Tipping protocol

[vladimir]

You just tip as much or as little as you feel is right. If they don't appreciate whatever you give them, they don't deserve it.

I agree with the sentiment, but tipping is a custom and the OP is clearly trying to determine what is customary. It varies from place to place, but it is certainly not "as much or as little as you feel is right," in the United States.

 

[mk706]

I tip $5/ tank to the boat crew, and another $5 to the DM, if there is one. Tip what feels right, this past week I had a good time down in Key Largo. I tipped $5/ tank (no DM), and then put an extra $20 on for good measure (for 13 dives).

Now what about instructors? I tipped an instructor last week for the first time ever. A modest $5 per tank ($20), but the fella earned it.

 

[divingguru]

As a dive instructor it is always nice to be tipped, but you should only tip if you have received good service. In Thailand where I work, anything from $10-$15 is the usual.
On a funny note I once had a guy(American) charter the boat for the day, around $1200, I was his personal guide, and in my opinion did a great job, 2 good dives, lots to see, spent the whole day chatting with him about diving, and he spent talking about how much money he had! At the end of the day the guy gave me the equvilant of a 50cents tip, He told me to go and buy myself a few beers, I gave it back to him and told him "if thats all you can afford, you'd better keep it yourself!"

 

[djtimmy77]

If the boat owner is the DM do you tip them?

Is $5/tank for each crew member or total?

 

[iztok]

As a dive instructor it is always nice to be tipped, but you should only tip if you have received good service. In Thailand where I work, anything from $10-$15 is the usual.

What is the usual for livaboard in Thailand? $5/tank?

 

[austriandiveress]

I am often involved in this discussion with my SO.... lets say you are in a place such as Egypt or the Phillipines, where the average wage (and cost of living) is signifigantly lower than in the US or Europe: my SO is of the opinion that a tip based on European standards is much too high; I feel as a Westerner it is embarassing and condescending to tip based on the local costs of living. (like in Divingguru's example)
The result is that I tend to tip (I think) quite high, but simply dont know what is correct, nor do I know what other tourists tend to give. In any case I get the impression that tipping outside of the States is lower than it is in the US.
Any thoughts?

 

[vladimir]

I am often involved in this discussion with my SO.... lets say you are in a place such as Egypt or the Phillipines, where the average wage (and cost of living) is signifigantly lower than in the US or Europe: my SO is of the opinion that a tip based on European standards is much too high; I feel as a Westerner it is embarassing and condescending to tip based on the local costs of living. (like in Divingguru's example)
The result is that I tend to tip (I think) quite high, but simply dont know what is correct, nor do I know what other tourists tend to give. In any case I get the impression that tipping outside of the States is lower than it is in the US.
Any thoughts?

My solution to the foreign tipping calculus is to tip high by local standards, but not use US or European standards. Otherwise you contribute to this ridiculous situation where a tip to one person is a week's pay to another, and the whole local economy is distorted into supplication from tourists. For a good example, see Kuta, in Bali, where the begging and sale of trinkets is pretty relentless.

 

[iztok]

My solution to the foreign tipping calculus is to tip high by local standards, but not use US or European standards. Otherwise you contribute to this ridiculous situation where a tip to one person is a week's pay to another, and the whole local economy is distorted into supplication from tourists. For a good example, see Kuta, in Bali, where the begging and sale of trinkets is pretty relentless.

Well I somehow agree. If I am paying for a day of what would normally earn in a week I better be getting his/her undivided attention that day. (i.e. personal DM)

If someone would like to earn EU or US tip amount they better be moving to EU or US.

But I digress... I want to find out what is a good tip for livaboard (per day or per tank) in Thailand (esp. Similan Islands).

 

[Diver0001]

With walk-ons and live-aboards being so new to me, I really don't have clue what the normal protocol is for tipping the crew. I do feel that a good deckhand deserves a tip. Is $10 a day for 2 divers appropriate on a walk-on? What about the captain, or the DM, whom I am already explicitly paying for services? Should they be tipped for outstanding service? If so, how much is normal for them?

What does your feeling say? It's your money so when you give it away to someone voluntarily it has to *feel* like the right thing to do.... right?

I'd say there is no strict protocol..... but having said that, in a restaurant you give 10-15% for a meal... IN that case, you generally get intensive attention from the person serving you. In a dive setting it's a little less. If you're spending $100 for a day of diving, then 10% is $10. Is that enough for a "protocol" tip. I think it is.

The whole thing about "average wages" in a particular vacation destination is cop-out. Even the locals who live in the tourist traps have higher costs than the "average" person in that country.

As an aside to this, I work as a dive instructor in Holland. The Dutch are known for being a bit tight-wadded but I have been tipped twice since 2002. In both cases it was a bottle of wine for doing a good job on the open water course. In both cases I appreciated the gesture very much and it came as a complete surprise. That's all to say that the "local" context makes a big difference to expectations.

R..

 

[vladimir]

What is the usual for livaboard in Thailand? $5/tank?

As far as I can tell, what is "usual" in Thailand varies from zero, if the divers are European, to 10% or more from Americans. I am not slamming Europeans; just observing that, as far as I can tell, there is no Thai custom of tipping, and to the extent that it happens it is a function of the tipper's custom.

The Dutch are known for being a bit tight-wadded

If you can fake a Dutch accent a 2% tip will be a pleasant surprise to the crew.