Expectations on a dive boat

[chillyinCanada]

Like netdoc, above and beyond my general dive related expectations of boat and crew, I want a cheerful experience. If the crew is in a good mood and/or full of humor, I'm likely to tip more.

OP has to tell me where he/she is going and what kind of service before I can say what think is acceptable tip amount.

 

[dallaskincaid]

As others have stated, expectations should vary wildly and will be pretty dependent on the level of diving. Its going to vary from crew changing out tanks for you and giving you a warm towel, to someone who is merely providing safe taxi service to a wreck site, and everything in-between. As a rule, I've found the more advanced the diving, the less involved the crew will be with helping you with your gear and thats fine with me.

 

[RJP]

And one more tip: ALWAYS tip each day even if you are doing a multi-day dive at a tropical resort. We went to Cozumel a few years back and dove with Scuba Du at the Presidente. We had a small group so we had our own boat. Our mistake was waiting until the end of the week to tip everybody. They did a great job for us, but I think they might have gone the extra step if they weren't anxious about getting that oh-so-important gringo gratuity.

The other reason to tip everyday is that the folks helping you may well change from one day to the next. You'd hate for some guy who happened to be there for one day - the last day of your trip - get a week's worth of tip money, while the guy who was there for six days - and Friday off - get nothing.

 

[Lorenzoid]

The other reason to tip everyday is that the folks helping you may well change from one day to the next. You'd hate for some guy who happened to be there for one day - the last day of your trip - get a week's worth of tip money, while the guy who was there for six days - and Friday off - get nothing.

And still another is that if you plan to hand over the total tip on the last day of your vacation and for some reason the last dive doesn't happen, you may need to trudge down to the dive shop (which is not always at the same site where your accommodations are) and awkwardly try to leave the tip there when you could have been sitting at the bar.

 

[Basking Ridge Diver]

Or your dealing with foreign currency and don't have a clue about the conversion rate. Say it was Portugal - and you hand the person 50 Escudos cause it sounds like a lot in dollars and the person gives you a head tilt but hey it is a foreign country and ignore it. Then afterwards you go down to the market and buy a single coke can for 750 escudos - then you realize - Doh! And then you need to go run and find them and make up the difference... Even though you cant speak Portuguese but some how you make amends - Not saying I ever did that but it could happen.
Then how would you feel?

 

[chillyinCanada]

I start out paying attention to where and how dive op is set up, ergo I make my tip delivery plan early. Some places I dive regularly, I choose to tip the whole shop and do that with an envelope at the end of the week. The shop knows me and so know what to expect. At that op I also slip the boat drivers a little something extra, because the shop and staff are almost all ex-pats but drivers are locals.

At another place I'm a very regular diver, they have captain DM teams and i would keep a log of which team i was eith each day and provide named envelopes at the end of my trip. I still feel good about that but recently found out that when i found that may not be best. When I can't actually locate the team to personally hand over the envelope, I'd been leaving it with the office to deliver. Turns out the office has been opening the envelopes and putting the tip money into an overall tip jar. I don't mind the tank guys and helpers getting a share but don't think the front office should be getting a share, so have started tipping by hand as I go.

Liveaboards, that's easy except for needing to have that kind of cash on me at the time.

 

[RJP]

Or your dealing with foreign currency and don't have a clue about the conversion rate. Say it was Portugal - and you hand the person 50 Escudos cause it sounds like a lot in dollars and the person gives you a head tilt but hey it is a foreign country and ignore it. Then afterwards you go down to the market and buy a single coke can for 750 escudos - then you realize - Doh! And then you need to go run and find them and make up the difference... Even though you cant speak Portuguese but some how you make amends - Not saying I ever did that but it could happen.
Then how would you feel?

I went the other way in Antigua once, signing a credit card slip and adding what I thought was an $800EC gratuity to the cost of a sailboat charter. Too many rum punches, I suppose. But the crew was far happier, I'm sure, with the $800US tip I actually left, rather than the $300US tip I had intended to leave. ($1US = $2.6EC)

 

[Wookie]

I went the other way in Antigua once, signing a credit card slip and adding what I thought was an $800EC gratuity to the cost of a sailboat charter. Too many rum punches, I suppose. But the crew was far happier, I'm sure, with the $800US tip I actually left, rather than the $300US tip I had intended to leave. ($1US = $2.6EC)

I think that I will start serving rum punch on the way back in.

 

[RJP]

I think that I will start serving rum punch on the way back in.

You need to ingrain an unfamiliar currency with the Queen on it all week, and then switch back to $USD on the last day as well...

 

[dmoore19]

That looks like about $37.00 US to me.

You need to ingrain an unfamiliar currency with the Queen on it all week, and then switch back to $USD on the last day as well...