How much to tip dive masters and boat crew in Cozumel?

[Lorenzoid]

However, when traveling it is good manners to follow local customs. Not tipping a waiter(or any service job) in a country where tipping is part of the deal for that job, does nothing to change a terrible system.

I agree, and that is how I handle it. The wrinkle is that customs in Cozumel, Cancun, etc. are highly influenced by the large number of US visitors, yet perhaps not entirely aligned with the US system of tipping because there are still many visitors from Europe and elsewhere that tips are lower or nonexistent. I don't know what is the most locally appropriate amount to tip in Cozumel (which is why I always read threads like this with interest). One way to handle it might be to tip less than is customary in the US but more than customary in some European countries. I contrast Cozumel with that other SB favorite, Bonaire. On Bonaire, a large proportion, maybe even a majority, of visitors are from the Netherlands, a non-tipping country. I was on a dive boat in Bonaire where everyone but my wife and me and one of the DMs was Dutch, and I'd be surprised if there was any tipping going on. But Cozumel? What is customary in the dive and tourism sector is clearly skewed toward US customs.

 

[scubadada]

Good comments @Lorenzoid.

One would think that Europeans and other visitors from a non-tipping culture would also behave as per the local practice and tip. That's probably too easy.

I still usually tip $10 per tank in the US, which also comes out to about 20% of the two tank trip without rental cylinders. When I travel, I look at what 20% of a two tank dive looks like. I have not been to Cozumel for some time but use Aldora Divers. Their current 2 tank trip is $95, I would probably tip $10 per tank. In Bonaire, I do some boat dives with Dive Friends. Their 2 tank trips run just over $50 on our package. Dive Friends collets tips in the shop at the end of the trip and distributes it to all employees. I leave about $5 per tank and a bit extra for all the folks who helped me in the shop, filled my tanks...

 

[ReefHound]

I think service staff in Coz are generally aware of the tipping cultures of their guests and temper expectations accordingly. Whereas they may expect a 10% tip from a local as customary but are looking for 15-20% from an American while being pleasantly surprised to get 10% from a Euro/Asian.

 

[Lorenzoid]

One would think that Europeans and other visitors from a non-tipping culture would also behave as per the local practice and tip. That's probably too easy.

I'm sure there are some who don't, likely just through laziness rather than some conscious motivation. As far as I have been able to tell, my European friends and relatives have been savvy enough world travelers to have done their research and behaved accordingly (though I have witnessed my father-in-law eat tacos with a knife and fork). They know how to tip when in the US.

Now, if those people from places where tipping is different than in the US are heading to Cozumel and reading this thread, I would hope they don't feel obligated to leave American-sized tips, as they have the same right to affect how tipping works in Cozumel as we Americans do--proportionally to how many of us visit, I suppose.

 

[Divegoose]

I generally tip what I can afford. Being retired, I live on a fixed income. I actually have to work part time so that I have the opportunity to travel.

When I do travel, I have a budget that I need to follow. With the current exchange rates, my Canadian dollar is at least 30% less than the value of a U.S. dollar, or in other words, my trip costs at least 30% more, as everything is in U.S. dollars.

Some trips the divemasters and boat crew get healthy tips, while on other trips unfortunately not quite as much. I do refer other divers to my favourite resorts, sometimes bringing the resorts much needed business.

Divegoose

 

[ggunn]

With the current exchange rates, my Canadian dollar is at least 30% less than the value of a U.S. dollar, or in other words, my trip costs at least 30% more, as everything is in U.S. dollars.

It wouldn't change anything if the price were in pesos; at this moment $1 CDN = 14.53 pesos and $1 US = 19.82 pesos. 19.82 pesos / 14.53 pesos = 1.364.

Also at this moment $1 US = $1.36 CDN, i.e., the same.

 

[Divegoose]

It wouldn't change anything if the price were in pesos; at this moment $1 CDN = 14.53 pesos and $1 US = 19.82 pesos. 19.82 pesos / 14.53 pesos = 1.364.

Also at this moment $1 US = $1.36 CDN, i.e., the same.

At $1.36 Cdn for $1.00 US dollar, my $2040.85 bill comes to $2775.56.

Yes - I do have to budget, and yes unfortunately I am not able to tip as much as I would like at times.

Divegoose

 

[scubadada]

If you can afford to travel to Cozumel for a week of diving, you can afford to leave a reasonable tip for the dive crew. It's an expense that should be accounted for, like your meals and drinks,

 

[Scubagolf]

I make it easy, tipping 20%, except in rare cases of very very good or very very poor service.

 

[DandyDon]

At $1.36 Cdn for $1.00 US dollar, my $2040.85 bill comes to $2775.56.

It's been a long time, but I think I remember the Canadian dollar being valued the same as the USD, but that was then. They're different countries with different everything. I've always wondered why Canadians claimed that things cost them more just because their currency is also called a DOLLAR. Their GNP is a third less than in the US, but that's different.