Tipping the boat crew - conventions around the world?

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I don't know about dive op employees, but waiters in some places in Europe earn not only a full wage but health insurance and paid vacation. They do not expect tips.
 
I usually tip $5 a dive...but I'm not against more....
 
a week of diving at Cocoview, Roatan (this is a dive trip, not a vacation with diving) I tip $100 to the DM and $100 to the boat captain. these guys can make a week wonderful or just so so. its ALWAYS wonderful and i tip them accordingly. i average 20ish dives with them for the week (plus another 20ish on my own). i also tip the dock crew $50 to share - they refill the tanks all week, clean the dive lockers, make sure the rinse tanks and boot buckets are clean and full, handle weights and inform us of night diving conditions.
 
Some of the boats that I dive on give you the option of adding a tip to bill when you pay by credit card. I know a lot of folks do it that way so it is not seen. You can have all the wants you want but the fact is that if the DM is working only for tips and you do not tip you are telling him to work without pay.
 
Used to be Cozumel, now Roatan. $5 a tank. Added to the final bill. The shop owners keep track of who served us. We also bring canadianisms such as good extra old cheddar and maple syrup.
 
I worked the Keys for 4 yrs and would probably still be there if everyone tipped $5 a tank. The tips are split between two to four crew members. If you need rescued or picked up a thank you is appreciated
 
Interesting responses. I tip. I do it only when I believe someone has done a good or better job. I do it because I understand just how little money most people make in this industry and would like to see the good people stay around and the bad ones leave. I notice a lot of responses regarding looking at what others pay. First, I don't tip because of what other do or do not do. Second, it can be very difficult to tell who is tipping and who is not. I know in fact in the Northern gulf of Mexico...most people tip by handing the money directly to the staff (even when there is a tip jar). I suspect, but don't know for a fact, that this is to personally say thanks, or to let the crew know where the money comes from or perhaps just to be human. How much? For me, usually $5 per tank, but $10 works for me if the crew did a great job (my money, my rules). On extended dive trips (as I tend to dive a lot)...Usually $100 per week or so.

How many people tip? Not sure it is uniform across Florida, but would say it is 50 to 75%. On a really good day, everyone on a boat will tip...bad day less then half, so it is hard to actually know what the average is.

In the northern gulf, an entire season is around 140 dive trips.. with a boat that averages say 15 people...if half the people gave $10 per trip...we are talking about a bit over $10,000...if there are two people, we are talking about each getting $5,000. Far better than nothing, but if they are just working for tips, they need to be also getting food stamps and government assistance.

In most places, this work is done by people that love what they are doing and not because they will ever get rich doing it. I hope everyone will do what they believe is right, not because they think it is expected.
 
I have always been a person who believes in tipping for service above and beyond.

Me, too. Service has to be "above and beyond normal service" to get a tip from me.

Now here is a guy who REALLY deserves a tip! Enjoy.

http://www.wimp.com/ballcontrol/

- Bill
 
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Live in the USA - have been on every Aggressor in the Caribbean more than once - Cozumel 10-12 times - Bonaire 12-15 times - Palau/Yap - Galapagos 2 times - Cocos Islands, and more. Our rule of thumb is to tip 10% of what the trip costs (week-long dive trip), or Cozumel, $5-$10 per tank dive. If we are diving with the same Captain and Divemaster(s) for more than one day, we tip after the last dive made with that Captain/Divemaster(s). We give the money directly to the Captain to divide up - don't really like the "tip jar" (it might not get dispersed correctly).

Just because you don't see anyone tip, does not mean they did not tip, but YES I have seen more than one person(s) not tip when I know for a fact they have received above and beyond excellent service!

Why should a Divemaster show you things - like that hard-to-find Spendid Toadfish in Cozumel - if he has no incentive; he could just do his job and guide you on the dive ... IMO ....



After reading Herb-alaska's Open letter to boat dive masters I started wondering about different tipping practices around the world. Coming from a basically non-tipping (except some minor tipping in restaurants) culture in Scandinavia, I still have problems adapting to the extensive tipping expected from a customer in e.g. the US, particularly WRT the "correct" size of a tip in a given situation

I'd appreciate if people could chime in with their opinions/experiences regarding tipping DMs, guides and boat captains in their part of the world, so I don't make a fool of myself if I'm diving abroad. I'm particularly interested in practice in the US and Europe, but tipping practices in other parts of the world would also be interesting.

I'll start:
Nationality: Norwegian
Dive site country: Norway
Tipping: I don't tip the DM or the boat captain.

PS: If this post is in the wrong subforum, I apologize in advance :)
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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