Tips on Tips

[StSomewhere]

I thought the DM's weren't paid. :06:

I've tipped as much as $20 and as little as $5 for a two tank boat dive, factoring in the fact that the DM just spent four hours (+/-) of his life helping me without other compensation from the dive op. Frankly, I've never understood the arrangement.

To quote Robert Hunter, "it's a shame those boys couldn't be more copacetic".

 

[Ishie]

I'll tip for pretty much anything if the service is good. If it's really bad, I'll leave two pennies.

When I was 14-15, I had a job as a party hostess making well below minimum wage with the excuse that the "tips" would make up for it. Problem is no one knows to tip party hostesses and they wouldn't put up a sign that says "We force underage girls to work for slave wages to please crowbar your wallets". Through high school and college, I've had countless friends trying to support their own education on tips and such.

Granted, it is not the customer's fault that this is the case, but it is also expected and assumed.

Plus, for repeat customers, a good tipper is welcome; it shows appreciation of the service; it's a form of compliment, so even those with good upbringing, in service industry jobs, are culturally conditioned so that no tip=you suck.

I am a Indian food-phile and tip well at any place that has good food, particularly the little family owned places. As a result, I am fairly well known, am treated extremely well when I get there (such as having a take-out buffet where they rush out to hand me fresh bread hot off the oven) and have occasionally had them do things like fill half my order with Indian pastries (free) on my birthday.

Is this because my few bucks is making their business? No, it simply shows mutual appreciation. I appreciate the extra mile they go to; they appreciate the extra mile I go to.

In fact, a tip is step one. If the service is really fantastic, I'll tell the server (and the manager) directly as well. I know too many people who work hard, get few tips, and only receive 'recognition' as people when they screw up, and upbringing or not, it is VERY difficult to continue giving it your all every day when your reward is complaints and short pay.

 

[Diver Dennis]

You CHEAP ******
Sorry but there is people here that the tips is the only thing we get paid off. That is the way it works around here. I love scuba diving and thats the only way i can dive and live! son maybe you can tip the next time!

I agree wholeheartedly filauri. I do most of my diving in Mexico and ALWAYS tip because I know low wages are the main reason diving so so inexpensive there. Frankly mccabejc, in my opinion you have a very poor attitude.

 

[Diver Dennis]

If, however, I have not had good service I won't tip but I will let the parties involved know why I'm not.

 

[MikeFerrara]

Last week I was in south Texas on business and checked into some diving on Sout Padre. $100 bucks for a dive 7 miles off shore at the Texas underwater scuba park. I passed but wanna bet that I wouldn't have left a tip?

Let the business owner decide what they think the DM is worth, pay them and charge accordingly for the charter fees. I can't think of a service I need other than for them to park the boat and tell me what they know about the site. Tourists...sheesh.

 

[mccabejc]

Do you folks tip EVERY low income person who performs a good or decent service for you? How about the single mom serving you from behind the counter at McDonalds, who is getting minimum wage and is trying to support two kids? What about the cook in the restaurant who actually cooks your food, not just delivers it, and never gets any thanks from anyone? Do you go into the kitchen before you leave to give him a tip? What about the kid working at Wal Mart stocking shelves, who is trying to pay for school? Do you tip her 50 cents when she helps you find the toilet bowl cleaner in aisle 6?

 

[baitedstorm]

As a working DM tips range any where from nothing to $100 (so far for me). The odd thing is, I find the best divers always tip more and the divers who require so much extra care tip the least. On average here in Florida $5-10 per person is the norm. On the boat I work on the deck hand and myself split everything straight down the middle. The Captain gets his from the actual trip. We do not get paid any other way (sadly, and without us, the Captains job probably wouldn't exist). I have a few perks like, my husband can come out and dive for free anytime so long as there is an open spot for him. Crew dives every now and then to blow off some steam.

As a DM, I'm here to tell you, we work hard. Not just loading and unloading all your things, making sure the energy level stays high on the boat, feeding you, and tending to your every little whimper.... We also have to babysit some of you (you know who you are) . It is my job to work out the dive plans (although I expect you to have your own, mine is a back-up plan if I see your exceeding the safety zone), I keep a close eye out on everyone while still hooking you up with the best the reef has to offer. I usually have any piece of equipment standing by waiting for something of yours to break so I can jump out with the big save a dive kit and fix it. Should your injury yourself, I've taken several expensive classes to make sure you are as safe as we can get you until more help arrives. When you get sea sick, it will be me coming to your rescue to hose you off if you don't make it to the stern. I'll be the one holding a few ice chips for you to suck on to rinse out the puke taste and still keep you hydrated. When you forget to pick up your mask off the boat deck, I'll be the one who snatches it up before anyone steps on it. When your getting on the boat and drop something back into the ocean, it will be me racing to whatever depth to fetch it. When your sitting there staring at your new computer completely clue less, I'll be right there to break it down for you.

