Tipping?

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old gaffer

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Location
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I will be doing some boat dives on Maui and while at Kona. First time diving in Hawaii. I usually dive cozumel and I am very familiar with the tipping policies there. What is a typical tip for the DM./boat captain for a two tank boat dive in Hawaii?

Thanks in advance.

Gaffer
 
It seems like $5-10 a tank is industry standard. You can always tip more, depending on the level of service you receive and how happy you are with it.
 
Depends. There is no real requirement for any one to tip but then again there is no requirement that the crew pick a good dive site or go the extra mile to make sure your dive was memorable. I recall diving with Maui Dive Shop and they were out of this world. They first off took 6 divers out (Ironic that all 5 of the other divers had less then 50 dives each) the Dive masters were newer with less dives each then me as well. In many cases most divers would have been discouraged by the sheer inexperience that showed despite the fact these divemasters were going WELL out of their way to make this dive work.

After we left port there was 2 of my fellow divers who was facing the same problem I was and that was the fact alot of other dive shops had cancelled that day due to not having enough divers to make the trip profitable. I then asked them how they were willing to do it and the reply was that the dive shop had a policy that if a diver wanted to go then they would arrange some sort of a dive or help find them a dive to go on. That in itself impressed me.

After we got to the dive it was apparent that in the haste to get in the water one divemaster did not have a flashlight and the others batteries went dead in mid dive. I happily lent mine though and we were able to enjoy some awesome sites!!!

As we were coming back the crew repeatedly apologized and never even mentioned a tip jar. The fact they were not soliciting tips and the fact they put so much effort in to it won me over and I tipped the crew very generously. It was like a 50 dollar tip but again the sale was made by the fact I was not made to feel like I had to tip.

Id say they have made my favorite all time dive (Molokini Crater) possible and then salvaged what would have been a ruined dive on the second visit to Maui and made it memorable.

In short my point is dont go by an industry standard unless you absolutely want too. I think in a lot of ways the "standard" has done more damage then good in that most people in any industry have come to expect a tip no matter what. The whole point of the gratuity is to encourage excellent service. If you got poor service nothing says it better then an empty jar. If the service was ok then industry standard would work. If it was out of this world then a gracious tip would show it best!
 
There's always different opinions regarding this issue but certainly gratuities are a large part of a crew and captains income. As one of the others mentioned (and you are likely very aware) it should be based upon the quality of care as it is a service industry after all. I have been diving here in Hawaii for almost 20 years and the most common response/guideline centers around $10-$20 per outing. It actually often falls into pretty similar guidelines as does dining at 15% average on a bill. Just like dining out though 15% certainly can't be expected for poor service. On the opposite end - if you receive outstanding service that exceeded your expectations you can tip accordingly. You can also inquire as to the charter / company policies regarding tips. Sometimes your tip will go entirely to the DM/Instructor and sometimes it will be split among the entire crew. This doesn't necessarily change what you should tip - but it can help you make your decision. I have worked on boats where the captain shares tips - and others that just support the crew. Respectfully I hope this "opinion" helps. Kind to see someone thinking ahead about the staff that will be taking care of them.

Best of wishes to you! I hope your time in the islands is fantastic!
A
 
There's always different opinions regarding this issue but certainly gratuities are a large part of a crew and captains income. As one of the others mentioned (and you are likely very aware) it should be based upon the quality of care as it is a service industry after all. I have been diving here in Hawaii for almost 20 years and the most common response/guideline centers around $10-$20 per outing. It actually often falls into pretty similar guidelines as does dining at 15% average on a bill. Just like dining out though 15% certainly can't be expected for poor service. On the opposite end - if you receive outstanding service that exceeded your expectations you can tip accordingly. You can also inquire as to the charter / company policies regarding tips. Sometimes your tip will go entirely to the DM/Instructor and sometimes it will be split among the entire crew. This doesn't necessarily change what you should tip - but it can help you make your decision. I have worked on boats where the captain shares tips - and others that just support the crew. Respectfully I hope this "opinion" helps. Kind to see someone thinking ahead about the staff that will be taking care of them.

Best of wishes to you! I hope your time in the islands is fantastic!
A

Thanks for the info! I am diving with Lahaina divers and will be diving the Molokini crater (inside) I would have liked to do the wall dive but they do not do that on the day I am there. In Kona I am diving with Kona Honu Divers and will be doing lava tubes and another structured area. Looking forward to it!

