The all-inclusive tipping note -- Boats, DMs & Instructors

[downunderjenn]

As DM, having fun safely is where it's at. Doing a good job and being rewarded by happy divers and compliments to the instructor and staff is enough for the work I do. I have never received a monetary tip, but I have been tipped by compliments about divers experiences. I know in Cozumel I gave a 10 dollar tip per boat trip, as it is expected. On the lake here, people don't pay for that experience as tips (10 dollar boat fee only), but they do have a good time.

 

[theskull]

I'm with Diver0001.

If someone comments that they have more fun or feel safer while diving with me, that is all the tip I need or want! A drink or lunch bought for me, or a hat--that's into bonus area and is appreciated more for the gesture than for the monetary value.

theskull

 

[Mako Mark]

I must admit, I feel a little uncomfortable when someone tips me, usually I take that money and put it towards some new dive light or comp, that I really cant justify buying for myself. That way, when I use the thing and get enjoyment out of something I wanted (not needed), I think of the people that bought me my "present".

But that is just me, I do not depend on tips to buy food.

 

[Cubascuba]

I tip if the guys give a good detailed breifing of the dive. But most of thime I really don't at my local dive shop. When I travel I tip.

Cubascuba

 

[paolov]

i agree with the others. I feel uncomfortable getting tips when i was a DM.

An incident.

I was guiding a group of divers there was a guy from Australia . on one dive the current was storng enough at a corner reef, i had the weakest diver stay with me and after clearing the corner where there was strong current with the weakest diver i thought i was ready to resume the relaxed pace.

looking back i saw this fellow with his fins just getting of from his foot. i had to rush to him and dive deeper to catch his fins...... so everything was ok...

at the end of the day when the group was leaving the fellow was handing me a tip, which i normally don't take. however he was insistent and said that he would be offended . so i took the tip. That was when i was a DM.

)

 

[voop]

I have been a customer at a dive shop near me for about a year and a half. The owner was my high school biology teacher. Him and his son run the shop and we seem to have become quite friendly. Although thay are basic local shallow water dives, myself and sometimes my brother go with them just for the hell of it. Their dive master is a retired NYC fireman and he's a great guy too. With the exception of my actual open water dives, I basically dove on my own with my brother, never with anyone from the shop, just on their boat.(everyone seems to do their own thing) I've never tipped the DM until this weekend. When we go out, we seem like a bunch of friends, although I do pay to go out. This weekend I went out by myself and the DM dove with me. Thats when I realized I had not tipped him before and I feel really guilty. I was playing with my new strobe and he stuck with me. We always brought beer etc (heineken is the DM's favorite). All the other boats I've been on I've tipped the dive master because thats what supposed to be done. It seems stupid but it really bothers me, he propably thinks I am a cheap SOB. What do you other dive masters (and divers etc) think? Theres not much of a point to this post other than I would like to try and do something for him.

Well...I've never been tipped myself as an instructor or DM. Nor have I ever tipped a DM or instructor or boat crew. Then again, I live and dive in a part of the world, where tipping isn't custom: you pay up front for the dive, and the staff is paid (as they should) their fraction of the dive-price. So about tipping, what do I know?

However if you want to do something nice for this DM, then don't tip him. Instead, ask the store owner for when the DM's birthday is, and figure out something nice to offer as a present. Perhaps ask the store owner if he knows of something the DM would appreciate -- otherwise, I believe that the gesture in and by itself will be appreciated enough, regardless of what your present will be.

I'd feel terribly uncomfortable suddenly tipping (or being tipped by) someone after establishing a friendly relationship with him. However going for the "birthday present" route might just further the friendly terms rather than create distance -- which I feel tipping just would do.

Anyways, that's just my 0.02 Eur....

 

[oversea]

Part of the boat diver specialty, they mention such things as tipping. It seems in some areas of the rest of the world it is simply not done. I met a couple while in Hawaii from Australia and they said it is not done at all.

 

[fjd]

I must admit, I feel a little uncomfortable when someone tips me, usually I take that money and put it towards some new dive light or comp, that I really cant justify buying for myself. That way, when I use the thing and get enjoyment out of something I wanted (not needed), I think of the people that bought me my "present".

But that is just me, I do not depend on tips to buy food.

when i was in Costa Rica doing a few days of boat diving, i noticed that about half of the divers did tip while the other did not. i think it was a function of whether the diver was from a country where tipping is customary.

however, at no time there was an announcement that the tip jar was out. i would guess $5 (U.S.) was the norm. most, if not all, of the tip was given to the DMs. i'm not sure whether there was any 'internal' agreement amongst the crew members that the tip was to be shared. i certainly hope there was, as some of the crew members were very helpful as well.

 

[voop]

Part of the boat diver specialty, they mention such things as tipping. It seems in some areas of the rest of the world it is simply not done. I met a couple while in Hawaii from Australia and they said it is not done at all.

I'm from Europe, and have done a good number of my dives locally. I have never tipped any boat crew or DMs, nor have I seen anyone do so locally - ever. I have taken the DM or captain out for dinner/lunch, or bought a few bottles of wine for after the dive if I have enjoyed their company, though, but that's not as much of a "tip" as it is because I enjoy their company in a social context (most divers are really really cool people to hang out with, in my experience...)

I went diving in Japan a few times too -- there, I've never seen anyone tipping the dive or boat crew either.

It's probably a matter of customs: around here, the crew are paid out of the price which we pay to the diveop/boat for the dive, and doesn't rely on tips to survive. To me, actually paying your employees seems to be the right way to do thing rather than to force them to "beg" for a salary (tips) from the clients.

 

[redseal]

When we went diving recently in FLA my kids and I were almost the entire charter (a six-pack out of Lauderdale). The captain/DM/owner was one-in-the-same person. Dive briefings were just that: brief. We were brought to several sites over the weekend that we dove, given the lay of the land, and told to "go dive." At $50/two-tank/diver/day for the dives plus $10/tank/diver/dive, we quickly hit $560 for a total of 4 scheduled dives over the weekend. Unfortunately, one of my kids had trouble with her ears and couldn't descend, yet no "discount" for tanks or "future credit" of any amount was offered.

The tip jar was just visible, but trust me, it wasn't seen. I felt that we paid for basic service, and nothing more.

In contrast, having been recently to St Vincents, the DMs at Dive St Vincent went out of their way on many of the dives to demonstrate the small critters, find sites with less current (as we had some divers on our boat in less than good physical shape), and were a pleasant and engaging bunch of guys. We all felt that tipping was appropriate.

$5US per diver per dive works out to about $15%, and a drink/meal at the local hangout on top of that is also a nice touch for above-and-beyond.

Just my $0.02