I have to pay very costly insurance every yr to protect both you and myself and keep up with the latest dive gear. The great DM's do all this everyday without a single person catching on just how hard we really work. It is our job to keep the "un-fun" stuff away from our customers far behind the scene.
This is my job and I love ever second of it! On my boat, the Captain says nothing about tipping us or even that we work for free. We have a small tip jar for people to throw $$ in. We do it this way so people don't feel awkward handing it to us (I don't think I'll ever get use to that weird feeling of someone handing me money, I like the jar method).

BTW, we don't stand around the dock complaining about our tips or lack of them. I'm happy if I make enough to pay for my gas to drive down.
If your DM/crew is good, tip them! Don't hold the weather, temp,current or viz against them.

 

[CBulla]

Do you folks tip EVERY low income person who performs a good or decent service for you? How about the single mom serving you from behind the counter at McDonalds, who is getting minimum wage and is trying to support two kids? What about the cook in the restaurant who actually cooks your food, not just delivers it, and never gets any thanks from anyone? Do you go into the kitchen before you leave to give him a tip? What about the kid working at Wal Mart stocking shelves, who is trying to pay for school? Do you tip her 50 cents when she helps you find the toilet bowl cleaner in aisle 6?

Nope.. I love BaitedStorm and Kevin and other DM's to death, but I do NOT approve of the practice of working for tips or paying low income and thus take my business to places where that service is either not offered or I pay them directly out of my own pocket for the services that they provide. If a DM is on the boat I ride on, aside from a tip, take them to lunch or dinner... they aren't paid anyway, at least make sure they eat! They are there sharing a passion for a sport we all enjoy.

As such, I rarely shop at Wal-mart unless it's an emergency, I don't eat fast food. I go to local shops for food and other necessities, I hunt when its an option, and I shop through the internet when I can't find what I want available at a price for a product I've already researched and know what a fair price to be.

 

[vladimir]

I do NOT approve of the practice of working for tips or paying low income and thus take my business to places where that service is either not offered

Do you ever go out to a restaurant for dinner?

 

[Diver Dennis]

As a working DM tips range any where from nothing to $100 (so far for me). The odd thing is, I find the best divers always tip more and the divers who require so much extra care tip the least. On average here in Florida $5-10 per person is the norm. On the boat I work on the deck hand and myself split everything straight down the middle. The Captain gets his from the actual trip. We do not get paid any other way (sadly, and without us, the Captains job probably wouldn't exist). I have a few perks like, my husband can come out and dive for free anytime so long as there is an open spot for him. Crew dives every now and then to blow off some steam.

As a DM, I'm here to tell you, we work hard. Not just loading and unloading all your things, making sure the energy level stays high on the boat, feeding you, and tending to your every little whimper.... We also have to babysit some of you (you know who you are) . It is my job to work out the dive plans (although I expect you to have your own, mine is a back-up plan if I see your exceeding the safety zone), I keep a close eye out on everyone while still hooking you up with the best the reef has to offer. I usually have any piece of equipment standing by waiting for something of yours to break so I can jump out with the big save a dive kit and fix it. Should your injury yourself, I've taken several expensive classes to make sure you are as safe as we can get you until more help arrives. When you get sea sick, it will be me coming to your rescue to hose you off if you don't make it to the stern. I'll be the one holding a few ice chips for you to suck on to rinse out the puke taste and still keep you hydrated. When you forget to pick up your mask off the boat deck, I'll be the one who snatches it up before anyone steps on it. When your getting on the boat and drop something back into the ocean, it will be me racing to whatever depth to fetch it. When your sitting there staring at your new computer completely clue less, I'll be right there to break it down for you.

I have to pay very costly insurance every yr to protect both you and myself and keep up with the latest dive gear. The great DM's do all this everyday without a single person catching on just how hard we really work. It is our job to keep the "un-fun" stuff away from our customers far behind the scene.
This is my job and I love ever second of it! On my boat, the Captain says nothing about tipping us or even that we work for free. We have a small tip jar for people to throw $$ in. We do it this way so people don't feel awkward handing it to us (I don't think I'll ever get use to that weird feeling of someone handing me money, I like the jar method).

BTW, we don't stand around the dock complaining about our tips or lack of them. I'm happy if I make enough to pay for my gas to drive down.
If your DM/crew is good, tip them! Don't hold the weather, temp,current or viz against them.

I for one have the utmost resect for what you as a DM have to put up with. I've seen the problem customers who don't listen. I've seen you going up and down with the "resort" cough, cough, divers. I've seen you humping all the gear to and into the boat ( I ALWAYS help by the way). I've seen you listening to people's life stories on the way out to the dive site. I don't think I would have the patience to do what you do. I like to make a habit of announcing that I'm giving you guys a tip at the end of a trip. Hopefully this will shame at least a few of the cheapskates who don't give a s**t how hard you worked because "it is something you want to do", into giving you what you earned... a decent tip.