An offshore diver works far from home, often on campaigns and under international contracts, so cover can't be taken for granted. Accident, permanent disability, medical assistance, repatriation and evacuation from saturation are the key pieces. What matters isn't having insurance, but knowing who pays for what, and in which jurisdiction.
Offshore commercial diving combines three things that complicate social protection a great deal: high risk, international work and a large share of hiring done by campaign. The result is that two divers doing exactly the same job, on the same vessel, can have radically different cover.
This article isn't legal or insurance advice, and terms vary by country and by company. What it can do is point out where to look and what questions to ask before signing.
The two basic situations
Staff employee
The diver has an employment contract with a company, pays contributions into that country's system and is covered by its workplace accident and occupational illness scheme. It's the most protected situation: there's an identifiable employer, an employment relationship with defined obligations and, in many countries, a public system that responds.
It usually comes with continuity, paid training and, often, a nominal rate somewhat lower than campaign-based hiring. That difference is, to a large extent, the price of security.
Campaign contractor
The diver invoices per day worked or per project, often through an agency and under contracts subject to another country's law. The rate is higher — it's the logic we explain in how much a diver earns— but cover stops being automatic. Between campaigns there's no income and, unless you arrange it yourself, no protection.
The characteristic risk of this arrangement isn't ending up with no insurance at all, but assuming the company covers something it actually doesn't. It's almost always discovered at the worst possible moment.
The cover that matters
Workplace accident
The basic cover: medical assistance, temporary incapacity benefit and payment for permanent disability or death. What matters is what counts as a workplace accident when working at sea under a foreign flag, and who bears the cost of immediate care in a remote location.
International medical assistance
Working outside your home country means your own healthcare system doesn't reach you. An international assistance policy covering treatment abroad, hospitalisation and follow-up stops being a luxury and becomes basic infrastructure for the trade.
Repatriation
Covers moving a sick or injured worker back to their country, and in the worst case repatriation of remains. The costs of a medical evacuation from a remote location are very high and can rarely be met privately.
Hyperbaric treatment and evacuation from saturation
This is the trade's specific cover. A decompression accident requires recompression, and in many cases transfer to a suitable facility. When the diver is in saturation, the situation is even more particular: someone under pressure can't be evacuated by conventional means, which is why systems have hyperbaric rescue units that allow transfer without decompressing. It's worth checking that the policy excludes neither hyperbaric treatment nor an evacuation of this kind. The medical context of these emergencies is covered in medical emergency inside saturation.
Disability and loss of licence
This is the most underrated cover and probably the most important in the long run. Professional diving depends on a medical fitness that's reviewed periodically. Losing it doesn't mean being ill in the ordinary sense: it means no longer being able to work. There are policies aimed at that loss of fitness, and it's worth asking about them before you need them. What exactly gets assessed is covered in the commercial diving medical certificate.
Public liability
Relevant mainly for those working self-employed or invoicing as a company. Covers damage to third parties or to the installation arising from the work, and some contractors require it as a condition of hiring.
What to check in a contract before signing
- Who the real employer is. It doesn't always match the company whose logo is on the vessel. Subcontracting chains are long and determine who answers for what.
- Applicable law and jurisdiction. Determines what rights you have and where you'd have to claim. A contract subject to a third country's law changes the whole picture.
- What cover is provided, in detail. "The company has insurance" isn't enough. What matters is the type of policy, the sums insured, the exclusions and, if possible, a certificate of cover in your own name.
- Exclusiones. Check explicitly that professional diving, saturation and offshore work aren't among them.
- Cover during travel. Many incidents happen in transit, and some policies only cover time aboard.
- What happens between campaigns, whether you stay covered in the gap or protection stops with the contract.
- Contributions and pensions. Working years abroad without paying into any system has consequences that only show up at the end of a career.
The underlying problem: cumulative damage
Policies are designed around the event: an accident with a date, a time and a report. Professional diving, however, also raises the question of long-term deterioration associated with years of hyperbaric exposure, an issue that has generated litigation and public debate in some countries, particularly in relation to the North Sea's pioneer divers.
Establishing a link between a condition and years of work is complicated, and depends heavily on the jurisdiction and the documentation available. Hence a practical recommendation that costs little and is worth a lot: keep a complete record of exposures — logbook, campaign records, medical check-ups, incident reports — organised and with a copy kept. That file is the only thing that supports a claim years later.
What to do, specifically
Before accepting a campaign, ask for the cover details in writing and keep them. If you work as a contractor, take out your own policy that explicitly includes professional diving and medical evacuation, and don't assume the client's covers you. Review the exclusions once a year, not just when you sign up.
And look for information within the sector itself: professional associations, unions and colleagues with experience in the same market know what's normal and what isn't in each country, and that kind of reference is hard to get any other way. In community and in companies puedes empezar a identificar interlocutores.
The trade holds up on two things: the skill and the safety net. The first is trained daily. The second gets signed once, in a rush, at an airport, and it's usually the one that fails.
What to do if an accident happens
Cover only works if the episode is well documented from the first moment, and that depends partly on the worker themself.
The essentials are that the incident is recorded in writing the same day, with a company incident report and not just a conversation; that the medical assistance received is documented, with reports and not verbal summaries; that copies of the contract, the certificate of cover and any communications are kept; and that what happened, when, and who was present is noted down while it's still remembered clearly.
It sounds bureaucratic, and it is. But claims that fail almost never do so because the accident didn't happen, but because there's no way to prove how, where or under what employment relationship it happened. In a sector with international contracts and long subcontracting chains, that proof is the practical responsibility of whoever is going to need it.
Frequently asked questions
Does the company always cover the diver?
Not always to the same extent. A staff employee usually has cover under the employer's country's labour scheme; an independent campaign contractor may fall outside that umbrella and depend on their own policy. It needs checking in writing before signing.
Does normal health insurance cover professional diving?
Usually not. Many policies expressly exclude professional diving or work at height and offshore. To be covered you need a policy that explicitly includes professional diving activity.
What is hyperbaric evacuation and why does it matter?
It's the ability to evacuate divers who are under pressure without decompressing them, using a hyperbaric rescue unit. It matters because a conventional evacuation isn't viable from saturation, and because its cost and logistics are enormous.
Does insurance cover long-term damage?
This is the weakest point. Accident policies respond to a specific event; problems attributed to cumulative exposure over years are much harder to establish and to claim for, and how they're treated depends heavily on the jurisdiction.
What should I look at first in a contract?
What law and jurisdiction apply, who the real employer is, what specific cover is provided with a policy number, what happens in the event of an accident during transit, and how medical assistance is handled outside your home country.
Is it worth being a member of a professional association?
It can help. Some sector associations and unions offer advice, group cover or support with claims, and above all information on what's normal in each market, which is exactly what's missing when you're negotiating alone.
Published 23 August 2026 · By Arthur More, professional saturation diver
Photo: Michael Elleray · CC BY via Openverse