Insurance and liability for trip organizers?

[alexiglecia]

Does anyone have experience organizing trips, courses, charters, etc? Do you have any advice about how to stay protected as organizers?

I'm organizing a trip (http://www.spiritalive.us/abreathaway) with a yoga instructor, a fitness professional and a scuba instructor. We're not an official agency, and want to recruit 12 additional participants who will of course pay their way. We want to make sure that we are protected from liability during the trip. Of course, our instructors are professional and are insured. We're not...yet.

Thanks!!!
Alex Iglecia

[Chad Carney]

Alex,

If you were the trip organizer and director, making schedules and site choices, etc. it would be pretty hard for you to defend that you didn't give advice on the dives, despite having a certified and insured scuba instructor along.

The proper way to go would be to get divemaster certified and insured your self. That's what we had anyone in our dive club do, if they wanted to organize trips. You are covered for freediving as well, with divemaster or instructor insurance. I don't know, but would think freedive organizations like PFI and AIDA would have similar coverage today. I know Kirk is now offering instructor certification. See http://www.performancefreediving.com/

My TDI/SDI insurance runs $560 yearly, and Divemaster was maybe $200 less.

Good luck.

Chad