Tipping the Divemaster

[tham55]

On my last trip to Coz at the first of this month I saw a lot of divers leaving the boat without tipping the divemaster. I ask the divemaster about this thinking they may be tipping at the end of there trip, I was told that some diver that were staying at the AI resorts may have thought that this was inclued in the package, as some AI add there tips to there price. Folks, you should tip your Divemaster, these people are there for your safety, many of a time I've seen them rescue diver and alot of time it was due to the diver not listening to the divemaster. The money you give is shared with all the people working on the boat and if the captain knows you tip he will make sure your on the boat when it leaves and the divemaster may find that critter you always wanted to see. Remember to alway tip your divemaster no matter were your diving.

Thanks
tham

 

[DandyDon]

Thanks Tham - this is not suggested often enough here.

I like to do my tipping at the end of every trip, even if I think that I'll have the same crew again - and I like to hand it to the DM in a way that everyone will see the $10 bill being handed to him. It's too easy for he cheapies to pretend to forget.

I have been known to pass the hat on a boat if I'm with a group I know.

 

[Birdman77]

Very true. What do you guys feel is a good amount to tip. Me and my brother usually tip $10 per person per day. Is this either under or over tipping?

 

[Mossman]

Folks, you should tip your Divemaster, these people are there for your safety, many of a time I've seen them rescue diver and alot of time it was due to the diver not listening to the divemaster. The money you give is shared with all the people working on the boat and if the captain knows you tip he will make sure your on the boat when it leaves and the divemaster may find that critter you always wanted to see. Remember to alway tip your divemaster no matter were your diving.

Jeez, another hand-held diver accident waiting to happen.

Yes, you should tip divemasters that perform good service in areas where it is the custom to tip divemasters, though it is really a failure of the dive operation that doesn't adequately pay its staff.

But the reason to tip is because they might schlep your gear on and off the boat, set up gear, change tanks, point out cleverly hidden creatures, and get you a cup of water or coffee when you ask. They should not be there for your safety, other than to deliver an accurate pre-dive briefing. If you cannot dive safely without a dive master, you should either not be on the dive or you should restrict yourself to the dives called "Discover SCUBA".

 

[DandyDon]

I start at $5 USD per tank - more maybe...

 

[RS]

Excellent 'tip'.

 

[scubamickey]

I think that a rule of always tipping the divemaster(s) is wrong. Personally, I don't go on boat trips that are "guided". So all the DM does is give a dive brief that I've already read about in dozens of books and posts here on scubaboard. That day's current and conditions are all that is new. They aren't allowed to setup my gear. It actually annoys me that they feel the need to touch my valve before I go in. I always end up double checking that they didn't accidentally turn off my air. Do I tip them, no.

On liveaboards I do because the DM does a lot more than give dive briefings. On that last trip I was on, the DM also filled the tanks and buddied up with anyone whose partner didn't want to dive. She also took watch a the helm, helped clean the cabins, and was just there as a pleasant person to chill out with. We tipped generously for the entire crew.

I tipped in Key Largo when we dove with Conch Republic because they provided great service and help before I even arrived. Plus on several days they ensured that we had the best seats on the boat as multi-day customers.

In my opinion it depends on how much you think they did for you and how well they did it. Here in Alaska, DMs don't get tips and I've never heard anyone complain about it. I know several of them (married to one) and it never comes up.

 

[Diver Kat]

I guess it can vary a bit by location. In Coz we tip every dive day, and since we've often had the same crew all week, we tip extra on the last day. I believe all the Ops we've used in Florida had tip jars on the boat, and we always tipped. In Bonaire it's been a bit different since we dive with the B&B we're staying at. There we tip at the end of the trip for all the dives when we settle our account. In all these places the service was very good to excellent, and more than just getting the dive brief. I find it sad that I often see divers leave a boat in Coz without tipping ... since most of the DM's & captains work very hard to make sure we all have an enjoyable day, and just like waiters & waitresses, they depend on tips as part of their livelihood.

 

[jlyle]

Don't stop at the DM! Tip the captain/boat crew, too! A little goodwill goes a long way.

You can tip everyday or wait until the last day, but these guys work hard to show you a good time. Wages in Mexico are low and the cost of living on the island is relatively high.

Tipping is a personal thing, but $5/tank for the DM is about right - $5-10 for the boat per day isn't out of the question.

 

[scubamickey]

I forgot to mention. When I tip it's usually between 10-15% of the total. I give the tip to the captain (or the dive shop) at the end of the week and they have taken care of passing it around to the crew. My only experience has been with multi-trip, multi-day diving so this is easier to do for me then worry about carrying around $10 bills.

I found that asking the dive shop what they prefer and what others normally do, makes things easier too.