what is the avg. tip you should leave????

[Texasguy]

Expecting tips probably originates from employers eliminating salary, expecting staff to survive on tips. Hopefully it makes the initial ticket price lower, allows an employer to compete for your business. The tips become a stack-on fee.

Same you can observe in airline industry where ticket prices were as low as they could, allowed different airlines to "appear" to have the lowest price. However, as you know, services we expect for free now have a fee.

Sometimes it is the fault of the customers themselves. As they cannot see the overall value but only the initial value of services as a choice in buying. Thus, when one company tries to lower the price on the initial ticket, others follow suit or fail to attract business.

 

[sskasser]

$5 per tank. Bring cash (correct change) and tip at the end of each boat trip rather than saving it all til the end. DMs change, weather changes, etc, so pay as you go. I typically bring two $5s and a $10. For really crappy service, I hand over the $5. This says "NO, I didn't forget to tip." For standard, good service, the $10. For excellent service (such as subtly unbungeeing me from the boat when I've geared up without removing the boat's bungee from my tank), he or she gets the whole $20.

Anybody can help me for Fort Lauderdale, Florida? I'll have 2 tank excursions for 5 days (not live aboard). What is the rate there?

PS: In Cozumel everybody tipped $5-$20 for 2 tanks. Usually if a diver was only for a few days of diving, he would give a larger tip. More days of diving, the tip would be smaller. That what I learned from watching people tip. I gave $10 (was diving for 7 days). Most people gave $7-$10.

 

[RJP]

$5 per tank.

I'm still unsure why this advice is "locked in time" for some reason. This same amount was quoted as "the rule of thumb" for tipping 20yrs ago when dive charters were $40 for two tanks, gasoline was 85-cents a gallon, and you could buy a slice of pizza and a can of Coke for $1.00.

Everything else in the world costs 200-400% more now, but for some reason $5 is still the right amount to tip?

 

[cbm32]

Tip what you want, or not at all if that is how you roll. No one can, or should, tell you how to spend you money and tipping is just that....spending your money. Anything that is required should be on the bill and agreed to up front.

Oh and GET OFF MY LAWN!!!

 

[Shasta_man]

I'd say expecting a tip in every job came out of the current "all about me - self entitlement - you owe me" generation more than a real change in economics. They still get the same pay but have discovered a new potential revenue stream. Workers on a dive boat or liveaboard typically work very hard and deserve a tip for their extra efforts. BTW, I typically tip pretty well for good service and that's reasonable.

 

[Texasguy]

So far I have been only in Cozumel. Going to Florida in a few weeks. Overall, as a beginner, it is hard to say what constitutes a good service without experience. Right now I just want to dive and not to faux pas giving less than usual.