Tipping

[J322Y]

I have to laugh or I would cry.
Honestly your replies make it work it.

In the unlikely case you're ever in central Florida, I'll buy you dinner and a pint. I'll handle the tipping so you can have a relaxing experience....

 

[george_austin]

Single day 3 tank trip in California - 20-30 dollars per diver. Goes into the tip jar on your way off the boat. Beach diving - no tip required

 

[DivemasterDennis]

See The Scuba Snobs' Guide to Diving Etiquette pp 12-13; 21-22.

 

[Clark Fletcher]

As I've been told, the general rule of thumb when diving in the United States on US dive boats is $10 USD per tank.

Now, how tips are split up is entirely up to the dive op. I've been on a boat where it was split up by the entire crew. However, I think the entire crew were paid employees.

However, I was also on a small dive op where there was the Captain, Divemaster, and a deck hand. The deck hand (also a scuba diver) was responsible for tying us into wrecks, setting up the trail line and tag line, briefing us on the dive site after tying us in, and generally helping out with getting us in and out of the water. On this boat, the deck hand got all of the tips. The reason for this was that the deck hand was ONLY working for tips. The Captain and Divemaster were paid crewmembers. I'll also say that on our 3 tank dive trip, I had no qualms about giving the deck hand $30 for the trip. His help was worth more than $30.

Again, that's just in the US. I have no experience (yet) diving outside the US. So, I have no idea of tipping protocol in other locations.

 

[Lorenzoid]

I just don't get the "working only for tips" thing. What is this person's status? Not an employee. Not an independent contractor for the dive op. Not someone we divers have hired directly. Is the person an "unpaid volunteer"? A dive operation isn't a charity, which is where we typically see "unpaid volunteers." No, as far as I can determine, the agreement between the dive op and unpaid helpers leaves the unpaid helper as basically a hobbyist who does what he does primarily because he enjoys it. If it were otherwise--if there were truly enough demand for this person's valued services--then we would be charged for it, either by the person directly or through the dive shop. I would be glad to pay whatever the cost for whatever the total amount of services I receive, but I'm not going to use "tipping" to pay someone what should be the fee for his services.

 

[FuAn]

Lorenzoid hit the nail on the head... there is no such thing as working for tips only...

However in general tips is a great way for business owners to give away the responsibility for fair income to increase their profit and put the burden and in if needed blame it on the customer. Just like anywhere in the service industry in the US, restaurant prices are not exactly cheap, yet restaurant businesses are allowed to pay below minimum wage because they claim tip to be part of the income. This is dishonest behavior against customers and employees as business are unwilling to communicate the fair price for their service, for me its lying to both. But this won't ever change unless the government would enforce minimum wages in all industries, but I guess thats never going to happen as the US political system is vastly based on keeping the stupid stupid, the poor poor and the sick sick all at once so they can't ever figure the misery those who they vote for are putting them in...

 

[Lorenzoid]

@FuAn , I despise the tipping scheme that US restaurants employ, but at least in that case the rules of the game are clear: the server is clearly an employee, and I the customer am expected to pay a portion of the value of the person's services directly to someone else's employee in the form of a so-called "tip"; and if the employer pays the server the lesser minimum wage that they are legally allowed to pay "tipped employees," the employer is required to make up any shortfall. It's a silly game, but at least the rules are clear to all the stakeholders: server, employer, customer, and IRS.

But what of the hapless divemaster who claims to "work only for tips"? Not clear at all.

 

[J322Y]

My first thought is liability. How would an unpaid helper be covered against injury? Maybe as an independent contractor, however there is a fairly narrow legal definition of that if I understand correctly.

 

[FuAn]

I did not know that they have to make up shortfall, thats good to know thanks for that info. However for me it is just another expression of how the government is supporting these dishonest practices.

 

[george_austin]

Precisely why DM'ing on boats - at least in California - is a wash. You may do it for a variety of reasons like getting the experience, free dives if someone can cover you for 20 or 30 minutes, fun being out on the water, supplemental income (hamburger money) - but it certainly isn't a career or anything.
Most of us do it to lend a hand to our friends the charter owners and we all have "real jobs"
I used to, 20 years ago, make quite a bit of cash money but that was usually on / after multi-day trips on full service cattle boats 27-34 customers and I was also making 3 very nice meals a day plus putting out snacks and cleaning up the galley (17 hour days) DM- ing between meals and the night diving.
It's exhausting work but I'd make about 200 USD / day and do 4-5 short solo dives a day if the conditions were good.