Divemaster Tipping

[Wayward Son]

the boats I dive on, the dm/deckhand is not paid other than with tips. I'm not a dm, but I do sometimes deckhand for charters.

I'll tip $10 to $20 per diver for a trip, depending on how good a job they do. But seeing as they show up & work regardless, I tip them something. better if they do a better job, but always something.

 

[lottinala]

well ive never dove from a boat but my son just got cert. so when we do go im going to tip pretty well beings because i know we both will need a little extra help the first couple times. so yes i can see me tipping 20 to 30 bucks then drop to 15 to 20 bucks. maybe im wrong fill free to let me know.

 

[MissBubblyDiver]

As a female divemaster I take offense to your reasoning. If you want to look at hot females and tip them based on looks, go to hooters or a strip club. A dive master is supposed to be professional, not a sex object.
If the divemaster is an old crusty man like most divers are does that mean I don't have to tip as much as I would a hot young man (which never happens in this industry)? That wouldn't be right because they aren't there to be eye candy. They should be tipped based on their performance, not looks. If I were making tips as a divemaster (which I don't) I'd be annoyed if I wasn't getting tipped as much because I don't have a "hard body" and implants like Victoria Secret models. I'd be really annoyed if my tips depended on my looks and not my skills.

 

[deepstops]

As a female divemaster I take offense to your reasoning.

I'd be annoyed if I wasn't getting tipped as much because I don't have a "hard body" and implants like Victoria Secret models.

Lighten up Frances, Rhone Man was making a joke

 

[Videodude]

As a working (part-time) DM I have received varying amounts over the years. The average is around $5 per tank.

When I dive for myself, I personally do not give less than $10 even for "sub-par" service, most of the time it is higher than that.

When I am on the boat as an Instructor, I always make sure my students take care of the divemaster, and I usually tip an extra $20 over what my students give.

That all being said, I have had days working as DM when tips averaged a couple of bucks per person. Nothing to do with the quality of service I provided, more along the lines of un-educated (about tipping anyway) divers not knowing tipping is proper procedure. That is why I start my students thinking about tipping etiquette from day one of class!

 

[Orlando Eric]

Boat DM's the industry standard is $5.00

If you are hiring a private DM to tour you around the site then whatever they quoted you and agreed to is the amount you pay. I do not tip owners of businesses. IF they need more money they and the ones who set the pricing.

 

[augie]

My average tip is about $15 but I work on a service intensive charter.

Please don't read anything into my question as I'm not challenging any part of the above statement, but as a "non-professional" member of the diving public it would interesting to hear from someone that does work in the industry, particularly locally, as in south/central Florida, how they define "service intensive".

Put another way, what services could be considered bare minimum, which ones go somewhat beyond that, and which ones are well above and beyond?

 

[annasea]

So the captain's been mentioned, and the DM, of course, but what if the charter owner is one of these two? Do people still tip the owner even though s/he's ideally making a profit from each charter?

how are tips (in the tip jar) usually split between the crew?


lets say there are three crew: one captain and one mate, plus a dive master who is there for just some of the passengers who are students.

I would assume the DM who isn't assisting everyone would get part of the "tip jar".

what about the rest? does it all go to the first mate, or does the captain have a split of it?

what about if the captain is an owner? (like asked above)

Boat DM's the industry standard is $5.00

If you are hiring a private DM to tour you around the site then whatever they quoted you and agreed to is the amount you pay. I do not tip owners of businesses. IF they need more money they and the ones who set the pricing.

Thanks for answering, Eric. Anyone else want to weigh in?

 

[fisheyeview]

Please don't read anything into my question as I'm not challenging any part of the above statement, but as a "non-professional" member of the diving public it would interesting to hear from someone that does work in the industry, particularly locally, as in south/central Florida, how they define "service intensive".

Put another way, what services could be considered bare minimum, which ones go somewhat beyond that, and which ones are well above and beyond?

Wilsway works on a 6 pack boat that is more than just a ride to and from the reef. They load and unload your gear. They have a DM in the water on every dive. They do not set a time to be back on the boat, so if you bring 130's you can dive as long as you want.

 

[augie]

Wilsway works on a 6 pack boat that is more than just a ride to and from the reef. They load and unload your gear. They have a DM in the water on every dive. They do not set a time to be back on the boat, so if you bring 130's you can dive as long as you want.

I know what boat she works on - it's my favorite charter on the east coast, and I was on it this past weekend. Like I said, I wasn't attempting to challenge her statement, I just thought - especially with some of the new divers viewing and participating in this thread, that it might be a good idea to categorize some of the services that DMs do as standard (minimum?), beyond standard, and "gold star".

As to the ones mentioned in your post:

They load and unload your gear

There was someone on the boat to hand our gear to, but it looked like everyone going out on the charter kind of pitched in. Maybe we didn't have to, but we didn't mind, and no one made us feel as though we weren't suppposed to. Based on my experience, this isn't any different from any charter we've been on from Jupiter to Pompano beach.

They have a DM in the water on every dive.

This is nice, but since Boynton is all about drift diving (granted - unless you tie off to a wreck), it's not that big of a deal (for me) to have someone in our group carry a flag - which is the standard practice on the boat I used for years that operates out of the same marina. But this is a big plus for a couple of other reasons; if you're dropped at any location that requires more than just drifting alongside the ledge it's awfully handy to have someone that knows which way to go to see the best of what there is to see at the site, and if you have any unexpected issues while underwater and you're not very experienced, it's good to have someone that can help you fix the problem and who knows whether that particular problem is one that you need to end the dive for.

They do not set a time to be back on the boat, so if you bring 130's you can dive as long as you want

To me, this is a biggie. I don't usually bring a big enough bottle/manage my air consumption to the point that it comes into play, but the biggest complaint I have with the operators I've used at a marina a few miles north of this one is their predetermined (and short!) dive profiles.

Sorry if I'm hijacking the thread into a different area, but like I said, I think (hope) that it may help some of the newer members of the dive community get a feel for what's expected, so that when they do receive superior service they'll know it and (getting back to the original subject of the thread) compensate the staff accordingly.