These are really fantastic suggestions! I like the batteries one and medical supplies one especially. Things we take for granted are often a very big deal in poorer places. Great ideas!
Tips $$$$
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These are really fantastic suggestions! I like the batteries one and medical supplies one especially. Things we take for granted are often a very big deal in poorer places. Great ideas!
One other idea that I did to raise money for a Villiage in Fiji, was at my workplace I held a Chili Cheese Dog Buffet at lunch, co-workers just please make a donation, put some pictures of the Fiji kids and the villiage next to the crock pots so people can see where their money is going.
I'd go to Costco or a resteraunt supply store and buy (2) gallon cans of Stagg Chili, big hoggie roll buns, big high quality hot dog sausages, and 5 pounds of pre-grated colby/jack cheese, and 2 pounds of pre-chopped onions. All I had to do was have a couple of crock pots to warm the chili and heat the hot dogs. The co-workers people served themselves. I'd have maybe $65-70 a day invested into materials, and would make $250-300 each day as people would easily put into the jar $5-10-20 each for all you could eat chilli-dogs.
So after 2 days of doing this, $100 out of my pocket, I think I took almost $700 down to a Fiji Villiage on Beqa Island. I showed up with $700 the same weekend they were dedicating a new school house the main 2 clans of the villiage had worked all year to pay for...........I think they had scraped up and raised $2500, I handed over to the chief hundreds of dollars, 20+ pairs of reading glasses, a couple of digital voltmeters as the villiage ran on generator (cheap harborfreight voltmeters that only cost $3-4 each)
oh my god did the reading glasses get snatched up, and villiage elders jaws dropped with $700 dollars donated............
Hence I now have the honorary title of "King Davita" (Day-vee-ta) or King David in that Villiage. I cried, they Cried, the children laughed and danced (some 5-6 year olds had NEVER seen a balloon before) and oh my gawd did they pour Kava down my throat that day..........very special times, as I said, good Karma pays forward.
Even for Boat crews, I take a dozen pairs of cheap sunglasses, or old baseball caps, and give them away at the end of a trip.
These little items I mention, like Balloons for the kids, and tubes of Neosporin and Bandaids, take up little or no room nor weight in your luggage.
Sooooooo, not to tangent the thread, but If I'm able to help one person, help another hard working soul in a remote area of the world, then King Davita will continue to be blessed spreading "good karma pays forward" throughout the world.
I'd go to Costco or a resteraunt supply store and buy (2) gallon cans of Stagg Chili, big hoggie roll buns, big high quality hot dog sausages, and 5 pounds of pre-grated colby/jack cheese, and 2 pounds of pre-chopped onions. All I had to do was have a couple of crock pots to warm the chili and heat the hot dogs. The co-workers people served themselves. I'd have maybe $65-70 a day invested into materials, and would make $250-300 each day as people would easily put into the jar $5-10-20 each for all you could eat chilli-dogs.
So after 2 days of doing this, $100 out of my pocket, I think I took almost $700 down to a Fiji Villiage on Beqa Island. I showed up with $700 the same weekend they were dedicating a new school house the main 2 clans of the villiage had worked all year to pay for...........I think they had scraped up and raised $2500, I handed over to the chief hundreds of dollars, 20+ pairs of reading glasses, a couple of digital voltmeters as the villiage ran on generator (cheap harborfreight voltmeters that only cost $3-4 each)
oh my god did the reading glasses get snatched up, and villiage elders jaws dropped with $700 dollars donated............
Hence I now have the honorary title of "King Davita" (Day-vee-ta) or King David in that Villiage. I cried, they Cried, the children laughed and danced (some 5-6 year olds had NEVER seen a balloon before) and oh my gawd did they pour Kava down my throat that day..........very special times, as I said, good Karma pays forward.
Even for Boat crews, I take a dozen pairs of cheap sunglasses, or old baseball caps, and give them away at the end of a trip.
These little items I mention, like Balloons for the kids, and tubes of Neosporin and Bandaids, take up little or no room nor weight in your luggage.
Sooooooo, not to tangent the thread, but If I'm able to help one person, help another hard working soul in a remote area of the world, then King Davita will continue to be blessed spreading "good karma pays forward" throughout the world.
