Question Tipping
- Thread starter kokanee
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Alan P
Contributor
It was 10 dollars a tank forever for me but I recently upped it to 20 per tank. Inflation.
MidOH
Contributor
$10 per tank. But each has to be full. Completely full or more. 2900psi isnt full.
Want to make $40? Bring me 4 tanks.
Im startled that 2 tank trips are normal. Lets eat lunch and do 2 more. 10 to 14 in a weeks vacation.....kinda weak.
Want to make $40? Bring me 4 tanks.
Im startled that 2 tank trips are normal. Lets eat lunch and do 2 more. 10 to 14 in a weeks vacation.....kinda weak.
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The nice thing about Mexico is that divers visit from various countries with different ideas of what a tip should be, and so while US-sized tips may be most common, I'm thinking the dive crew does not get upset if they do not receive US-sized tips from all of their customers.
Day tripping: On a 6-pack, I'll go with a base tip of 20%. On a cattle car $15 per tank, but I do sidemount, so it can add up.
At a resort - I'll tip maids and restaurant daily. The dive operation base tip is 20% of the dive portion of the total (it goes to the boss).
On a LOB, base tip of 20% of total package (again, to the boss / captain). I'm not into the whole it's Mexico or whatever island nation thing. Sure the local income standard isn't as the US, but I've seen that sometimes up to half the dive crew is not local. Australian, British, Ukrainian, Turkish -- I've noticed a lot of folks making their time in the sun more affordable by crewing a dive op. I also know many of the crew members are paid the same salary as an assistant dive instructor here in the US (free air and a discount on purchases). When I'm laying out 2-3 weeks salary on vacation, I don't think it's wrong to let the folks who make it enjoyable know my appreciation.
At a resort - I'll tip maids and restaurant daily. The dive operation base tip is 20% of the dive portion of the total (it goes to the boss).
On a LOB, base tip of 20% of total package (again, to the boss / captain). I'm not into the whole it's Mexico or whatever island nation thing. Sure the local income standard isn't as the US, but I've seen that sometimes up to half the dive crew is not local. Australian, British, Ukrainian, Turkish -- I've noticed a lot of folks making their time in the sun more affordable by crewing a dive op. I also know many of the crew members are paid the same salary as an assistant dive instructor here in the US (free air and a discount on purchases). When I'm laying out 2-3 weeks salary on vacation, I don't think it's wrong to let the folks who make it enjoyable know my appreciation.
jonhall
Contributor
Just to show there is a range of tips, I still tip $10-15 dollars for a 2 tank dive. I don't get on a dive boat to mentally start thinking about how I should adjust a tip based on what the crew is doing for me - I expect the crew to do certain things for me. I'm not obligated to tip, but I do. Don't really care if the crew splits a tip or not - I know some do and some don't - that's their concern, not mine. It is possible that if I traveled to Coz as often as others and had used the same op for years and years, I would probably tip them different.
On my last trip to Coz (2021) I had 5 different DMs with 3 different ops. My gear got set up the same with each op, whether they did it or I did it. I averaged 62 min dives over 11 dives whether the DM left me alone or interacted with me in some way (pointing something out, offering a swim through.) None of the DMs seemed to care much about if they were tipped or not. After a shore dive, the DM told me to give the tip I offered him to the boy who carried my tank to the dock.
Tipping a percentage leads to these questions for me: 1) do those of you that tip a percentage, say of 20%, stay true to that percentage whether you do a 2 tank dive for $60 or for $100 - a $12 tip (or $6/tank) vs a $20 tip ($10/tank?) 2) When you wait till the end of a trip to tip in which you did multiple days of diving, do you tip, again say 20%, on what is probably a discounted rate for diving multiple days or on the before discount total?
Tip what you're comfortable with - the crew will be appreciative whatever the amount - it all adds up.
On my last trip to Coz (2021) I had 5 different DMs with 3 different ops. My gear got set up the same with each op, whether they did it or I did it. I averaged 62 min dives over 11 dives whether the DM left me alone or interacted with me in some way (pointing something out, offering a swim through.) None of the DMs seemed to care much about if they were tipped or not. After a shore dive, the DM told me to give the tip I offered him to the boy who carried my tank to the dock.
Tipping a percentage leads to these questions for me: 1) do those of you that tip a percentage, say of 20%, stay true to that percentage whether you do a 2 tank dive for $60 or for $100 - a $12 tip (or $6/tank) vs a $20 tip ($10/tank?) 2) When you wait till the end of a trip to tip in which you did multiple days of diving, do you tip, again say 20%, on what is probably a discounted rate for diving multiple days or on the before discount total?
Tip what you're comfortable with - the crew will be appreciative whatever the amount - it all adds up.
Speaking of low tank fills...the Dive Ops I choose either carry extra tanks or they check psi before I board. I am not shy about rejecting a low-fill tank. I realize they do not fill the tanks, so when a Dive Op makes sure I get a full tank, I make sure to tip them well.
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