Tipping

[Hotpuppy]

You know, it's just dispicable that someone would spend hundreds of dollars learning to dive, thousands getting to a tropical dive site, and then be to cheap to pay the folks that make your dive possible and smooth.

I used to wait tables when I was in college, so I totally get the working for tips thing. I think $5/tank is a good STARTING point and $10/tank is a good high end.

I also agree that tipping in public improves memory for those that should share.

I dove in Roatan and thought that they took great care of me so I tipped $15 for a 2 tank dive. I carried my own tank off the boat and carried my own gear. Why? Well, why not? it's my gear after all. They put me on a larger tank and made sure I had a good, safe dive.

In Cozumel I dove with another small operation. They took me on basically a private dive because they were waiting on some folks to arrive and then 4 of us (including the DM) did a wall dive. When we were done they had took me in and helped me find a taxi. I tipped them $20 because they took great care of me and I appreciated the extra service.

I can't control what others do, but I can tip a little better and make sure I leave a good impression. $CUBA is an expen$ive hobby.... it's also a small world and people who tip get better service, period. The old adage, you get what you pay for, really comes home.

 

[jbtut]

In NJ anyway it has to do with the economic reality of running a dive boat. Dive boats here are not owned by shops, but by some guy who likes to dive and owns a boat and is willing to go to all the trouble and hardship associated with taking others diving on it. If he's lucky at the end of the year - if the weather cooperates, and diesel doesn't go up another 25-20% - he won't lose that much money running it.

If the crew was paid by the boat owner it would either put the boat out of business or raise the price of a charter FAR more than "an upfront $10 crew fee" do to the increased expense associated with payroll taxes, accounting, reporting, etc, etc. Figure an extra $30 or so "upfront" increase in charter costs in order for $10 to make its way to the crew.

Careful what you ask for...you might get it!

That's interesting that it's done that way. They, the dive boat owner, is taking on a lot of risk by not having workers comp. Usually with workers comp the business owner is limited in liability. Without it the crew who gets injured can recover a lot more $ from the dive boat owner. And Diving is a dangerous activity. I don't know what workers comp costs are or how they compare to insurance rates for unpaid help. Under the table works always seems great until someone gets hurt. Of course that's in the US. Things are a lot different once you leave the States.

Does crew include the boat captain and DMs? Most dive boats I've been on don't have additional people along other than the DM and captain. I assume that those are usually paid positions.

 

[Web Monkey]

Well maybe I've seen this asked but not recently. What is the consensus on tipping on the boat dive. Amount and who? If it matters my trip will be in Aruba.

On the other side of the coin, why are dive boats automatically populated with people who perform services I don't especially want?

If I book a dive, I'd like to boat to arrive safely at the dive site, tie off, then wait while everybody goes diving and comes back. This shouldn't be a special service that require s a tip. I just want to boat to arrive at it's destination and sit there.

My buddy and I are fully capable of exiting the boat, navigating, surfacing at the appropriate time and returning to the boat, as well as changing our own tanks. Why are we obliged to have a DM? And it's not even the tipping thing. I want to dive at my own speed and in whatever area I feel like. If I want to stare at a rock for half an hour watching all the critters that live there, why am I stuck with a DM that wants to zoom around the reef and harass his pet eel?

I don't mind tipping (and tipping well) for excellent services that I actually want, however it really annoys me to be inflicted with services I don't want.

Terry

 

[turbine]

On the other side of the coin, why are dive boats automatically populated with people who perform services I don't especially want?

If I book a dive, I'd like to boat to arrive safely at the dive site, tie off, then wait while everybody goes diving and comes back. This shouldn't be a special service that require s a tip. I just want to boat to arrive at it's destination and sit there.

My buddy and I are fully capable of exiting the boat, navigating, surfacing at the appropriate time and returning to the boat, as well as changing our own tanks. Why are we obliged to have a DM? And it's not even the tipping thing. I want to dive at my own speed and in whatever area I feel like. If I want to stare at a rock for half an hour watching all the critters that live there, why am I stuck with a DM that wants to zoom around the reef and harass his pet eel?

I don't mind tipping (and tipping well) for excellent services that I actually want, however it really annoys me to be inflicted with services I don't want.

Terry

Before you exit the boat, who is going to go down and tie in the anchor line, set up the deco station or granny line? During the dive who is going to keep an eye on the divers and splash if they need help or lose a piece of gear? After the customers are done with their two tank dives, who is going to pull the hook and help unload all the gear?
The captains get you there and do many other things, but the crew makes sure you get in and out of the water safely. They make sure the dive location is a good spot, if you want to spear fish they make sure you are on a good wreck with fish. I can go on and on but I'm not.
We try and make sure you have an enjoyable and safe time diving with our charter.

