590
STA Travel*, Tel. UK: 0871 230 0040
*) covers skydiving only if it is not the sole purpose of the trip. Intended for only one-off tandem jumpers and not regular skydivers.
Useful Insurance Checklist:
Always telephone the insurance company when you are taking out the policy. This is to confirm that you will be doing skydiving activity during your trip to Spain
- Does the policy cover skydiving accidents and third party liability?
- Does the policy cover non-skydiving related accidents?
- Is repatriation included to the UK?
- Is there a discount for British Parachute Association members?
- Confirm the dates match the period when you are at the dropzone
- What is the maximum cover? £2,000,000 is the minimum advised cover
- Are there any excesses?
- Keep the documents with you when you come to the dropzone and in a place where someone can find them
We hope you will never need to call on your insurance. But, unless you have the strength of an insurance policy around you, you could find yourself, and your nearest and dearest without adequate protection.