This is the most awesome idea. If you don't mind I would like to suggest printing this to our favorite scuba magazines. Can you just imagine if divers across the world, and divers do travel like crazy, began to do this as a matter of course? Virtually all the best destinations are in either third world or developing nations. What an ambassadorship this could be! Thank you so much. BTW-formerly from Seattle myself.
rmh84
Contributor
It depends where you are I think. For the US/Canada/Etc. a 20% tip seems expected - and if the operation is someone I might want to dive with again I don't want to be known as "that cheap lady that doesn't tip".
When we were in Bonaire we had boat dives included in our package at the resort. We were told right off that tips were "apprediated but not expected" so maybe 4 out of the 20 or so DM's/Captains we had were tipped, and those 4 were exceptional - the instructor who certified my sister, one new kid that spent several hours with my dad sorting out his new wing, the DM that took us on our night dive, and the one DM who offered to help me with my gear, as I was diving with a splint on my left hand. I didn't need the help, but the offer was truly appreciated. the 4 of them split about $100, and we were there for a week.
In poor countries I know that extra $10 can make their year, so local guides definitely get something. A good friend of mine was in Cuba for a non-diving vacation several years ago, she went to a horseback riding operation and she'd brought along some gently used but unneeded horse equipment along with her to give to the operation. They were so extatic the owner invited them to supper with his family and took them on free rides for the rest of the week (they paid him anyway). It always feels good to help someone out this way when you can, and if handing over an extra $20 means as much to them as if you gave me a $1000 tip - I'm going to do it!
When we were in Bonaire we had boat dives included in our package at the resort. We were told right off that tips were "apprediated but not expected" so maybe 4 out of the 20 or so DM's/Captains we had were tipped, and those 4 were exceptional - the instructor who certified my sister, one new kid that spent several hours with my dad sorting out his new wing, the DM that took us on our night dive, and the one DM who offered to help me with my gear, as I was diving with a splint on my left hand. I didn't need the help, but the offer was truly appreciated. the 4 of them split about $100, and we were there for a week.
In poor countries I know that extra $10 can make their year, so local guides definitely get something. A good friend of mine was in Cuba for a non-diving vacation several years ago, she went to a horseback riding operation and she'd brought along some gently used but unneeded horse equipment along with her to give to the operation. They were so extatic the owner invited them to supper with his family and took them on free rides for the rest of the week (they paid him anyway). It always feels good to help someone out this way when you can, and if handing over an extra $20 means as much to them as if you gave me a $1000 tip - I'm going to do it!
CheddarChick
Contributor
Of course you should tip...what would be the difference between a boat and shore diving? In fact, the DM will probably be the only one with you on your course & dive trip.....Carrying your stuff, getting you water, making you understand what you are getting involved in...and fall in love with....
RonFrank
Contributor
I always tip in the US. The industry has set it up this way so if you don't tip some guy who makes very little will earn even less.
For shore diving I do not tip unless there are special circumstances. In foreign countries tipping is generally expected. SB is a great resource for this.
For dive classes you are paying an instructor, so tipping on top of that is not necessary. Same for guides, they are banking $50+ so a tip is not generally expected. If they do a great job rarely do they refuse cash!
My buddy went to Roatan on a live aboard and the boat charged him 20% as a tip. They did not tell him so he was tipping daily as is his custom. This caused some rather hard feelings as the crew was getting 40% and my buddy got screwed. I guess ASK is the lesson learned but the crew should have said something. Maybe tip at the end of the trip needs to be a policy on a live aboard.
I think next time I go to Coz my tip will include dive gear! Maybe there are other things they need on the island, I guess I will find out.
I would love it if the industry just paid the help a living wage, but that system is not in play. So if your from Europe or Japan recognize we DO TIP the boat help and being from a non tipping country is no excuse. We also tip food servers.
For shore diving I do not tip unless there are special circumstances. In foreign countries tipping is generally expected. SB is a great resource for this.
For dive classes you are paying an instructor, so tipping on top of that is not necessary. Same for guides, they are banking $50+ so a tip is not generally expected. If they do a great job rarely do they refuse cash!
My buddy went to Roatan on a live aboard and the boat charged him 20% as a tip. They did not tell him so he was tipping daily as is his custom. This caused some rather hard feelings as the crew was getting 40% and my buddy got screwed. I guess ASK is the lesson learned but the crew should have said something. Maybe tip at the end of the trip needs to be a policy on a live aboard.
I think next time I go to Coz my tip will include dive gear! Maybe there are other things they need on the island, I guess I will find out.
I would love it if the industry just paid the help a living wage, but that system is not in play. So if your from Europe or Japan recognize we DO TIP the boat help and being from a non tipping country is no excuse. We also tip food servers.
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