Tipping at Coco View - I did search but have additional questions.

[Kharon]

I am still hoping gregm11's response is tongue in cheek............

+1 there but ... he mentioned one person that might not be covered by the envelope tip - the bus driver. Are they part of the staff and so get a cut or should they be tipped seperately?

 

[LiquidDivingAdventure]

Reading through the thread seems most have missed one lady. The gal who runs the Dockside Dive Center is heavily involved in local animal rescue services. We always leave at least $100 to help support their spay and neuter clinics and help manage the dog population on Roatan. Last trip to CCV we experienced the worst boat captain and DM we have ever had at any resort so their tip went to the dogs, literally.

 

[parrotheaddiver]

+1 there but ... he mentioned one person that might not be covered by the envelope tip - the bus driver. Are they part of the staff and so get a cut or should they be tipped seperately?

I usually tip the guys who gather my luggage/dive bag I think this has changed recently and I cannot remember how it was handled. the driver usually helps with carryon so yes I do tip him...if Alex is the driver I know him and sometimes he brings his little boy and I always give him a tip since he also helps me with my carryone etc...what it boils down to is I have been there many times and know these folks don't make much money so I tip them but there is no rule to "having" to tip them. do what you feel or what you can afford

 

[diving4ever]

I really wish that dive resorts weren't using tips as such a core component of thier compensation strategy. I'd rather pay a larger fee and just tip for things that are outside normal service.
But that isn't how things work, so I tip as expected since I'm responsible for a portion of the employees salary. At CCV, I tip into the pool for resort staff. Usually $150 if I'm Single occupancy or $250 if there are two of us.
For the DM and Captain (I tip them together) a minimum of $5 per tank. For divers who only do the morning dives, this seems like a better way to think about it. If something is going on and I need extra help (handing gear up etc) I'll tip more. Last couple of times I tipped $120 (fewer dives) and $200 (lots of dives and lots of help).

An extra $50+ for the clinic, animal program, or school is also a great way to help support the community CCV operates within. When I budget for a CCV trip, I assume I'll need 50% over the package fee for tips, donations, and the bar bill.

 

[Hoyden]

I agree that you need to budget for tips when planning a trip. This is true if I am on a dive trip to CocoView or on a local charter. For Coco View, I definitely tip along the high side of the recommended lines and usually take Dave and Kirk (Red boat captain and dive master) t-shirts from the aquarium where I work. I also usually leave Kirk something extra like a flashlight or pair of full-foot fins. Kirk and Dave have taken very good care of my wife and I over the years and I really appreciate their skills. Kirk seems to have mastered the art of letting me do my own dive outside of the larger group and yet making sure that I don't miss anything.

Jackie

 

[staggsSevin]

I treat tips as part of the expense of a dive trip, I always have them budgeted in as well.