Who pays when you get hurt surfing in Bali

How surfers get hurt here

A fin is sharp enough to cut deep, and in a crowded line-up the fin that hits you does not have to be yours. Someone loses their board or drops in on you, and a fin moving at that speed can open a cut that needs stitches.

The Bukit is reef. Uluwatu, Padang Padang, Impossibles and Bingin all break over it, and on a low tide it sits close under the surface, so a wipeout in the wrong spot puts you onto it.

Then there is the ride to the break. A rented scooter with a board rack is how a lot of surfers here get around, and Australia's travel advice for Indonesia says Australians have been seriously injured and died in motorcycle and moped accidents.

What the hospital asks before it treats you

Before a hospital here treats a foreigner, it wants to know who pays. Smartraveller, the Australian government's travel advice, says hospitals in Indonesia will generally want confirmation of medical insurance, a deposit and a written guarantee of payment before treatment, and that tourists pay for all of their own care, a hospital stay or an evacuation included.

That is the moment a policy is for. An insurer that pays hospitals directly takes the hospital's call, confirms it will pay, and the bill is settled between the two of them. Without that, you pay with your own card and claim the money back afterwards, if the policy covers what happened.

Stitches are the cheap end of it. The UK government's travel advice for Indonesia says a medical evacuation can cost tens of thousands of pounds, so that is the line in a policy to read first.

What to check in your policy before you paddle out

Surfing is named in it

Some policies cover a sport only if they name it, and some charge extra for activities they count as risky. If surfing is not written into yours, ask the insurer in writing before you rely on it.

The scooter clause

Smartraveller's advice is to check that the policy covers you on a hired motorbike, and whether restrictions apply, for example when you are not licensed to ride one at home. Wear the helmet either way.

Who pays the hospital

Look for direct payment to hospitals, sometimes called direct billing, and save the insurer's 24 hour emergency number and your policy number in your phone. The hospital will want both.

Evacuation and the flight home

Both belong in the policy. Smartraveller says a policy must cover all medical costs overseas, evacuation included.

Starting it once you are here

Some policies can be bought when you are already abroad, usually with a waiting period at the start. Read what is covered in those first days before you count on it.

If Bali is home for now

Travel health insurance is made for trips. Most policies stop after a set time and expect you to have health cover at home for anything that needs long treatment. If you live here, or you gave up your insurance at home, you are looking for international health insurance instead, which is built to be the only cover you have.

If you have no cover yet

SurfPoint links to one insurance, Genki, and is paid for it: if you sign up through the calculator or a Genki link on this page, Genki pays SurfPoint a commission. The price is the same for you. Nothing here is advice on whether it suits you, and Genki's own conditions are what count.

Genki is an insurance broker in Cologne. Its travel policy, Genki Traveler, is a monthly subscription that runs for up to 12 months and can be started from home or once you are already travelling. Genki's page lists surfing among the sports it covers, says conditions apply to some activities and that professional sport, where you are paid, is not covered, and says small scooters are covered even without a local licence.

Two details on the same page matter if you are already here. If you start it abroad with no cover before, only emergencies are covered for the first 14 days. And a hospital stay is paid directly through Genki's emergency line, while a doctor's visit you pay first and claim back.

Common questions

Does travel insurance cover surfing?

Not always. Some policies name surfing as covered, some charge extra for it and some leave it out. If the word is not in your policy, ask the insurer in writing before you paddle out.

Can I buy travel health insurance when I am already in Bali?

Some insurers sell it to people who are already abroad, usually with a waiting period at the start. Genki does, and says that if you had no cover before, only emergencies are covered for the first 14 days.

Does travel health insurance cover my surfboard?

No. Health insurance pays for your treatment, not for your equipment. A snapped or stolen board is only covered by a policy that names sports equipment.

What should I have on my phone before a surf?

Your insurer's 24 hour emergency number, your policy number and a photo of your passport. The hospital asks who pays before it treats you, and those answer it.