Crew Tips

[Tortuga James]

I don't pay my daily crew members, like most mates they work for the chance to dive and tips. I feel really bad when they get stiffed. My rotation of mates are a great bunch and they always earn every penny they get. I always make an announcement at the dock when we return, but enivitably there is one or two in the bunch that give them a $5 bill and think they have tipped adequately. I am sure the sign will not change all of "those guys" but maybe enough to make a difference.

Here is the sign I made:

 

[Wookie]

I think it's fine. It's exactly how I brief when getting off the boat. Yes, I actually have a boat briefing (don't forget your stuff, please wait until the engines shut down before stepping off the boat, ship's store, etc.) and include the location of the tip bucket. I also say that tipping isn't mandatory, but if someone doesn't tip, we want to know why, so here is my e-mail address for you to tell us. Because if we don't get a tip, I really do want to know what we did wrong to not get one.

 

[Akyla]

James,

Timely post as my guys just asked me if they could put a "mates work for tips" sign up like all the fish boats have posted. I am on the fence about it, but something like the one you have crafted might just do it for them without looking demanding. I might just add it to my briefing as well to get the point across.

The mates usually do just fine and I think often make more in the end than I do. But many divers can be the cheapest people on the planet and they sometimes don't. It is funny that the casual vacation divers are often the most generous and the hardcores often not so much yet both types can require just as much hand holding. The vacation newbies just cause they are new and the hardcore techies cause they can have so much crap they sometimes even have to be helped off the dressing bench!

 

[Tortuga James]

Dave, I truly believe that some folks don't tip fairly because they are clueless (or just cheap), not because they were not happy. I am sure it happens to wait staff in restaurants too. I had a group of 4 divers and 2 of them were in the dive business (one owned the shop and the other was an instructor there) They tipped my guy $40 for 2 days. That is $5 per person per day. That is when I decided to make the sign. I think they were just clueless.

My fee for the boat is $600 per day plus fuel. That is $100 per person and that is the fee that I base the 20% ($20). I don't think the fuel should factor in just like you don't have to tip on the price of the wine at dinner.

 

[NC myerssl]

As a mate on one of the boats out of Beaufort for the last seven years I can tell you that overall most groups and individuals tip fairly well. But our main focus is on the customers having a safe and enjoyable trip, (we also like to have a good time with them.) Tips are an after thought, even though they are appreciated.

People who don't tip as much are usually newer divers, so our goal is to make the trip(s) a lot of fun for them so they want to come back. Sooner or later they learn from others what is appropriate to tip when they receive good service without the overt pressure to tip appropriately.

Remember, it's all beer money anyway

 

[Ryan Y]

This is a good thread. It's stated on a sign on our boat that the crew Litterlaly work for tips only. I also remind the customers at the end of the day.
It goes without saying that dive groups (clubs,etc) that travel and book the boat tip my crew very well to the point the crew looks ahead on the schedule and tries their hardest to be able to work those trips.
I've said on the boat before to the customers that if they have any complaints to write it on the back of a $20.00 bill and stick in the tip jar.

 

[EastEndDiver]

Why not just charge and extra 20% and tell your "guests" that tipping is not necessary the crew is well paid?

 

[Tortuga James]

I don't pay my crew, they work for diving, tips and "fun" days. Actually collecting the money in the charter fee and then "paying" the crew would require payroll, taxes and all that stuff.