cougar
Contributor
Mossman....point well taken.
Some Musings on Etiquette (Hey what's that) When in Cozumel and Other "Stuff"
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Just make sure to compensate for the type of diving you're doing. If you haul, setup and clean your own gear then $xx is acceptable. If valet diving where the crew is hauling your gear, setting it up and cleaning it then you should give $xx PLUS. I'll leave what $x is up to you and the level of service you receive.
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Sorry, but I hate tip pooling at land based properties. No the lobby janitor or groundskeeper doesn't usually get tipped but then their work is supposed to be wages only as they are not serving customers directly, which can be said for cooks, busboys, desk clerks, bookkeepers, etc. A tip is a gratuity, not a debt. Yeah, we could all budget 25-50% over rates to offset the fact that Mexican wages aren't as much as typical in the US, then the resorts would pay even less because of tipping, and maybe even keep some of that for management - no I don't want to go there.
I certainly have mixed feelings about tipping, but will go along with gratuities for services to me. Let's not try to make it worse.
I wasn't trying to make it worse, just pointing out the inequities. Tipping is a pain in the butt. It creates more work and stress for the customer, having to figure how much is appropriate, having to carry extra cash, then worrying about whether you're undertipping or overtipping and what the ramifications might be. I've always preferred, and never suffered a detriment in service, either inclusive pooled tips like you get on a cruise ship or a no-tipping atmosphere like you see in Europe (where the tip is included on the bill) or in Asia (no tip at all).
Now I'm going to agonize over the next few days whether my "standard" $5/tank, i.e. $20/day for the two of us, is going to be enough for the full-service expensive dive op, or should I tip 15%, i.e. $26.70 for the day for the two of us, or be a big spender and round that up to $30, or just figure since I'm already paying $30/pp more than I would with a no-frills op, do I really have to tip even more on top of that or will the $5/tank be fine, and furthermore, how do you deal with the situation where the DM is also the owner? Crazy, I tell ya. It would be so much nicer if I could just hand over my credit card for a defined pre-determined amount and be done with it.
Also, if paying an extra $12 for nitrox, does one add an additional $1.80 to the "standard" $5/tank tip? After all, the DM is doing the extra service of assisting to analyze the tank. Where does it end?
Superglyde
Registered
so if a family of four is divng, renting the dive ops gear for 40 bucks a day and taking our personal gear back to the hotel to rinse in the shower, does that affect the tip in light of all you other guys and gals letting them schelpp and clean your gear and bring it to the boat?
just wondering
I tipped 5 bucks a tank last year for all of us but did it at the end with the dive op.
just wondering
I tipped 5 bucks a tank last year for all of us but did it at the end with the dive op.
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Dear confused, the 5 dollars/tank was suggested per person, not split between 4 people. If your DM payed any attention to you and your group at all while you were underwater, than that should be worth more than $1.25 per person. There are rare situations when DMs are not going out of their way to ensure your safety. Even though it may not look like they are sizing you up before you even step on the boat to determine your needs. The better ops hire better DMs. Not all DMs are great, I have had a few that were totally not professional and not deserving of tips, but that has been a rare exception, and not on Cozumel.
Superglyde
Registered
5 bucks per day per tank is 8 tanks a day for my family, or in other words, 40 bucks a day, on top of the 40 bucks a day to rent their bcd and regulators.
so I pay 80 bucks a day just for tips and rental units.
the point of my message was I'm hauling all my gear back to the hotel and most of the discussion on here has been regarding divers walking on the boat with nothing in hand and finding all their gear clean, dry and ready to go.
I would say my tips are at least generous and wondering if maybe I was tipping too much (not that there is such a thing as tipping too much!)...but it does make it $340 a day for us to just dive and after 8 days thats a serious chunk of change not counting the flight and hotel costs.
so I pay 80 bucks a day just for tips and rental units.
the point of my message was I'm hauling all my gear back to the hotel and most of the discussion on here has been regarding divers walking on the boat with nothing in hand and finding all their gear clean, dry and ready to go.
I would say my tips are at least generous and wondering if maybe I was tipping too much (not that there is such a thing as tipping too much!)...but it does make it $340 a day for us to just dive and after 8 days thats a serious chunk of change not counting the flight and hotel costs.
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I read your first post as "5 bucks per day per tank is 8 tanks a day for (the) family." Sounded like a nice gratifying on top of rental fees and diving fees.
Ozwald
Contributor
Boy I wish I was going.
As far as the tip thing goes I am a firm believer in tipping. I was in Mexico a while back. Two separate dive ops on the same day. One was stellar, the other not. Tipped my guy $30 for a two tank dive because it was just that good. Tipped the other $5 for a two tank dive due to the fact service was non existent.
As far as the tip thing goes I am a firm believer in tipping. I was in Mexico a while back. Two separate dive ops on the same day. One was stellar, the other not. Tipped my guy $30 for a two tank dive because it was just that good. Tipped the other $5 for a two tank dive due to the fact service was non existent.
After 8 days that would be $2,720 and that is indeed "a serious chunk of change". On the one hand you have a family on vacation and vacations aren't cheap. It takes hard work to save up enough cash to take a family on a dive vacation. The DM's and boat crew are there to make your family's dive vacation both fun and safe while earning a living for their family and that's hard work too. There are no hard and fast rules for tipping, just suggested amounts. Tip what you think their service was worth and what you can afford.
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