Tipping question

[ReefHound]

And assuming this is a boat dive, you should still tip the boat crew even if you have your own private DM because the crew do a lot of unseen work getting the boat loaded and ready and then cleaning up after. Those tanks didn't float into the boat on the wind.

 

[deepsea21]

This is very simple... If say you generally leave a $20 tip for an $80+ 2 tank dive (20-25%)... If you didn't have a private DM then your $20 tip would be split among the common DM and captain/crew assuming you had great dives. If you have a private DM then tip him $10 and tip the other $10 to the captain who shares it with the boat crew (if there is any crew) or he keeps it himself. This assumes you had great dives and a great on-boat experience provided by the captain and any crew.

Regardless of whether it's the common DM for the boat or a personal DM you hire they all are working for their base rate including the captain and crew. Tips are appreciated and should be based on the quality of dive trip experience they provided.

 

[cozcharlie]

Just seconding @deepsea21 . As far as I know the guide is going to get the same base trip rate whether it is a private guide or a group guide. If you don’t tip him/her as a private guide he/she will be earning less for being your private guide than being a group guide getting a share of the tips. Don’t expect them to be happy. In theory you should tip enough so that they are indifferent about whether they a group or private guide.

 

[NW Dive Dawg]

When it comes to tipping dive boat crews or bartenders........ I always do it in advance and I make it a point to do it discreetly and in person and in cash. That usually makes for "better" drinks. ! For diving, I really don't need or care or give a rip about any additional service for me personally..... but I want to make sure that the crew is attentive, respectful, courteous, and taking great care of my wife.

 

[ScubaD1veDiv@]

So this is a great question that I have grappled with on the rare occasions that I have used a private DM.

My dive operator in Cozumel provides complete valet diving and typically has, on average, 4 divers to a DM. Those divers generally tip anywhere from $10-15 per tank to be divided between the DM and the captain

I’m not sure if the private DM rate is actually shared with the DM. I assumed that DMs make most of their money from tips which is why I felt obliged to tip close to the equivalent of what the DM would have gotten leading a group of 4 divers. This makes a private DM very pricey.

Have I been grossly over paying?

 

[Blackcrusader]

Yes,I agree. He or she is essentially your employee for the day.

Dang I am employee I never get tipped. I should become a DM. lol

 

[ReefHound]

Just seconding @deepsea21 . As far as I know the guide is going to get the same base trip rate whether it is a private guide or a group guide. If you don’t tip him/her as a private guide he/she will be earning less for being your private guide than being a group guide getting a share of the tips. Don’t expect them to be happy. In theory you should tip enough so that they are indifferent about whether they a group or private guide.

This isn't making sense to me. You say all 3 earn the same base rate but the group DM/captain split the general tips and the private DM gets his private tip? And we should make sure the private DM with 1 client earns the same as the group DM with 6-8 clients? If so, not a chance. No way am I tip-matching 6 to 8 other people.

It's just a fact, or so it seems to me, that the more customers on the boat the more a DM is going to get. So a DM serving as a private DM to 1 customer is going to get a lot less than being a group DM to 6-8.

And setting aside the private guide, there are days when I am one of eight people on the boat and days when I am one of four. The crew is probably going to get less in tips with 4 passengers. I'm not going to assume responsibility for doubling or tripling my tip to ensure they make the same on a light day as a full day. Although I will typically tip a bit more because I do feel some empathy about it and because the experience is typically better with a lighter load.

For this reason, I don't want the boat going out with just me, as some here have said their ops will do for them. I'm happy to tip my share of a group but I don't want to be singlehandedly responsible for their day's wages.

 

[ReefHound]

I’m not sure if the private DM rate is actually shared with the DM. I assumed that DMs make most of their money from tips which is why I felt obliged to tip close to the equivalent of what the DM would have gotten leading a group of 4 divers. This makes a private DM very pricey.

Have I been grossly over paying?

You do you, but no way am I going to solely bear the crew's full daily wages. Tipping should be based on many customers chipping in a little.

 

[Blackcrusader]

You do you, but no way am I going to solely bear the crew's full daily wages. Tipping should be based on many customers chipping in a little.

Tipping is a gratuity given ( or not ) by a customer.
It should never be the standard that tips are expected for one who is already being paid to do a job in my humble opinion. I like to tip when I feel it is appropriate. In many places I dive the dive center staff load dive gear onto the boats as they do not allow customers to do this. It is part of the staff's normal duties.

At the places I dive sometimes I will ask the dive center if I can dive with just the DM and of course I pay more for this. It might be I plan a deep dive to 40m where they don't normally take most divers. Anyways on my dive vacations I stay at the same place for at least a week and get in 20 plus dives but most often 2 weeks. On my last diving day I like to put on a BBQ pig and chickens and seafood at the dive center in the evening where all the staff get to enjoy an evening where their partners and children are also invited.

Those nights have always been really enjoyable.

 

[drk5036]

So this is a great question that I have grappled with on the rare occasions that I have used a private DM.

My dive operator in Cozumel provides complete valet diving and typically has, on average, 4 divers to a DM. Those divers generally tip anywhere from $10-15 per tank to be divided between the DM and the captain

I’m not sure if the private DM rate is actually shared with the DM. I assumed that DMs make most of their money from tips which is why I felt obliged to tip close to the equivalent of what the DM would have gotten leading a group of 4 divers. This makes a private DM very pricey.

Have I been grossly over paying?

10-15 dollars per tank, per person? If everyone was tipping that way, I'd quit my job as a professor and become a DM. The salary would be higher if you're doing 3-4 dives a day!