Tipping Divemasters

[Lorenzoid]

I suppose you're right that many dive ops consider their divemasters to be independent contractors. That makes sense. But talk about muddying the waters. So theoretically, to get a better idea of what is the purpose of my tip, I might want to know whether my DM is a "tipped hourly employee" like a restaurant server, a contractor, or a non-paid volunteer. Theoretically. For the record, I do tip DMs!

. . .
That is a bit of a bizarre thought process that not even a waiter would even agree with you on. It's good you would inform the manager about poor/rude/lack of service, but you must have a fear of embarrassment if you feel you're social obligated to reward behavior that you find to be poor enough that you are going to complain about to the manager. Tipping is customary, not mandatory, that's the big difference, and the traditions of the sliding scale for tipping based on level of service is very well established in the restaurant industry.

I still disagree, and as far as waiters disagreeing with my analysis of tipping, I really don't think waiters give "tipping theory" any thought. It's more the kind of abstract thing an economics professor would ponder. As I (not a professor but just an interested amateur theorist) see it, tipping restaurant servers HAS become (essentially) "mandatory" in the US. It's original purpose--to reward good service-- has been lost over the decades and in view of IRS rules regarding paying tipped employees a lesser hourly wage and having the employer make up any shortfall. Nowadays, the practice of tipping is implicitly used to shift the burden from the employer to the customer to pay a portion of the server's compensation.

You mentioned in the previous posts that some really good bartenders (and servers) can earn big bucks from tips. As I see it, that's because they are really good at what they do. We customers are paying for the value of their services, regardless of whether we do it in the form of tips. If we didn't tip them well, then presumably the bar would have to pay them what they are worth or they would quit and find another employer who would. That may not work in practice because, with the exception of a few celebrity bartenders, they don't have that kind of bargaining power. But in theory, yes, we customers are paying a portion of the value of their services in the form of tips, and it is pretty much expected that we will do so.

Is there really a "sliding scale" anymore? The accepted range today is a narrow 15-20%. I wish it were so, but nowadays if a customer leaves less than 15% that does nothing but draw the ire of the server and potentially leave the next customer having to deal with a cranky server. The server often has no idea what he or she did wrong and doesn't learn from the experience, as some customers may believe. The best way to improve a server's poor service is to have the manager deal with the problem. Sure, a customer can leave MORE than 20% to reward exceptional service, but that doesn't make it a real "sliding scale." You still leave a base amount of 15-20%, and that is effectively an expected portion of the server's compensation, contributed directly from the customer.

 

[TMHeimer]

Yeah, that's all pretty sad. As is DMs working only for tips.

 

[sheeper]

most DMs here are "unpaid volunteers" and so work for tips. hmmmm....i did that just today.

 

[TMHeimer]

I know of one shop where a DM can make more in tips than I do for a weekend of checkout dives. The instructor really talks about tipping his non-paid DMs. That would have to be the case for me to do it.

 

[mmmbelows]

You mentioned in the previous posts that some really good bartenders (and servers) can earn big bucks from tips. As I see it, that's because they are really good at what they do. We customers are paying for the value of their services, regardless of whether we do it in the form of tips. If we didn't tip them well, then presumably the bar would have to pay them what they are worth or they would quit and find another employer who would.

When it comes to bar tending and making big tip money it really has a lot more to do with the busyness of the bar and less to do with bar tending skills. The bartender has to be competent to make drinks, but they aren't necessarily making great big tip money because they make the best strawberry monkey west of the Mississippi, it's because the place is very busy and they can keep up and pump out drinks non stop for 5 hours straight. A bartender going to work at Bill's Million dollar bar where drinks are works of art probably would make a lot less than a bartender working at Disco Dolly's where the drinks are mediocre, average at best but there are 4 deep at the bar all night, they have 4 bartenders and 4 bar backs just to keep up. The bar tender at Bill's Million dollar bar might know how to make 300 different drinks to perfection, the bartender at Disco Dollys might know how to make 40, and they are average.

 

[Kanadian_Kash]

I think tipping probably started as a good idea but like many good ideas it has been taken too far. What was once a way of saying thanks for exceptional service is now expected.
I struggle to understand how the price of my meal in a restaurant can cover the cost of the ingredients, the building rent/mortgage, heating/cooling, lights, restaurant equipment, the chef's time and more often than not franchise fees, but I am expected to pay someone to bring it to the table. I suspect waiters/waitresses were once paid a decent wage but restaurant owners gradually began to claw that back.
I'm with the Aussies and Europeans. If the owner of a boat wants some divemasters along, pay them to be there. Does anyone think we're going to stop booking dives because of the increase in price required to pay divemasters? If you choose to be a divemaster for free, that is your choice. If you can't convince your boss that you're worth a salary, perhaps you need to look at why your boss feels that way. From what I've read here most divemasters really are worth a decent wage.
If the price of my dives can cover the boat, the captain, the tanks and lead, the fuel, the office and personnel, the insurance, and licensing, couldn't it also cover the cost of the divemaster?

