robjackson_97
Registered
I'm taking a live aboard dive trip in Australia in a few weeks. What is the general rule for tipping there?
Tipping and live aboard
- Thread starter robjackson_97
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
I'm sure some of the Aussie's on SB will also give you some advice.
In general tipping isn't as common in Australia as in the US.
The liveaboards I've done in the Caribbean (e.g., Aggressor/Peter Hughes) suggest 10% of the package price.
I've done 3 different trips on the GBR/Coral Sea. The same level of tipping wasn't expected from the crews. They will have tip bucket out at the end of the trip and you can put whatever cash tip you want in it. It's more anonymous than I've experience elsewhere (one boat in Caribbean posted the tips by passenger at the end of the last afternoon!! :shocked2: unbelievable). I don't know if they would take credit cards for tips or not (in other parts of the world they do).
I didn't tip at the 10% level, but I did give a respectable tip because the crews had worked hard on all of the trips I did.
Which boat are you on? Have a great time!
In general tipping isn't as common in Australia as in the US.
The liveaboards I've done in the Caribbean (e.g., Aggressor/Peter Hughes) suggest 10% of the package price.
I've done 3 different trips on the GBR/Coral Sea. The same level of tipping wasn't expected from the crews. They will have tip bucket out at the end of the trip and you can put whatever cash tip you want in it. It's more anonymous than I've experience elsewhere (one boat in Caribbean posted the tips by passenger at the end of the last afternoon!! :shocked2: unbelievable). I don't know if they would take credit cards for tips or not (in other parts of the world they do).
I didn't tip at the 10% level, but I did give a respectable tip because the crews had worked hard on all of the trips I did.
Which boat are you on? Have a great time!
almitywife
Vegemite Mod
god i hate tipping....
FairyBasslet took a liveaboard trip about 2yrs ago and on the boat was a price list and it had tips on the thing also - personally i would have pee'd all over that sign as tipping is NOT australian
but... most of the staff on liveaboards work for free food, bed, diving & min wage (and thats our min wage not yours and so dont feel to bad for them) so they are trying to get on the tipping band wagon because they know the US people are so use to tipping. if we have a good trip with a good crew we have put money on the bar to buy a few rounds for the crew or bought them a slab as thanks
uggghhh... i hate tipping, im not cheap its just so not the aussie way!
FairyBasslet took a liveaboard trip about 2yrs ago and on the boat was a price list and it had tips on the thing also - personally i would have pee'd all over that sign as tipping is NOT australian
but... most of the staff on liveaboards work for free food, bed, diving & min wage (and thats our min wage not yours and so dont feel to bad for them) so they are trying to get on the tipping band wagon because they know the US people are so use to tipping. if we have a good trip with a good crew we have put money on the bar to buy a few rounds for the crew or bought them a slab as thanks
uggghhh... i hate tipping, im not cheap its just so not the aussie way!
Last edited:
burna
Contributor
Couldn't agree more, however, it is very nice to be on the receiving end of a tip!
I used to work in the tourism industry at Uluru (Ayers Rock), so it obviously wasn't diving. I occasionally used to get a tip from international passengers generally German or American.
I certainly never expected a tip and I never, ever got one from fellow Aussie's.
Last edited:
I'm not sure of the minimum wage in either the States or Oz at the moment. But I'd say, in Oz it is probably between 2 & 3 times that of the States. Tipping should not be necessary.
Our forebears fought long & hard for a living wage. Everything from court action to pitched battles in the street. I don't like anything that puts that at risk. We got rid of the last government for trying to take the outcome of those battles away & turn us into Americans with their hand out for a tip just to survive. Well there may have been a couple of other reasons too, but that was a big one.
No one in Oz has to work for peanuts. So if they do, that's their choice & they can live with their own decisions. In Oz, people get paid a proper wage to do a proper job. There should never be any need tip someone. If they want more money to do their job they can talk to their employer, who has already folded the cost of a decent wage into the cost of the good's or service supplied.
I won't tip, I'v knocked back more tips than you can pock a stick at. The only place I'v ever dived where they pointed out the tip box (Queensland) I laughed at them & said if they want their employees to be paid they can charge enough up front to support the wages.
In short, I HATE TIPPING.
Our forebears fought long & hard for a living wage. Everything from court action to pitched battles in the street. I don't like anything that puts that at risk. We got rid of the last government for trying to take the outcome of those battles away & turn us into Americans with their hand out for a tip just to survive. Well there may have been a couple of other reasons too, but that was a big one.
No one in Oz has to work for peanuts. So if they do, that's their choice & they can live with their own decisions. In Oz, people get paid a proper wage to do a proper job. There should never be any need tip someone. If they want more money to do their job they can talk to their employer, who has already folded the cost of a decent wage into the cost of the good's or service supplied.
I won't tip, I'v knocked back more tips than you can pock a stick at. The only place I'v ever dived where they pointed out the tip box (Queensland) I laughed at them & said if they want their employees to be paid they can charge enough up front to support the wages.
In short, I HATE TIPPING.
Sas
Contributor
I would not tip personally.
Australia has a decent minimum wage (as well as free health care, primary/secondary education, more comprehensive social security network than the US) so I feel it unnecessary. I already pay nearly half my wages towards those things with my tax
so I won't tip Australian workers in general and when I have been offered tips (always from Americans 
) I have refused them.
I suspect liveaboards might "suggest" tips due to the high numbers of American tourists who are used to it in the US, but it is not part of Australian culture and I would not expect that just because a visitor comes from a tipping culture that they should do the same in Australia. I know if I travel to a tipping country I will tip but not otherwise. "When in Rome..."
Almitywife's suggestion of getting them drinks is a good idea, and something that I think is a more acceptable way in Australia to show that you liked the service.
Australia has a decent minimum wage (as well as free health care, primary/secondary education, more comprehensive social security network than the US) so I feel it unnecessary. I already pay nearly half my wages towards those things with my tax
so I won't tip Australian workers in general and when I have been offered tips (always from Americans ) I have refused them.I suspect liveaboards might "suggest" tips due to the high numbers of American tourists who are used to it in the US, but it is not part of Australian culture and I would not expect that just because a visitor comes from a tipping culture that they should do the same in Australia. I know if I travel to a tipping country I will tip but not otherwise. "When in Rome..."
Almitywife's suggestion of getting them drinks is a good idea, and something that I think is a more acceptable way in Australia to show that you liked the service.
MA
Contributor
I've been on quite a few and as an aussie they completely understand that us aussies don't tip. However, most of my experiences have been so good, where the staff go so far out of their way to ensure that the passengers have a good trip (and often some trying ones) i usually throw some in the jar.
Similar threads
