Tipping protocol

[iztok]

As far as I can tell, what is "usual" in Thailand varies from zero, if the divers are European, to 10% or more from Americans. I am not slamming Europeans; just observing that, as far as I can tell, there is no Thai custom of tipping, and to the extent that it happens it is a function of the tipper's custom. If you can fake a Swedish accent a 2% tip will be a pleasant surprise to the crew.

Hahaha funny. I can't fake a Swedish accent but I can do real Slavic (since I am from Slovenia) accent.

However I am not sure what they will think about the gear (bringing pretty much all needed except tanks and weights) as I am diving long hose system and will be slinging pony bottle. Sorry I am not coming with a dive buddy so I am not sure what to expect, thus bringing my own "dive buddy" I also expect that I will have to explain the basic of long hose system to whoever is diving with me (diving from South Siam 3) and what they supposed to do if they are in OOA situation. (Here is my primary unless you are panicking and then I will give you mi pony bottle and tell you to get the hell away from me (well not really but hey

Back to the tipping. I don't really want to "go away with"... I usually tip well in restaurants and elsewhere. I am more concerned that my typical $5/tank unless service is great (more) or bad (less) is going to paint the wrong picture. If $2/tank is for decent service and I get great service I am more then willing to tip $5/tank but I don't want to reward average service more then it is worth. You get the point?

Tipping above average for average service is not helping divers nor the crew. I don't want to reward average above what it is but I am happy to reward outstanding service (and also show that I was not happy with underwhelming service).

So to be even clearer.

US norm is about $5/tank for average service.

So if service was poor I would tip $3/tank for example.
If service was good I would do $7/tank or if service was great $10/tank.

But if in Thailand tip for average service is $2/tank then giving $5/tank would just promote average service and somehow tell it is ok to be just average.

But if average is $3 and I pay $2/tank then one would think they did bad job ...

Makes sense?

 

[Diver0001]

If you can fake a Dutch accent a 2% tip will be a pleasant surprise to the crew.

LOOOL

Sad but SO true.

R..

 

[soamelt]

If the boat owner is the DM do you tip them?

Is $5/tank for each crew member or total?

I'll do $5 a tank to the crew, which they hopefully will split up and maybe an extra $5 to the in water DM only if I was with him/her. I'm not doing $5 a tank to everyone.

Either way, it gets confusing since each boat is different. Some have DM which is also the boat crew, some have both, some the captain is the crew. So I make my tip policy pretty black and white. Unless there was some exceptional service - $5 a tank total.

 

[sabbath999]

Dude, $5/tank is standard in Florida where the boat is just a taxi to the site and the DM really is a DM. Nearly every boat in Hawaii is taking service to a significantly higher level, and most of us wonder what we did wrong when you only give $5/tank.

In the USA;

Taxi charter - $5/tank
Guided charter - $10/tank
Liveaboard - 10 to 15%

I've been on about 20 dives in Kona and have never, ever seen people tip more than $5. Been out with multiple companies as well. In fact, I asked a friend of mine who works as a DM/Instructor and he advised me that $5 was pretty standard.

I have nothing against tipping more, but really, $10 a tank? That is a bit steep, especially since I don't WANT the dive crew wiping my ass for me. It rather annoys me when they try.

I want to get on the boat, put my gear together, have them take me to the site (at Kona, almost all the dive sites are within a couple miles of the harbor mouth), tell me about the site, let me go do my thing, and take me home. I don't need hand holding nor do I want it.

 

[sabbath999]

I've been on about 20 dives in Kona and have never, ever seen people tip more than $5. Been out with multiple companies as well. In fact, I asked a friend of mine who works as a DM/Instructor and he advised me that $5 was pretty standard.

I have nothing against tipping more, but really, $10 a tank? That is a bit steep, especially since I don't WANT the dive crew wiping my ass for me. It rather annoys me when they try.

I want to get on the boat, put my gear together, have them take me to the site (at Kona, almost all the dive sites are within a couple miles of the harbor mouth), tell me about the site, let me go do my thing, and take me home. I don't need hand holding nor do I want it.

Acutally, the more I think about this, the more nuts it seems.

We have two divers. The average cost at Kona to go out on a boat is about 125 per person per day. So, for a two tank dive with $40 more in tips, I am going to be dropping $290 per day for riding a couple miles in a boat?

Heck, one if not THE best dives in Kona is at the harbor mouth. It is called Crecent Beach... and it is also called Ripoff Reef.

There is easy shore diving entry. The beach entry is as close as the Kona Honu Divers boats are from the parking lot...

