Tipping....how much do you tip?

[Waterskier1]

I usually tip 10% - 15%, but it all depends. I have been on trips where I never saw that DM, of if I did, he was diving with his/her own friends, and knew nothing about me, nor saw me. They didn't get tipped. I'm not even sure they were supposed to be with my group. If not, we didn't have a DM, but we didn't need one. On the other hand, the liveaboard I'm going on next month suggest a 10% tip, and I just factor that into the cost.
I know there is a lot of work that goes into running a dive ops. As one poster said, maintenance on the boat, refulling, insurance, etc. But, I think some, if not all of this should be covered by my trip cost. I don't think the "owner" should pocked my trip cost and then expect me to tip to cover the cost of those employees who actually do the work. I really wish we'd do away with "expected" tipping, pay everyone a fair wage (one they choose to work for understanding that there will not likely be any supplement in the form of tips) and then charge what they need for the trip, and let us consumers know what the price will be up front. I think all of us would still "tip" if we had an exceptional experience. BTW, you'll not see me putting any money in the "tip" jars at convienence stores or fast food resturants either.

Now, wish we could do something with these "excess fuel" charges, or "excess energy usuage" (which is a fixed price whether you use an excess or not).

 

[WillB]

RJP,

Great perspective! It makes me re-think the tips I'll leave. I consider myself a good tipper, but after reading everything the crew has to do I'll dig deeper!

 

[Matt_NJ]

The boats that I've been on in the carribean i've always tipped well. I have an interesting question. I am taking my AOW class in a few weeks - Do you tip instructors at the end of a class?

 

[Wildcard]

Instructors like a thanks and maybe a beer. At this point we are teachers so no tips.
Come next week and let me show you the hot dive spots and find the cool critters for you and, yes a thank you tip would be nice, but buying me a beer is just as good. Clearly it's not about the money, damn it we bust our butts day in and day out to make sure you have a safe and good dive. We get sued if you screw up. Im just not sure how to make this clear. I dont care if you give me five or five hundred bucks, it's that you had a good enough time that you though it was worth a few extra bucks.
Did I make it clear that it costs me to do this? I love having a couple of days with a crappy diver, they always come out better and happy. Thats what is fun, making bad divers just a little better and showing good divers a great time.

 

[1_T_Submariner]

I have noticed that much like the Restaurant buisness the people that have worked in the buisness always tip better than those that have not been behind the scenes.

I tip for good service and give friendly suggestions to improve bad/no service.

 

[Teufelhunden]

I second WillB's comment about diggin deeper - having been on my first charter dive a few weeks ago, (used to shore diving) I thought I gabe a decent tip...

My own two cents on course - to date, my instructors have been LDS owners. If they are good instructors, I buy from their shop. when they weren't, I went looking for new shops.

 

[MantaRey]

I find the more the of a PITA the divermaster is the less I tip.

Last trip, amount spent on diving $1320, tips $0.

IMHO, tipping is a PITA. I much prefer people just do their *&^% job and be paid a fair wage. I think the USA is the only country where tipping is so prevalent.

Unbelievable. If you feel so deeply about people getting paid a fair wage than why don't you tip those who aren't in order to supplement their income.

As a DM let me tell you I don't get paid nearly enough to babysit you and set up your gear for you etc. Nor do I get paid enough to provide the necessary emergency response to save your life when you screw up. So please tell me; what is my "*&^% job"?

To let you in on a secret: I have to have a second night job that I go to right after I get out of my dm job. We start working at 8am. Do two to three dives a day. 6 days a week. And that barely covers the cost of my car and insurance. At 5pm when we are done diving I leave and go to my second job as a video editor till I'm finished at 9-10pm (depending on the project) just so that I can dive and teach people about the ocean I love to protect so much.

There is so much more to this job than you apparently realize. Show a little appreciation; especially to those who just might have your life in their hands. :shakehead

What if you were dying on our boat and I give you the same kind of consideration you're giving DM's? "******* shouldn't be drowning, he should do his job and be more prepared/trained"

 

[Waterskier1]

Unbelievable. If you feel so deeply about people getting paid a fair wage than why don't you tip those who aren't in order to supplement their income.

As a DM let me tell you I don't get paid nearly enough to babysit you and set up your gear for you etc. Nor do I get paid enough to provide the necessary emergency response to save your life when you screw up. So please tell me; what is my "*&^% job"?

To let you in on a secret: I have to have a second night job that I go to right after I get out of my dm job. We start working at 8am. Do two to three dives a day. 6 days a week. And that barely covers the cost of my car and insurance. At 5pm when we are done diving I leave and go to my second job as a video editor till I'm finished at 9-10pm (depending on the project) just so that I can dive and teach people about the ocean I love to protect so much.

There is so much more to this job than you apparently realize. Show a little appreciation; especially to those who just might have your life in their hands. :shakehead

What if you were dying on our boat and I give you the same kind of consideration you're giving DM's? "******* shouldn't be drowning, he should do his job and be more prepared/trained"

In all fairness, most of us, especially vacation divers, or those like me who have been certified and been diving for less than a year, have no idea how much you are paid. We know what we pay for the trip, but don't have the visibility to how much the owner/operator puts in his pocket, and how much he pays his employees. I'm not saying you shouldn't get a fair price, it is just that many of us don't know that you are not. With out having a salary schedule posted at the dive shop, how would I know? (Granted, this thread is enlightening in that respect). Additionally, as I tell my employees, there is no gun being held to their head, and they hands are not tied to the chair. They are free to pursue other avenues of income if they wish (this comment is directed at USA operations only - I don't know if it is true throughout the world.

I'm not sure if it came across from my previous post, but I like those ops where they tell you up front what the expected tip is. This is the case of cruises also. They tell you that $10.00/person/day will be added to your bill. To me, that is no longer a tip, but a fee/cost of the trip. But, call it what you want, I like that because I then can compare their total cost to someone elses. And, if someone does an especially good job, there is nothing prohibiting me for giving them a "tip". I think what some of us dislike, is the expectation that a tip is due, mandatory, just for someone to survive. This is true no matter what your job is. But, now we are off the subject, which is how much do you tip.

 

[liuk3]

No it does not. Forced tips are not the answer. Those just piss me off. In fact I always point that out. "I got great service and would have tipped much more but you set the rate"

No, I meant it solves it for me on my upcoming vacation since I don't have to worry about the tips.

 

[jefffalcone]

I think it's a good point that a lot of people simply don't know that tipping is customary. For me personally, it's a little awkward taking out money in a situation where I'm not sure if it's appropriate. I recently went on my first dive trip, and I did tip, (between 10 and 15 dollars a day) but only because I had read a similar thread on this board. I was with a friend who had just come from another trip. He is also pretty new to diving. When he realized that people tip, he was ashamed that he hadn't thought to tip on his previous trip. I think it would help a lot if people were made aware of what is expected. Maybe padi should add a section on tipping to the OW manual. Better yet they could start a tipping specialty course. Would you be expected to tip the instructor for that one?