How much to tip dive masters and boat crew in Cozumel?

[ggunn]

Go a head you cheap bsta#@ds and justify not tipping while then justify your personnel wage scale.

Who is saying anything like that in here? No one. Anyone who did would have to have cajones the size of church bells to wade in here to get incinerated.

 

[Zman96]

Currently, 200 Pesos equals $12.64 USD.

P.S.-this is not a response specific to the poster above who mentioned tipping 200 Pesos. I am mentioning it to highlight the significance of the variability in the currency exchange rate. For those who tip in Pesos, and are interested in tipping consistently from trip to trip-sometimes, 200 MXN really is "almost 15 or 20 dollars", and sometimes it's not.

Great point. I made sure when I was there a few months ago to tip a little more in pesos since the exchange rate at the time was just under 15-1, compared to 11 or 12 to 1 a couple of years ago.

 

[Dhboner]

I generally tip $10.00 per trip unless the DM or Captain did something special that made my day (in which case I tip more) but I really wish we could get to a place where DM's and Captains (as well as anyone else in the service industry) were paid a decent, livable wage and tipping became obsolete. I know the argument that tipping encourages outstanding service but I really wish we could move forward as a society and pay people a good wage and get rid of the whole "discretionary wages" system. But don't worry...until we reach that utopia I will continue to tip

 

[ColoDale]

In Cozumel I tip 20%+ USD at the end of the trip. The captain and DM do not rotate. The DM (also owner) splits 50/50 with the captain. We also bring him and the captain things from the US which he can't buy in the Yucatan or are very expensive. Also take him to dinner when there (or a few times). We have known him for 16+ years and he goes the extra mile for us.
If it were with a dive op/DM we didn't know it would be $5-10 US per tank per person depending on the service. If it were a cattle boat op and/or the DM doesn't pay attention or somethng like that then less.

 

[mmmbelows]

I generally tip $10.00 per trip unless the DM or Captain did something special that made my day (in which case I tip more) but I really wish we could get to a place where DM's and Captains (as well as anyone else in the service industry) were paid a decent, livable wage and tipping became obsolete. I know the argument that tipping encourages outstanding service but I really wish we could move forward as a society and pay people a good wage and get rid of the whole "discretionary wages" system. But don't worry...until we reach that utopia I will continue to tip

I thought the dive masters and captains in Cozumel did make a decent living wage?

 

[cvchief]

Thank goodness we can still tip to single out quality service, instead of being forced to pay a rate that exceeds the level of service given. A veritable meritocracy working to improve service!

(Or I guess the gov could just tell us what people are worth and make it illegal to recognize exceptionalism. I know, tipping is hard with the thinking and such and I am sure the AI model would work just as well. I mean AI food is just as good right?)

 

[ggunn]

Thank goodness we can still tip to single out quality service, instead of being forced to pay a rate that exceeds the level of service given. A veritable meritocracy working to improve service!

(Or I guess the gov could just tell us what people are worth and make it illegal to recognize exceptionalism. I know, tipping is hard with the thinking and such and I am sure the AI model would work just as well. I mean AI food is just as good right?)

The government does not need to get involved; I know how much you hate that.

All that would need to happen (and I don't seriously believe that anything I say will change anything) is for places of business to charge more, pay their employees more, and tell their customers and employees "no tipping". Then the rest of us could vote with our pocketbooks. There are a couple of restaurants here in Austin that do this. I like the idea.

When I go to the hardware store to buy a hammer, and an employee helps me find what I am looking for, I don't tip him no matter how exceptional he was. The price is the price.

Tipping long ago ceased to be a recognition of excellence, anyway; it's now an entitlement.

 

[mmmbelows]

Unfortunately "the rest of us" = American tourists and American's don't seem about to change being the worlds tippers, so a change in the destinations culture to no tipping due to livable wages probably won't stop American's from doing their best to keep right on tipping.

In my mind if I had a time machine I think if I went back a ways to Cozumel of old there was not much tipping until American's showed up. As a nation whether tipping is prevalent in a location or not we tend to over time wear down their no tipping customs and change the landscape to a tipping culture. Everywhere you go Americans are tipping non tipped people. There are places in europe where service industry people get a living wage and tipping is supposed to not be expected, but every few years I go back I see tipping creeping more and more into their culture thanks to American tourists. It usually starts with a strict no tipping policy, then gradually the culture accepts small change left over "rounding up" is acceptable, then it turns into "for exceptional service" and eventually 10% and then 15%, 20% becomes the norm.....

I recently returned from Fiji which is a non-tipping culture. Everywhere there are signs where you're staying, little placards on the night stand, little reminders placed here and there gently reminding you not to tip, please don't tip, please please do not tip! Well... I couldn't help myself and tipped my dive master there, he had no problems taking it "down low on the sly" and gently easing it into his pocket away from any observing eyes of management... obviously I wasn't breaking any recent new ground there with my tip. We Americans will ruin it for everyone else, it's just who we are as a people.

 

[kixy1]

As others have stated the tipping is based on the diving. If I dive with a valet op the tip is more since I receive more service. If I dive on a big boat where they are doing the minimum that is required by the Park I tip less. I also have tipped more when having a DM take me out with only 1 other person on the boat. As far as tipping in USD vs MXN you can do either.

This confuses me... aren't you already paying more for 'valet' service? I assume so, so if you're tipping on percentage the DM with the valet service will already be getting more money in his/her pocket.

 

[cvchief]

it's now an entitlement.

Ok, now I am against it.