Many is the time when a dive boat has simply pulled around the harbor entrance and tied up to a mooring ball. Heck, you can see the masts of the boats next to Honu sticking up over the rocks... you are like 300 feet away from their slots!

Since the reef is so protected from the south swell, there are lots of times when it is one of the few spots that the boats can get in where the vis isn't totally blown... but still, it's 300 feet from the DOCK.

I think one thing that people in Hawai'i in the tourism industry hadn't realized is that during down times, the place is just too expensive to visit for most people. I was there a couple months ago, and the few dive boats in Kona that were even going out had 3 or 4 divers on them, and most shops with multiple boats were only taking one out, if any. We were out with 3 divers three of the five days we were there, and we were with one of the biggest operations on the island (Big Island Divers). Kona Honu were taking one of their cattle boats out with 4 or 5 people on them per day.

The hotel we stayed at, which is normally packed, had 22 percent occupancy. Eateries are closed all over town, and unemployment is over 10 percent. Crime is up and real estate prices are down.

The only thing that isn't down is expectations of fleecing tourists... who are not showing up in droves.

 

[vondo]

I too, start out with a minimum and then go up from there if I think the person did a better job than they needed to. I always tip the DM or put it in a jar. Whatever arrangement the DM has to share with the captain/deckhand is none of my concern.

FL where the diving and DM job is easy: $5/tank to the DM.
DM gets in the water with me and points things out, maybe $15 for two dives
Lake Michigan diving where I genuinely appreciate help because of the bulkier/heavier gear: $15-20 for two dives
Liveaboard: 10% minimum (unless there are real problems)

Like I said, I will tip more than this, but usually not for service that meets minimal expectations.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

I've been on about 20 dives in Kona and have never, ever seen people tip more than $5. Been out with multiple companies as well. In fact, I asked a friend of mine who works as a DM/Instructor and he advised me that $5 was pretty standard.

Acutally, the more I think about this, the more nuts it seems.

We have two divers. The average cost at Kona to go out on a boat is about 125 per person per day. So, for a two tank dive with $40 more in tips, I am going to be dropping $290 per day for riding a couple miles in a boat?

My bad; I thought you meant the Islands not the Island of Hawaii. I also guess I should have said typical Maui and Kauai charters have a significantly higher level of service than the typical taxi charter in Florida.

So you think 8% is the standard tip, or is it the average tip due to Canadians and Euro's? Sounds like you are punishing the crew for working on a guided charter where the owner policy is to set up gear. Thankfully this type of SB'er rarely affords Hawaii charters.

 

[sabbath999]

So you think 8% is the standard tip, or is it the average tip due to Canadians and Euro's? Sounds like you are punishing the crew for working on a guided charter where the owner policy is to set up gear. Thankfully this type of SB'er rarely affords Hawaii charters.

Actually, if I wanted to "punish" the boat crews I would just shore dive and they could not take the boat out at all. Three of the five days, if we were not on the boat, it wouldn't have gone out, at all, since they won't run it for less than 3 paying customers. Had we not been there, the Captains and the DM's would have had a dry day entirely.

I was quoting the "standard, one day rate" not what I actually paid. We did a 5 day deal with them for $85 a day per person, so in actual fact I tipped them 12 percent per day. Going with your $10 per tank, that would have been 24 percent per day.

I personally think 12 percent tipping is a reasonable amount.

Your milage may vary.

 

[Madacub]

What is the usual for livaboard in Thailand? $5/tank?

Keep in mind that on a liveaboard you are tipping for a lot more service than on a day boat. Liveaboards include all the care the crew takes of you for meals, cabin, etc. I think some may suggest a %age of the liveaboard cost - but if you go that route remember that a huge chunk of your costs go just for the fuel and some just for the boat fixed/capital costs - neither of which should attract a tip.

On the only liveaboard I've been on (Mermaid in Bali-Komodo) they have a nice system where they give you an empty tipping envelope on your last night. The total tips are divided equally amongst the whole crew - divemasters to dinghy boys. Are you on the Mermaid in Thailand (depending on the season, they do the Bali-Komodo run or the Thailand run)? I would highly recommend them. Anyway, my tip worked out to 7.5% of the amount I paid for the cruise.

Also keep in mind that the owner prices the cruise & pays the staff with half an eye on his clientele and their tipping habits. Americans do tip more than others. I'm no expert, but I get the feeling that the American quotient is lower in Thailand than in many other places. On my trip, no Americans out of 12 divers. Mostly Europeans + some Canadians & Aussies. In my day boat diving in Bali, again fewer Americans compared to what I notice in the Caribbean.

Sorry for the long dissertation!

 

[ems_is_4_me]

If you can fake a Dutch accent.

Please explain not trying to be stupied?