Tipping the boat crew - conventions around the world?

[Storker]

After reading Herb-alaska's Open letter to boat dive masters I started wondering about different tipping practices around the world. Coming from a basically non-tipping (except some minor tipping in restaurants) culture in Scandinavia, I still have problems adapting to the extensive tipping expected from a customer in e.g. the US, particularly WRT the "correct" size of a tip in a given situation

I'd appreciate if people could chime in with their opinions/experiences regarding tipping DMs, guides and boat captains in their part of the world, so I don't make a fool of myself if I'm diving abroad. I'm particularly interested in practice in the US and Europe, but tipping practices in other parts of the world would also be interesting.

I'll start:
Nationality: Norwegian
Dive site country: Norway
Tipping: I don't tip the DM or the boat captain.

PS: If this post is in the wrong subforum, I apologize in advance

 

[Ste Wart]

My 2c for countries I've worked in.

Australia (Western, small rural dive shop though): Tips.... None! But Aussies don't tip waiters either!
Egypt: Got tipped for Liveaboard, odd tip for course (£20, $30). None for daily diving
Malaysia: Odd tip for course roughly £20 (22 euros) None for guided diving
Malta: Random tips for Guiding and Courses, but mostly customers liked to pay in beer (Which is fine by me )
Honduras: (Roatan) Mainly American tourists, average wage was tripled by tips (but I only worked there over Xmas period, when it was really busy). Tips ranged from $5 per dive - $15

 

[esears]

Italy: No tipping that I do or have seen. Part of the culture and a sure way to stick out as an American.
Croatia: Tipping encouraged, but I've seen very few people do it. My usual was about 5 Euro or so (25% of the boat dive cost).

 

[Rich Keller]

I asked a similar question before going diving in the Keys and got answers ranging from $5 per tank to $20 per two tank trip. Some said they gave the tip to the crew directly and others put the money in a tip jar on the boat. During the week I was diving there I did not see anyone tip anything. Myself I usually tip at least 20% in general for good service, so for an $80 or $85 two tank trip I was putting $20 in the otherwise empty tip jar. The only exception was one very poorly run op where I did not tip anything.

 

[dmoore19]

Mexico, I tip from +/-$10/tank, usually at the end of the week.
Roatan, Resort....about the same as Mexico
Grand Cayman..About the same as above.

Though I did tip more on the trip when I made my first dives out of OW, the crew worked really hard to help me of and back on the boat, helped me with sorting out my weights etc.

I did notice when in the airport in Miami, there was a gratuity of 15% added to the ticket when eating/drinking. Since they decided that 15% was the right amount, I didn't leave anything more.

 

[shoredivr]

Here in coldwater Ontario, I buy the captain a coffee. No DMs here.

When I started boat diving here I would give $5 to $10, but over the years I don't see anyone tipping.

 

[Hickdive]

In the UK there's not usually a DM to tip (you wouldn't tip them if they were there) and you don't generally tip the skipper.

If you're on a liveaboard and there's a deckhand helping you kit up, fill cylinders plus the usual deckhand duties then you might tip them but not on a single day charter.

 

[Searcaigh]

Here in UAE I only dive with two operators and a tip of $10 for the boat guy is what I generally put in the box or hand over personally. As I sometimes stay overnight at one of the dive centers I usually end up buying dinner for three of us (DM, boat guy and me) at a local Lebanese restaurant, which generally comes to around $25-30. DM does not always dive, if she does and is with me spotting I tip her also sometimes cash but have also bought her some dive gear over the past two years.

The DM earns around $546 / month and the boat guy a lot less

On my recent Philippines trips I tip the guide around $100 for a week's spotting plus drinks at the resort bar and bung $50 into the boat crew tip box

 

[Mike]

I asked a similar question before going diving in the Keys and got answers ranging from $5 per tank to $20 per two tank trip. Some said they gave the tip to the crew directly and others put the money in a tip jar on the boat. During the week I was diving there I did not see anyone tip anything. Myself I usually tip at least 20% in general for good service, so for an $80 or $85 two tank trip I was putting $20 in the otherwise empty tip jar. The only exception was one very poorly run op where I did not tip anything.

LOL, I told you in that thread that I tipped $5 a tank on my Florida Keys dives and never saw a single other diver give a tip out of probably 200 dives while I was there. Sounds like you had the identical experience.
Conclusion - everybody on scubaboard tips, but obviously nobody on scubaboard actually ends up on any dive boats you will ever be on.

In the US, Mexico, Caribbean I tip $5.00 a tank and don't worry about it.

I know everybody on scubaboard tips $10, $20, or $50 a tank, but until I actually witness a dive boat where more than 10% of the divers on board actually are giving any tip at all, my $5.00 a tank seems to be warmly received.

I'm pretty sure if 100% of the divers on a boat tipped $2.00 a tank the crew would be jumping for joy.

 

[elan]

Ontario. We usually tip the captain - no DMs - 10% of the boat cost. But we never openly display it. Either pay more for the boat or just approach the cap and tip him hands closed

This is probably why you do not see it happening . Some people tip but do not show it.

And no matter where in world you dive no one has ever refused to accept the tips - even in Europe where service fee is usually included