So if you don't want to pay for services you don't want then you should get your own boat, either find the wrecks or find someone to provide you with numbers, learn how to set and pull a hook and deal with emergency situations. Then maybe you will get to fit a pleasure dive somewhere in there.
Until then tip the crew, they are working hard to make sure you have a fun and safe time.

 

[vndoc]

On the other side of the coin, why are dive boats automatically populated with people who perform services I don't especially want?

I don't mind tipping (and tipping well) for excellent services that I actually want, however it really annoys me to be inflicted with services I don't want.

Terry

I agree completely. In Coz a couple of years back the crew hooked up the BC and reg for my wife and me. I double checked mine mainly b/c I'm fully capable (as we all should be) of taking care of my own equipment. On the 1st tank, my wife giant strided into the water and her tank came right out of the BC. Although the DM and I tried to fix the situation in water, with the current and waves at surface this was impossible. At this point, the crew lost the tip. However, on the 2nd tank, the DM convinced my wife to get back in the water (she was a newbie and pretty freaked out) and basically held her hand for the whole dive, thus "re-earning" the tip.

 

[jjardin]

Before you exit the boat, who is going to go down and tie in the anchor line, set up the deco station or granny line? During the dive who is going to keep an eye on the divers and splash if they need help or lose a piece of gear? After the customers are done with their two tank dives, who is going to pull the hook and help unload all the gear?
The captains get you there and do many other things, but the crew makes sure you get in and out of the water safely. They make sure the dive location is a good spot, if you want to spear fish they make sure you are on a good wreck with fish. I can go on and on but I'm not.
We try and make sure you have an enjoyable and safe time diving with our charter.

So if you don't want to pay for services you don't want then you should get your own boat, either find the wrecks or find someone to provide you with numbers, learn how to set and pull a hook and deal with emergency situations. Then maybe you will get to fit a pleasure dive somewhere in there.
Until then tip the crew, they are working hard to make sure you have a fun and safe time.

I usually tip and I tip better if the service is good. Alex and Chomed in Yap probably got a few month's salary from me -- more than I would ever think of tipping a NJ divemaster.

But the New Jersey "services" you are talking about should be covered under the cost of the charter. Knowing the numbers to where you are going, safely navigating to the wreck, safely anchoring to the wreck and then recovering your paying passengers seems to be an integral part of a dive charter. What part of it do you think you can leave out?

You want to see a NJ op that has great service--go visit the Heplers on the Venture III. Help with your gear, extra goodies, etc.--and they own the boat. Perhaps you DMs should look more to break the culture of servitude that being a divemaster in NJ means and look to get paid for your services from the responsible party--the captain/owner/shop putting the charter together. They should not be pushing the burden to a DM who is hanging around for scraps (reduced rates on dive gear???).

You may be good, you may not be, but operating as though providing basic services warrants extra recongnition never sat well with me.

 

[Web Monkey]

Before you exit the boat, who is going to go down and tie in the anchor line, set up the deco station or granny line?

Anchoring the boat is the Captain's responsibility, as are any lines. Deco is the diver's responsibility.

During the dive who is going to keep an eye on the divers and splash if they need help or lose a piece of gear?

The diver's buddy should be able to provide any needed assistance. If I lose gear, it's my problem.

After the customers are done with their two tank dives, who is going to pull the hook and help unload all the gear?

Anything to do with the boat is the Captain's responsibility and I can unload my own gear.

So if you don't want to pay for services you don't want then you should get your own boat

So I need to buy my own boat in order to not be forced to go on a nanny dive?

either find the wrecks or find someone to provide you with numbers, learn how to set and pull a hook and deal with emergency situations. Then maybe you will get to fit a pleasure dive somewhere in there.
Until then tip the crew, they are working hard to make sure you have a fun and safe time.

I expect the boat captain to get the boat safely from shore to the dive site, anchor or tie off, and return to shore when the dive is over.

If a diver wants more than that and wants to pay that's fine, but it should be on a "as requested" basis, not something that every boat comes with, regardless of whether or not the diver wants it.

Terry

 

[RJP]

Does crew include the boat captain and DMs? Most dive boats I've been on don't have additional people along other than the DM and captain. I assume that those are usually paid positions.

Here in NJ the captain is typically the owner. Then there is the crew. We're not DM's per se on the boat (though some of us are DMs/Instructors) in that we don't get involved in the passengers' diving. We run the boat, lines, tie in, help you get geared up, and push you off the boat. Lather, rinse, repeat for dive #2. When we have everyone back on the boat, we untie, and get you back to the dock.

 

[texas-buzzard]

Don't forget to tip the resort workers. I generally budget " fun money " for our dive trip. Many of the islands we visit are very dependant on divers for income. The resort workers in most cases work very hard to make our stay fun and i am sure they make minimum wage or less. So we try to leave our play money on the island to support them. Most have families too.

 

[AussieAnnie]

If doing a land-based trip (7 days of 2 tank diving) do most divers tip daily or all at once on the last day you dive with the operation?