Dive Resort Etiquette

[jkbonner]

I'm new to the sport so I've never been to a dive resort. I have traveled quite extensively throughout the world though so I do have a good foundation for international travel in developed and underdeveloped countries.
Recently, I was talking with a dive shop owner, in the United States, about signing up for a trip to an exotic dive resort in the Oceania. His excitement about the trip was encouraging, but he also related his experience of an earlier trip to a similar resort in the area that didn't work out according to his expectations. His assumption was that since his travel crew didn't drink and therefore didn't purchase alcohol at the resort, he and his travel companions didn't receive the same dive site quality as his friends from earlier trips. He blamed the lower quality dives on the fact that he and his crew weren't spending extra money on alcohol at the resort.
Though I won't turn down a good drink, I don't want to spend a lot of money on alcoholic beverages simply to be hungover at a great dive spot.

So, my question is:

What is the most polite, effective manner to encourage and reinforce a resort Dive Master to lead me or my group to the best dive spots in the area?
Tips?
Buying extra stuff at the resort?

Other than being friendly, courteous, and respectful which are a given; how best to go about encouraging the crew to get you to the best of what they've got?

I'm sure money talks and if that's the preferred method, what's an appropriate amount and when should such an incentive be provided?

Respectfully submitted.

 

[RJP]

Other than being friendly, courteous, and respectful which are a given; how best to go about encouraging the crew to get you to the best of what they've got?

I'm sure money talks and if that's the preferred method, what's an appropriate amount and when should such an incentive be provided?

Respectfully submitted.

I think the dive shop owner you spoke with is an out-and-out idiot.

99% of the time the dive operator at a resort is owned/operated separately from the resort itself; they are there for access to the resorts guests, and would probably prefer that you spent NOTHING at the resort so that you'd have more money to spend on diving.

That being said, the best way I've found to locate the "best of the best" dive operators anywhere in the world is to look no further than right here on ScubaBoard. Any resort/op that see good things about here - usually over and over again - are sure to be the type that will do right by you on your trip! Simply provide enough details for what you're looking for, want to avoid, budget, etc.

As for tipping...always at your discretion and always "after services rendered" though keep in mind that folks who work at resorts are often on different/odd schedules, so - for instance - the DM who you have for a two-tank trip this morning might not be back around for days. Even if I'm doing multiple dives/charters at a resort over a period of my stay, I still tip after each dive/charter.

Ray

 

[DeputyDan]

I agree with RJP.

Sounds kind of dumb....

 

[robint]

ditto.... he sounds like a duffus.

On dive trips, both land-based and liveaboard, we enjoy the occasional beer after the dive day is done. We do not drink in excess. We have never felt obligated to buy drinks in order to "support" a dive resort. I have never heard of something like that, as mentioned before - most resorts have a dive op that is its own entity, different managers, employees, etc. even if in the resort.

robin

 

[Riger]

What he and he and he said...

 

[warmwaterturner]

If the quality of the dive is based on the quantity of alcohol, I would seriously have to worry about their ethics. I want to dive....not deal with dehydration issues.

 

[fairybasslet]

First of all, at most resorts, the dive operations have an entirely different set of crew than the bar/restaurant. Sometimes, they are even separate businesses. So you think they keep a list of how many drinks someone has before going out in the morning? Not only that, if you're there for any length of time, your boat is assigned to you and your group at the beginning of the week. So if some divers on your boat are big drinkers, you think the dive shop is going to rearrange the boat to put the non-drinkers on a boat with a crappy guide? And suppose one buddy drinks more than the other? As the rest of the posters said, that dive shop owner is not very well informed

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I do not drink at all and my experiences are that in order to get the best sites you treat the crew with respect and listen to their briefings as if you give a crap about what they are saying. As long as they don't expect you to follow their plan( I always have my own that I stick to) and be led around by the nose I can pretty much do the aforementioned and most times guarantee a good experience. Tipping goes along with the quality of service I get from them, NOT the quality of the dive. If I have a bad dive it's my fault not theirs unless they are using mind control on the fish, have a direct line to mother nature, and can control the seas I am who determines the quality of the dive. Want a good tip? Leave my gear alone, do not touch my valve, and do not wag your finger in my face if I decide to stop and look at something other than what you are pointing out. Even better just stay on the boat and let me decide what I want to see. Have water, fresh fruit for the ride in and you'll do well in the tip dept.

 

[Damselfish]

That dive shop owner sure uses some curious logic. He compares trips to different resorts at different times and thinks the later experience was different because they didn't drink? Doesn't occur to him it was because it was a different resort with different staff, a different time with possibly different conditions, etc.

Or if the earlier bunch that drank thought their trip was better, maybe they were drunk and couldn't tell.

 

[DennisS]

That dive shop owner sure uses some curious logic. He compares trips to different resorts at different times and thinks the later experience was different because they didn't drink? Doesn't occur to him it was because it was a different resort with different staff, a different time with possibly different conditions, etc.

Or if the earlier bunch that drank thought their trip was better, maybe they were drunk and couldn't tell.

Everything looks better with beer goggles.