 

[TMHeimer]

Just to play Devil's Advocate--If there are only 4 customers on the boat (who would be paying 1/4 each of DM's pay) and the DM is to make a decent wage (at least minimum wage), what would that be, and how much of increase over the average, say, $100US charge for the trip--would you be willing to pay?

 

[mi000ke]

And just to add another wrinkle, do you tip when the divemaster is also the captain and the owner? I have dived with several small operators where the DM, skipper and owner are the same or a married couple, both who work the boat and/or guide the dive. I usually tip but am not sure about it, as the small operators already seem to charge a premium for limiting group size.

 

[sheeper]

if the DM is also an owner or the partner (married or not) of the owner I generally still tip but less. Owners that I've been out with have turned down tips. Those are the ops I return to.

Let me describe my day as a DM. I'm an unpaid volunteer who works only for tips. I need to arrive to the boat 2 hours before you do. I help the captain get the boat ready. I may have to stop at the shop to bring tanks, rental gear, snacks, etc. I load all the stuff you need and check our safety equipment while the captain does the engine and electronics checks. When you show up I greet you with a smile, and carry all your gear from your car to the boat. We don't like our customers to carry anything except for light, personal stuff. I have to do that 18 times or so if we have a full boat.
Once we have you loaded we get you settled in and get underway. After the captain introduces the crew, I release the lines and help get us moving. Then I give the boat briefings on USCG regs and safety followed by amenities and how to get on and off the boat. I then bring you drink, snacks, help with gear, setup and answer any questions. Once our dive site is known, I give a dive site briefing. Some of you need extra help so we get that settled out.
We get to our site and I drop in first with the dive flag. Sometimes I have to bounce dive a site to check conditions.
I stay to the max of my NDL and surface with the last few divers. The other DM helps you all back on the boat taking cameras, spearguns, fins, markers from you as you climb up. the captain does a roll call and we take our surface interval. Again, we cater to your needs and get ready for dive #2. The other DM and I swap and I play deckhand. I help you all get in the water and repeat the steps of getting you out at the end.
After our dives, we head home keeping you all happy. We secure the boat and then unload all your gear and bring it back to your cars. As you leave, you slip us a few dollars as a "thank you" for our exceptional service. When you leave we clean up, secure everything, load rental gear into whatever vehicle goes back to the shop. We count the tip money and split it evenly. We have to take care of our own gear and then fill tanks back at the shop and get rental gear ready for tomorrow.

is all this worth $10 or $20 to you? I'd like to think so. If something happens, we have very advanced training that hopefully you will never see in use. How much is that worth to you? We had to pay for it. Our gear takes a huge beating and we need to stick with quality gear. Yes, we tend to get a nice discount but we still pay for gear that most divers don't need. We keep spare parts in our own bags because we know a customer will need an o-ring, mouthpiece, snorkel, mask, a hose or a reg sooner or later. We paid for that too.

This all makes for a long hard day. But it is HUGE fun and we get to share our passion and experience with all of you!

 

[Kanadian_Kash]

Let me describe my day as a DM. I'm an unpaid volunteer ...

But who is forcing you to be an unpaid volunteer?

is all this worth $10 or $20 to you? I'd like to think so.

It definitely is. It sounds like you're working your butt off. So why isn't your employer willing to pay you to do it as you're making his or her business look great? You're paying for your own training and gear, yet get no compensation for that from your employer?
The problem with this issue (in my opinion) is that most people in tipping cultures (a generalization I know) can't comprehend a different system working. They assume that if a person is not tipped they will be lazy and unproductive (a fallacy).
Sheeper, imagine for a minute that your boss was paying you a wage you could live on... would you provide less service to the customers because you know you're getting paid no matter what? I suspect not.

Just to play Devil's Advocate--If there are only 4 customers on the boat (who would be paying 1/4 each of DM's pay) and the DM is to make a decent wage (at least minimum wage), what would that be, and how much of increase over the average, say, $100US charge for the trip--would you be willing to pay?

I would be willing to pay that. But I think the suggestion here is that the operator just take the tip expectation, add it to the cost of the excursion, and pay the divemaster themselves. If the divemaster/operator does not live up to expectations the divers will not return, possibly leaving negative reviews through today's social media. As a result, the operator trains the divemasters to be better or replaces them or the operator goes out of business. This way the operator has an incentive to make sure the experience is a positive one, not just the divemasters.