How Much And How?

[frostedgimp]

Just a question for experienced boat divers,
How much do you tip the crew so you keep them happy, and what is the procedure?
My 1st dive vacation is coming up in a few weeks and was wondering about the tipping etiquette. I'll be tipping for 3 divers and a bubble watcher. The location is Bonaire if that makes a difference. Do you tip each crew member individually, or just 1 and they split it up? Hopefully they work hard for the money and if so I'd like to show the proper amount of appreciation, so any input is welcome. Thanks

 

[GFuterfas]

Usually on bigger boats there is a tip jar that the crew splits, and they'll make an announcement at the end of the dive on the way back. Smaller boats are less formal about it and I've tipped the DM or Guide and let him split it.

Usually tip $5 to $10 per tank... With three of you doing two to three dives a piece, that's 6-9 tanks, you can do the math.

In the moment, when the dives are done and you're getting off the boat, it will likely be obvious who and how to tip.

Have fun diving!
-Graham

 

[Bubbletrubble]

Bonaire is renowned for its shore diving. Why are you using a dive boat? I suppose Klein Bonaire is nice and some of the northern sites inside the park are less accessible by land.

Most U.S. divers tip $5 per tank. As Graham described above, on large boats the crew will announce the presence of a tip jar. On small boats (the kind you'll see on Bonaire), you can tip the DM as you disembark.

 

[spectrum]

I'll echo the shoe dive encouragement, that's what Bonaire is all about. If you decide to take boat dives they will generally be 1 tank excursions and not long voyages so a typical tip is ample. As always, if a crew member is especially helpful consider that.

Pete

 

[cocoajoe]

Where are you staying at? Some of the resorts have boats. I stayed at Buddy Dive and the group I was with had a package deal and boat dives were included.

 

[frostedgimp]

Staying at Buddy Dive also, with the Dive and Drive package and 6 tank boat dives. We are going to hit the shore diving as hard as we can stand, but as new divers we want to experience the boat diving as well. My wife chuckles to herself when she sees me tipping people left and right, but i've been on the other side of things and getting treated right is important.
I'll post this elsewhere, but if anyone has input on the top 10 shore dives in Bonaire I'd appreciate it, just trying to plan our time there to get the most enjoyment out of our time.
Thanks for the post.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

Do a few searches on ScubaBoard. You'll find several threads about everyone's favorite dives on Bonaire. It's difficult to pick any bad dives there. The double reef system on the southern sites is interesting, but the northern sites can be fun, too. On a typical day, we would do a couple of dives north of Kralendijk and then a couple of dives south of town. For night diving, the southern sites seemed to be a better logistical choice, since our accommodations were south of town. The house reef at Buddy's is so easy that it's a great choice for night dives (or anytime, for that matter). They have lights and stairs leading into the water.

Purchase the book "Bonaire Shore Diving Made Easy" by Susan Porter. It gives a good text description of the sites. I think the most recent edition has some aerial photos for the hard-to-find sites.

If you insist on doing the boat diving, I'd recommend just signing up for one 2-tank boat dive. Request that the boat take you to Klein Bonaire or some site that isn't easily accessible to shore divers. If you like that experience, then by all means sign up for more. We did one 2-tank boat dive on our first Bonaire trip. We had an OK time on the boat dives, but we realized that we missed the absolute freedom of shore diving -- the kind of freedom you have when you conduct your dives on your own timetable and at your own pace. YMMV.

Have fun on your trip. It's probably one of the more relaxing dive vacations on the planet.

 

[Bamabowtie]

I will piggyback this thread and ask another related question: If I hire a private DM to be in the water with me, do I also tip him as well as the boat and what is the acceptable rate for DM's?