My son is a deck ape. Counting tips, he might be lucky to earn $14 an hour doing what he loves. He's still hoping to save enough to own his own dive op.
After shepherding once a year divers that panic in the water and then blame their guide, and "instructors" that put their bcd on the tank upside down (true story), it gets hard to care. But he still does.
It's not always deliberate inattention. I'm just saying...
Your son sounds like a hard worker, I hope he does well.
We do not tip in Oz, and expect to be paid a fair wage for the work we do and do it well, show and expect respect is a given [I have seen blood if not,we don't care who you are].
The worst examples of "deck apes" were not in Australia, have seen a few though.
Having owned a charter boat for divers I have seen the worst and best in 'deck crew', I am over critical of what I NOW see on dive boats in my area, and further North of me.
Funny story about upside down BCD, I once saw a PADI Course director [ this was during a real rescue of a diver , I was towing him to the boat on the surface], the director did a backward roll in to help me without his fins [panic on his part], by the time he had his fins on I was at the boat exhausted with a diver in trouble. he survived, the director looked a fool, "No names, no Court Martial " and long time has passed.
Rant over, back on topic.
