Tipping your DM

[apertyx]

Ham is great!!!! I dove with him on several occasions, and he is a fantastic human being, and a marvelous teacher/DM!! He's exactly the kind of person I want to be in my blog "Instructor? Or Teacher? (advanced scuba discussion).
Next time you see him or dive with him, ask him if he got the "Timmy's" coffee I sent him!!!
Steve (the Canadian)

 

[Crowley]

A tropical DM/instructor day does not start and end around the boat trip.I know how long the day can be for I was one...
I personally do not need their help but for all they do indirectly to make my day easier/fun they get a tip.

I'd like to follow on from this... and it's dependent on where and with whom your diving but a typical day for me at my last job goes like this:

- Wake up at 6:30 am and rock up to the shop at 7 am
- ensure all gear requirements are met
- plan dive teams and fix anything that isn't working
- haul a shedload of tanks onto a truck
- haul the same tanks - often 50 or more - onto a boat
- decide where to go based on conditions
- entertain people
- dive / instruct people
- help to prepare and serve lunch
- dive / instruct people
- entertain
- wash and pack every single piece of rental gear on the way home
- haul tanks off boat
- haul tanks onto truck
- get back to shop, complete paperwork if necessary
- 6 pm - dry and hang all rental equipment
- pump 60 tanks. Took about 2 hours with the compressor system we had
- mix nitrox if required
- 8pm - finish work and go for a beer or five

So that's almost a 14 hour day - for which, if you're lucky, you might get paid $100 (US). Oh and many DM's/Instructors will work a 10+ day week. At my old job, I got two days (non consecutive) leave per month.

So yeah, tipping is not required, but it's soooooo nice. I can't speak for other dive centres, but if you guys think we rock up in paradise and do a couple of fun dives every day, think again. Back in Thailand I did suggest (but not demand) that everybody tips the liveaboard crew - they are working for $10 per day.

Americans tip by default almost - because it's a way of life there - tip the barmaid, tip the mechanic, tip the bellboy, tip the dive instructor. Most of us work really hard for a poor salary - but then, many of us will settle for an ice cold beer after a long day's work!

On the other hand - we live and work in paradise so...!

Your call folks - and it's allllll good!

Dive safe,

C.

 

[divetatoo]

The best tips are those who feel the need to tip. For whatever reason they feel it, it is awesome. If someone is getting into the professional ranks because of the money, they are in for a rude awakening. I DM to instructors in classes, not at a resort or on a dive boat. I give the best service to all the students. I am usually tipped well. That being said, being tipped well is a personal view of what "well" is. Most students tip me between $10 and $20. It has never been based, from what I've been told, on the cost of the class. Many instructors will let students know that DM's helping classes are doing it at their own expense. It is an indirect way of letting students know it is ok to tip, but NOT expected and service does NOT vary based upon tipping or the possiblity of getting a good tip.

 

[Tom Winters]

Divemasters should never be tipped, unless they have managed to fall asleep standing up yet again. This is for their own good and helps to avoid being struck by lightning.
If you have a divemaster who has done something worthy in your eyes like donate an organ or rescue a kitten in a tree, you need to find a certified, preferably NAUI, scuba instructor, tell him what the divemaster has done to deserve an honorarium, and give the instructor the moolah that you wish to distribute. The instructor will see that the stipend is fairly meted out.
You must never, ever give money directly to a divemaster - 99 times out of 100, they will spend it immediately on alcohol, illicit substances, or temporary wayward companions. This causes untold problems for the local community.
This is why God invented scuba instructors. Well, for situations like this and for taking care of any available ladies in the vicinity of just wherever we happen to be.
Publicly, divemasters will castigate me for this, but privately, they are all glad that instructors are watching out for them at every step of the way.

 

[dpaustex]

I always tip the boat. At least $20 per diver in my group, sometimes more. I know those poor slobs don't make squat.

So you don your $3500 outfit/gear, you spent $2000 to get there, and you cry about giving someone $20-30?

The divemaster/divecon training is expensive. It takes two years just to break EVEN.

But man, I love to dive...............

 

[diver 85]

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/basic-scuba-discussions/219155-tipping.html

Here's one thread, there are many more... Just do a on "tipping" in the Basic Scuba Discussions forum.

If more people would learn how to read(to find the word SEARCH) and also learn how to peck(to type the word TIPPING) in the box.......

 

[vladimir]

I always tip the boat. At least $20 per diver in my group, sometimes more.

I do too.

I know those poor slobs don't make squat.

So you don your $3500 outfit/gear, you spent $2000 to get there, and you cry about giving someone $20-30?

The divemaster/divecon training is expensive. It takes two years just to break EVEN.

But man, I love to dive...............

Why do they do it? And why should we subsidize it with our tips? Why enter into a low-paying job with expensive training? Maybe we should stop subsidizing this silliness?

 

[dpaustex]

If the service is good, definitely tip. If they ignore you, don't help with your gear, then I ignore them.

Most trips go pretty well. I've had all kinds of service, all extremes. But the DM's generally only work for tips, and WANT to be helpfull. Sometimes they're having to spend a lot of time with the newbies, though.

Above all, be fair. It's a fun sport, and pretty laid back.

 

[Divenomad]

Divemasters should never be tipped, unless they have managed to fall asleep standing up yet again. This is for their own good and helps to avoid being struck by lightning.
If you have a divemaster who has done something worthy in your eyes like donate an organ or rescue a kitten in a tree, you need to find a certified, preferably NAUI, scuba instructor, tell him what the divemaster has done to deserve an honorarium, and give the instructor the moolah that you wish to distribute. The instructor will see that the stipend is fairly meted out.
You must never, ever give money directly to a divemaster - 99 times out of 100, they will spend it immediately on alcohol, illicit substances, or temporary wayward companions. This causes untold problems for the local community.
This is why God invented scuba instructors. Well, for situations like this and for taking care of any available ladies in the vicinity of just wherever we happen to be.
Publicly, divemasters will castigate me for this, but privately, they are all glad that instructors are watching out for them at every step of the way.

Yes, Illicit substances. Like dive gear. And yes, the instructors do watch out for us. They have to, they stole our tips.

 

[sillybunny]

I am a newbie and a novice and want to learn so this is a step in that direction. Hang with those who know. I can tell you I know a lot about the tipping situation considering I live on that type of salary. Just remember that these incomes are generally fixed and life is not that way when it comes to bills and emergencys. The added thought of tipping can do wonders for the person who is taking care of you. Here is something to try and could be a gamble that should pay off most of the time. Try tipping before the day gets going. Instead of at the end try tipping before hand. Chances are you may also make a potentially bad service good by being thoughtful. Most people would think highly of such a gratituty and may pamper you extra special. Everything goes better when the help is taken care of and so many times employers do not think this way. They also think that the employee is doing something they enjoy or love so they do not have to pay them a good wage. Or they get the percs of the business so why pay them a healthy wage? At my job if I have a customer who takescare to tip well than I will in return go the extra mile to take care of their needs.