Notify it and have it accepted
- Name the sport specifically
- Ask for written confirmation
- Even for a single trip
Caving and your insurance
Caving means exploring caves, often with rope techniques and sometimes with diving equipment. Insurers count it as a mountain sport and usually exclude it from ordinary cover.
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- Personal 072 - 509 24 56, weekdays 9–17
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Work out for yourself what it would cost.
Enter your details; you will receive a proposal within one working day.
- We compare the offerings of several insurers
- An adviser checks whether the cover suits your situation
- We arrange the switch, including cancellation
A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.
- Independent advice
- Several insurers
- Switching arranged
- Help with claims
In brief
What sets caving apart is the rescue. Bringing an injured person out of a vertical shaft or a narrow passage often takes a specialist cave rescue team many hours or days. Those costs fall outside the ordinary search and recovery cover, which is written for recovery above ground.
As a result, caving is very hard to insure. Some insurers exclude it by name; others bring it under mountain sports and climbing. Where cover is possible, it almost always applies only to the sport practised in a club setting with recognised supervision, and not to cave diving.
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What is covered with caving?
Three points determine whether your policy pays after an accident underground.
Supervision and equipment
Acceptance usually depends on the organisation you descend with.
- A recognised club or guide
- Helmet, light and spare light
- Never descend alone
Cave rescue and aftercare
A rescue underground works differently from a recovery in the mountains.
- Call the emergency assistance centre at once
- Rescue team and equipment
- Keep the report and the invoices
What is covered
| Situation | Standard | With extension |
|---|---|---|
| Medical costs after a fall in the cave | No | Yes |
| Search and rescue costs underground | No | Provided that |
| Permanent disability | No | Provided that |
| Liability towards fellow cavers | Provided that | Yes |
| Cave diving beyond a sump | No | No |
| Loss of or damage to ropes and climbing equipment | No | No |
What is actually covered is set out in the policy conditions and the insurance card (verzekeringskaart) that you receive in advance.
What does your premium depend on?
- Risk class of the sport: caving ranks high
- Vertical descents or not: rope technique weighs heavily
- Cave diving: hardly insurable anywhere
- Destination. Europe or remote areas
- A club setting or your own group: supervision counts
- Sums insured: above all for rescue and disability
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
How we arrange it
- You request a quoteWe take stock of your situation, risk and wishes.
- We compareseveral insurers, on premium as well as conditions.
- You receive a proposalWith an explanation of the differences and the exclusions.
- We arrange the switchIncluding cancellation, so there is no gap in cover.
Why arrange it through Finass Verzekert?
We look at the terms as well as the premium, and stay your point of contact when there is a claim.
Independent
We are not tied to one insurer and compare on the basis of an objective analysis of several companies.
One fixed adviser
You call or email someone who knows your file. No menu options, no changing call centres.
Switching without hassle
We cancel your old policy and align the start date, so you are never a day without cover.
Help with claims
We report the claim and monitor how it is handled. In urgent cases you can reach us on the emergency line.
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9.8Claims handling
Customers rate our service on four aspects: personal service, service delivery, availability and the outcome. The reviews are collected and published by NH1816 and come from customers who have actually taken out a policy with Finass Advies B.V. or reported a claim.
Where things go wrong in practice
Two points that determine whether your policy pays out after an accident underground.
Cave diving is separate from your diving cover
Diving beyond a sump is enclosed diving with no direct route to the surface. Where policies still include sport diving to a limited depth, cave diving remains excluded, even with a licence. The same list generally names mountain sports, air sports, deep diving and speed competitions as not covered.
Declare the sport when you take out the policy
If the insurer asks about high-risk sports, the duty of disclosure of Article 7:928 of the Dutch Civil Codeapplies. If you conceal that you go caving, the insurer can later rely on Article 7:930 of the Dutch Civil Code and reduce or refuse the payment. Report an accident immediately (Article 7:941 of the Dutch Civil Code).
Frequently asked questions
This is what people ask us most.
Is caving covered on an ordinary travel policy?
Usually not. The sport falls under the exclusion for mountain sports and climbing, or is named specifically. Only additional cover for high-risk sports can offer a way out, and not every insurer offers it.
Who pays for a rescue operation underground?
Without accepted cover, you do. A cave rescue calls for specialist teams and takes a long time. Check in advance whether search and rescue costs underground are included. Some policies cover only recovery at the surface.
Does a recognised club make a difference?
Often yes. Insurers that accept this sport generally require you to descend with a recognised club, association or guide and to wear the prescribed equipment. Descending solo remains excluded even then.
Does my diving licence apply in a cave?
No. Cave diving is a separate discipline with its own certification and falls outside diving cover, even with a valid licence. Insurers treat it as enclosed diving and exclude it regardless of depth.
Every situation is different. For these situations we have a separate page.
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Read more
Are you going into a cave?
Have it established before departure whether this sport has been accepted. We find out which insurer does so.
Prefer to call? 072 - 509 24 56, weekdays 09:00–17:00.
Claim on the road? Emergency line 06 - 55 20 40 72.
About our service
Finass Verzekert is a trading name of Finass Advies B.V. We advise on and arrange non-life insurance on the basis of an objective analysis of several insurers, and receive commission for this from the insurer, which is included in the premium. You pay no separate advice fee. Before you take out cover, we establish your wishes and needs.
You will find our licence, KvK and Kifid details and our complaints procedure at the foot of every page.
This page was compiled by Finass Verzekert (LinkedIn). Last updated on .
The information on this page is general in nature and is not personal advice.