Gaffer
 
K Eliis "
There is no real requirement for any one to tip but then again there is no requirement that the crew pick a good dive site or go the extra mile to make sure your dive was memorable." ???

are you serious? Isn't that what you are paying the dive shop and the crew for? That is called customer service and people will come back and use your services again. I never understand the tipping thing in the USA cause it seems everyone wants a tip for doing their job which they are getting paid to do anyway.
 
K Eliis "
There is no real requirement for any one to tip but then again there is no requirement that the crew pick a good dive site or go the extra mile to make sure your dive was memorable." ???

are you serious? Isn't that what you are paying the dive shop and the crew for? That is called customer service and people will come back and use your services again. I never understand the tipping thing in the USA cause it seems everyone wants a tip for doing their job which they are getting paid to do anyway.

Your paying the crew to take you to a dive spot and let you dive. There is no requirement that they point out good sights either. There is no requirement that they take you to a world class dive spot. If you pay for a 2 tank dive then thats all they are required to give you. Now take it a step further. The divemaster assist people with putting gear on the boat. Some newer divers will even take advantage of the divemaster assembling their gear for them so all they have to do is suit up and go. (Not alot of veterans do this but the gesture is still nice)

The divemaster tells you about the site and gives extremely detailed information. As your diving he points out things you may not see like sea horses or lobster beneath the coral. Maybe he takes your photo while your underwater so you have a photo of you and a loved one diving together in paradise. These are little things that may not mean much to some people but mean the world to others.

As I said there is no requirement to give a tip. You can tell them to take a hike if you choose because they accepted the job knowing that they were making very little and may never see a tip but chose to do the job anyway. But you have to remember they put their heart and soul into something isnt it worth letting them know you care?

And if you think tipping is bad in the U.S.A. go to Cozumel. EVERY restraunt I went to had a tip jar. Every store had a tip jar. When you walk out the door you may see people trying to sell you something then hold their hand out for a tip.

So in short yes I am serious. As I said tip what you want or not at all. Its not my business what a person does. Just remember someone is putting their heart in to making your dive an adventure!
 
Thanks for the info! I am diving with Lahaina divers and will be diving the Molokini crater (inside) I would have liked to do the wall dive but they do not do that on the day I am there. In Kona I am diving with Kona Honu Divers and will be doing lava tubes and another structured area. Looking forward to it! Gaffer

If you have 100-199 dives and consider yourself something besides a beginning diver, you might consider diving with a different operator than Lahaina Divers. IMO they are a fantastic operation for an inexperienced diver and for discover scuba, and I definitely love their big 46' Newton boats for the crossing to Lanai, but I always recommend that more experienced divers get a charter that leaves from the Kihei boat ramp. Most recommended boat charters from this board are Ed Robinson's, Mike Severns, and B&B. My personal choice is always Ed Robinson's as they have 2 boats and offer advanced Adventure and 3-tank charters as well as regular 2-tank trips....and they have fantastic dive guides!

If you're staying in the Kaanapali/Lahaina area, it is a 45 minute drive to the Kihei boat ramp, but IMO well worth the time and drive (done it many times). All of the operators in Kihei will take you to Molokini for at least one dive, and it isn't unusual to dive the backwall first then the inner crater second. There are also some fantastic S. Maui sites for second dives as well.

The major key to having great Hawaii dives is having an excellent dive guide who will find the critters. Critter spotting in Hawaii is very challenging if you don't know what you're looking for. There are no soft corals or sea fans or big sponges. Everything is hard lava, hard coral, small sponges, and close to the reef. What may seem like a dead reef to the first time Hawaii diver is instead probably teaming with life...if you know where to look and what you're looking for.

Feel free to check out my husband's photos on our webpage to know what you might see diving Maui with a knowledgeable dive guide, or experienced Hawaii diver. http://divetraveladventures.shutterfly.com/maui
 
What I find interesting, or puzzling, is the original question.

Stated "I know to tip XYZ amount in the Caribbean, but now in Hawaii or location ABCDEF, how should I tip there?"

so to the original poster, what's the difference in tipping whether you're in Hawaii/Fiji/Roatan/Texas/Seattle/Philippines or? I mean how are you differentiating this, by the average salary of the employee, or the service, or?


Sorry but a very odd question imho
 
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