Bali Tipping - What's Typical?

[Lorenzoid]

Strictly addressing land-based dive operators and independent divemasters in Bali, not elsewhere in Indonesia, not liveaboards. I have been to Bali once before, but I did not dive. I have been elsewhere in Indonesia, but to major resorts where the tip amount at the end of the week was clearly suggested. On this trip--a self-organized dive safari around the island, I am using several smaller dive ops, and in at least one instance I'm doing just one dive with them before moving on. What is typical for ordinary service? What is typical for exceptional, personalized service?

My personal philosophy on tipping in general is that what's appropriate depends on where I am in the world and what nationalities make up the bulk of the visitors. I assume that because Bali draws such an international crowd, tipping is pretty much expected nowadays.

Also, do I tip a driver, and if so, how much? Suppose I have a dive resort send a vehicle to pick me up, and the dive resort asks that I pay them for this service, not pay the driver directly. The last time I was in Bali and had a driver take me up to Ubud I did not tip the driver because I hired him directly and negotiated the fare--he was not affiliated with a resort, hotel, or anyone else.

 

[Luko]

Ok firstly I would say do not tip everyone everywhere.
Whenever there is a tip that is suggested in the resorts, it is usually BS that is aimed for US tourists and helps the operation pay low wages. I have hardly seen european managed resorts showing guidelines for a tip.
I already discussed this point with N/Sulawesi operators and clearly told them that what suggeted was a bias of what is usual elsewhere, a kind of "imported" usage of tipping.

That said I tip some people and some others not.
Usually when I have my own driver and he is a nice guy, let's say I would add up 10% on top of the agreed price. for instance pay 500kIDR/day instead of 450kIDR agreed price. Nothing at the end if ever he tries to lead me to commissioned shops or stuff like that, I won't tip the drivers that are hired by the resorts, I will put a couple of 100kIDR notes at the end of the stay in the staff tipbox.

btw I would love to hear Wisnu's take on tipping in Bali.

For my private dive guides, they will get 100kIDR per day (3 dives) on average for 3 or 4 days diving (300 or 400kIDR at the end of the stay), when one of the guides really goes out of his way (for instance I had one guide who proposed to surface and call back the boat because he didin't feel the place for a certain critter, resumed the diving 200m away, helped me light up a rhinopias with a snooted strobe, etc.) I tipped him 300kIDR at the end of the day/3 dives..

i don't remember having single dives with a dive op, but if it was the case I would hasitate between nothing if I were into a dive group and 50kIDR if the dive guide was showing lots of things like a private guide.

 

[Centrals]

If you ever see any young females loading the tank especially in Tulamben, leave them alone. They are being paid for the number of tanks they carried.
I wonder if this practice had changed since I was there yrs ago.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Thanks, @Luko, that is exactly what I meant. I don't tip American-style everywhere in the world I go. I realize that American-style tipping is gradually invading the rest of the world (sorry!), but I try to tip according to whatever the current practices are in the place I happen to be.

The land-based resort (Sulawesi) I stayed at on a previous trip was gentle with the tipping suggestion, but the liveaboard was quite up front about it. It did not matter that some divers on the boat were from countries that do not have a tipping culture--all of us were strongly encouraged to leave a 10% tip. As I said, I suspect this will be different with a smaller, especially a European-managed, land-based dive operator. Your guidelines seems reasonable to me.

 

[billt4sf]

I really appreciate hearing some REASONABLE suggestions on tipping! I was brought up to believe that a tip is something "extra" for extra effort. I realize that things have changed, but at the same time, let's not distort every economy we visit.

- Bill & Emily

 

[Wisnu]

For me is very simple. I will tip any body if I'm happy and or if they provide (not always necessary) excellent service or extra service.
In most case I tip the dive guide Rp. 100k per day and 200 -400K for the tip box. There was a case I give my BCD (still in good condition) and another case my wet suit to the dive guide.
There's several occasion that I didn't tip a single cent to the person and or the tip box.
So, practically no rule other than my rule.

 

[Lorenzoid]

@Wisnu, would Rp 100k per day be per diver? In other words, should my wife and I consider tipping our guide 200k per day? At, say, Liberty Dive Resort, where you get assigned a private guide--and they are reputed to be very good at what they do--I am guessing a substantial tip would be in order.

 

[Wisnu]

Lorenzoid, I normally dive with my wife - some time with my daughters too. The Rp. 100K is for one guide. So, if they assigned us one guide I'll pay Rp. 100K but if I get two or three diveguides, then Rp. 100K per dive guide. Not always the case though.

 

[Manuel Sam]

I often get asked this question because every so often I charter or organize trips. I always reply with my disclaimer statement: Tipping is a very personal thing and I don’t impose my tipping guidelines upon others. And that’s because we can have different perceptions of what poor, good or outstanding service is, and as already mentioned, we often come from different tipping cultures. If my friends (some from Asia, some from Europe and some from the US) press me for an answer, then I tell them that I start at 10% and add accordingly. I can substract too, when I deem the service inadequate, but getting poor service in the Indo-Pacific (and more specifically, Indonesia and Philippines) has been an extremely rare experience for me.

Now, I know I am stirring a hornet’s nest by saying what follows, since I do come from the tip-happy US of A.

Because these are the people with whom I interact the most and who play a major role in the success of my dive trip, I often give more to dive guides and the dive staff (the boat crew, the behind-the-scene people who fill the tanks, people who lug tanks, carry the gear, etc.) because when I put things into perspective and look at my version of the bigger picture, (1) an extra $10, $20 or $50 is a looooot easier to come by for me than for them, but carries a loooot more mileage/buying power for them; and (2) doing that kind of work is relatively short-lived, I think. I don’t often see dive guides or dive staff working well into their 50’s… who knows, maybe they hide their ages well. Or maybe they make so much that they can afford to retire early…… possible, but not likely.

So whereas many of us can work well into our 50’s and 60’s to secure our retirement, usually with progressively better pay each successive year, my guess is that their prime earning years are between 20 and 40, maybe 45…who knows. Advancing age and the rigors of these jobs tend to sap strength, maybe health, and in most likelihood, eyesight. And after that, then what? Again, this may be speculation on my part but things like pension plans, IRA, or social security probably do not exist in their vocabulary. What they are able to save from what they make in their prime earning years IS their retirement kitty. So in the whole scheme of things, maybe giving a little extra is about bringing a little extra cheer to the people who bring me cheer.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Thanks, everyone. Again, I was asking only about what's typical in Bali specifically, since I perceive it as such a melting pot of people from all over and with its own culture and economy that don't really reflect the rest of Indonesia. I think I have a feel for it now.