How to figure out how much to tip.

[Kenderson]

I've done a couple of the discover dives and knew to tip, but really didn't know how much. The first time I handed the money to the person that took us down, that was in the Bahamas. When I went on one in the states they just had a pot to put tips in.

I did my open water course in a quarry and all of my certified dives have been in quarries so no need for a DM. I'm hoping to be in Cozumel in a month and have zero idea of how much to tip.

What are the basic suggestions for tipping? I know it will change with where one is at. Does it matter if I've hired a DM, do I tip them on top of paying for them?

Any suggestions on what to tip in Cozumel? Be staying at Allegro and be diving with the Pro Dive shop that's on site. The deal we got was only one dive a day.

 

[Manatee Diver]

$5-10 a tank depending on how much they help you. Not much $5. Help pull my crippled butt out of the water $10 or more per tank.

In COZ I convert that to pesos, and tip in pesos. If you hire a private DM you still have to tip, at many locations the DM gets very little of the private DM fee.

 

[arew+4]

$5 a tank, or 10% which ever is greater, assuming there was service provided in addition to the ride to the site and back.

 

[Esprise Me]

Agreed with $5-10 per tank as standard. But personally I've been giving a lot more these days. They've probably lost a lot of business due to COVID, and they were never making much to begin with. If you're lucky enough to still have money for diving, you might consider being a little extra generous.

 

[TMHeimer]

I give the boat DM $20 U.S. for a two dive day. Usually at the dock before the boat leaves (so no money in my dry bag).
You'll get a ton of replies, so it may be best to search for the many threads on this and read them all before they all get re-written here.
I have never tipped an instructor in Canada or U.S. for a course and haven't seen it done, as it is seemingly not protocol. The only course tip I ever received as an assistant was one beer.

 

[Rooster59]

If the DM is keeping some of the other divers out of trouble on a group dive, that's a plus for me even though the DM may not be helping me personally. If my LP hose snaps off will I get help? Yes? Well then the DM gets credit for being ready, willing, and able even though nothing like that happened. $5-$10 tank plus $5-$10 to the boat.

 

[OTF]

Note the maximum angle of roll the dive boat experienced on the trip and tip that percentage of the total price.

 

[Sifossifoco]

Not sure about Cozumel, but generally I tip $20 or 20% of what I paid for the dive(s), whatever is the highest.

 

[jonhall]

I've done a couple of the discover dives and knew to tip, but really didn't know how much. The first time I handed the money to the person that took us down, that was in the Bahamas. When I went on one in the states they just had a pot to put tips in.

Be staying at Allegro and be diving with the Pro Dive shop that's on site. The deal we got was only one dive a day.

A few years back Pro Dive had a lot of young instructors/DM's from different parts of the world. If things are the same as they were at that time, the divers on the boat will be broken down into smaller groups, each with their own DM. Since the DM for you could be different each day, handing the tip directly to your DM when you get back to the pier after the dive would be appropriate.

Some will tell you they tip more than others (lots of threads on SB about tipping) - I go along with those who suggested $5-10 a tank. Sometimes divers tip the boat captain but with Pro Dive there's a chance you will not have a clue who that is. There is also a possibility that tips will be shared amongst the boat crew, so what you tip will be split, but that's another discussion. Tip what you feel is right and don't give it a second thought.

 

[TMHeimer]

I should've added that my tip goes only to the boat DM because from what I've seen and heard they don't get a salary. I guess they figure they get "free" diving (in some cases-- not when they don't leave the boat). And, I would (perhaps wrongly) assume anyone else besides the captain who works as crew probably gets some pay (as doing that without salary seems even more ridiculous than DMing for free).