What do u do for tipping

[Kenr]

On my last trip i didn't know how to tip. The dive shop that i dove with for a week had a box for tips with a sign that said something like - everyone that works here is part of your dive experience so please leave your tips in the box and they will be divided equally.

There were two divemasters that really gave us good service. I decided to leave have of the tip in the box and give them the other half. I guess that works they were happy with it. Also how much do you leave 10 15 or 20%.

 

[Centrals]

In Anilao nearly all dm and the boatmen are freelance.
Probably same as PG.
They are working for commission so any extra bit helps. They love big group with good reason!!
I ususlly ask before dishing out tips. For a 10 dives trip, I probably spend about P1,500.00 on tips.

 

[travelpro]

Php 200-500 per day depending on how many dives and how good the DM was. I throw in a few hundred Php to the boat crew if they take care of me and my equip.

If I dive with the same DM a lot which I try to find a good one then stick with them, I invite them to dinner.

 

[RockyHeap]

guess it all depends on how cheap you want to be, and how special someone makes your dive experience.


A waiter/waitress at a resteraunt simply brings you your meal from the kitchen. He/She didn't cook it. BUT they give you table side service, maybe pour your water, talk with you and ask you your meal preferences, and generally can make or break your meal.

So, do you tip at McDonalds? what about a standard common meal, or one while your out on the town eating good at a top notch place?


The tipping answer, is that there is no answer. But it all comes down to the thickness of wallet you carry, and how much you enjoyed your experience.

But remember these people are bending over backwards and busting their butt to make your day. And myself having worked in the dive industry regardless of what country, you're not getting rich or barely making ends..........


good karma goes far, and comes back to you in many ways beyond $$$

 

[lsorenson]

Very touchy subject for many of us... on day trips I give 8-10 a tank if it was an enjoyable trip but if attitudes are brought out, nothing to not much is given and a note to maybe find another boat...

Much like restaurants, cabs, barbers, hotels, shoe shine guys/gals, and everything else we seam to be tipping for; I am a big believer in raising the price of the meal, ride, haircut, shine, or what ever to avoid all of this nonsense...! I am a good tipper as I find the manager when the service is exceptional but on the flip side, I have demanded to pay full price when I had a 2 for 1 dinner coupon and the service was so bad I was not going to leave a tip come hell or high water and I did not care that the coupon stated 20% grutity automatically added...! Funny thing, when they asked who my waitress was and I pointed her out all the could say was "Oh" like they already knew...

I just wish tipping would go by the way side... Its not but I sometimes wonder; if I am the only one on the boat from the US and everyone else is from Europe should I still tip???

Tipping is all about your own personal attitude... either you tip and tip well or you don't or tip poorly... Last boat I was on, one of the guys I knew was offering 5.00 total for a two day 5 tank dive... I gave 45... Some will say I was wrong for not giving 50.00 while others will say 25.00 would have been enough...!!!

Personally, I am just tired of working the numbers... if dinner was 46.84 for the two of us, I just add 10 or maybe 15 depending on the service... Hell, I gave a 10.00 tip for a really bad haircut... lol, it was really bad but I thought I did really well... The girl was messing up, almost in tears and I was just biting my tongue, telling her "every thing is fine" hoping to make it out of the chair with enough hair so I could find someone else to straighten it out... true story!!! Lucky I am alot older and still have an appreciation for having hair but back in the day... It would have been ugly!

As to your original question, If I was in the Philippines or another country, I would break it down to 10% of the cost of the trip and split it among them, more if it was earned... But that is just me and while some will agree, others will disagree...

 

[mlsantos]

hey lsorenson, 10% of the trip price is good... generally on liveaboards all the tips are collected and divided equally... if your going on the philippine siren personal tips are a no no...

At resorts though... the tips for the divestaff is ussually separate from the resort staff... if there is a tip box in the restaurant or at the front desk this one is for resort staff and is divided equally among them... tips to the dive staff are separate, and given that most likely youll have one guide your whole stay give him the tip if he warranted it...

generally though philippine service is a cut above most of the rest of the world and you probably wont have to do anything but dive.

A good fraction of dive staffs pay comes from tips so theyll usually take real good care of you.

HAppy adventures in the philippines.

 

[Kenr]

Mlsantos, Let me clarify. The tip box made it clear to tip into the box and not to staff. The dive shop was separate to the hotel. Maybe by dividing the tip equally between the box and the two dm i shorted the rest of the staff.

 

[StirlingDiver]

Generally speaking I tip about 10%. For me, though, the main problem has been who to give the tip to, and, if you tip directly, how to divide it up.

I had a bad experience once where I gave a tip for the DMs to the receptionist, who I knew quite well and trusted. The dive shop owner was there at the time and I'm pretty sure they didn't get the money. Readers might think that was a naiive thing to do, but circumstances made that the only way to get the tip to them. On my next trip, I asked a DM what the best way to tip was and he said always tip directly in the Philippines because the person you give it to might keep the money. Fair enough, I should have known that I guess.

After that, I was careful to tip directly and tipped according to the amount of service I got from those workers. So, I gave more to the DMs than the boat crew, the receptionist, the guy that fills the tanks and so on. Everyone seemed happy with that, but then I made the mistake of tipping a DM in sight of another member of the dive shop staff. When she saw that I was tipping the DM a lot more than I tipped her, she was obviously upset. That particular shop has a big tip bottle and after that I put the tip in that. I do trust them to share it out fairly and I'd rather do it that way. In other places, if I'm not sure that they'll get the money, I tip directly.

I'd like to make it clear that I'm not suggesting people on the Philippines can't be trusted. In the UK, where I live, the service charge you pay does not necessarily go to the staff; the management deducts money for losses such as stolen cutlery before passing it on to staff (if at all). It seems to me that making sure the people who deserve the money actually get it.

 

[mlsantos]

kenr... ive worked on liveaboards most my life and there was one tip envelope and everyone divided it. when i managed a resort last summer i suggested doing that as well but was met with resistance. what you did was what happens most of the time and resort staff understand that the DMs get larger tips then everyone else...

the truth of the matter is you will be in contact with your dm for most of your stay i even encourage my dive staff to have beers and drinks with guests in the evening to talk more about local diving and such.

Your DM can and will make or break your dive trip. offcourse a perfect op both resort staff and dive staff sould be in tip top form... but if the staff is not up to standard but the dive pros are amazing; you'll still have a great trip. If it were the opposite i dont think youd ever go back to that dive op again.

about the experience where the office staff made a face coz of the bigger tip it happens alot and for me it is to challenge those people to want to be more than just office staff. DMs are awake long before the other staff preparing your gear, tanks and the boats for the day to make sure you have the best dives you can... Oh they're also responsible for your safety in the water so its just a little bit more on their part towards a good memory of your dive vacation...

 

[Centrals]

I believe the boatman, compressor man, secretary, tank boy are all aware that the dm receive the most tips.
Most of the time, the content in the tip box is NOT being shared by everyone who serves you.
I just make sure that everyone receives some from me/us.