Example: Diving into the abyss
Virgil spent years organising and saving for a scuba diving trip to the Caribbean. He wanted to explore the Cayman Trough, a curious patch of sea between Jamaica and the Cayman Islands.
Virgil had scuba diving travel insurance, held an open water diving certificate and was diving with his close friend and licensed instructor Lindsey.
While on their dive, the pair came across the wreck of an old fishing vessel. Not wanting to pass up the opportunity to explore a real-life shipwreck, Virgil swum through a rusted gash in the boat's hull.
In his haste, Virgil's primary regulator got caught on a jagged piece of metal, tearing a hole in the line. Panic set in.
With Lindsey nowhere in sight, Vigil clambered towards the surface, forgetting his emergency ascent procedures. Not even halfway up, Virgil blacked out due to hypoxia.
Lindsey was able to get Virgil to the surface and drive him to a local hospital, where he spent 2 weeks recovering in the Jamaica Medical Center.
Virgil contacted his insurer but was informed that he was not covered, as his policy excluded diving in wrecks or caves. This left Virgil with a hospital bill of $5,000, which meant he was left with a pile of debt on top of the cost of the holiday.
* This is a fictional, but realistic, example.
