Hi, sorry to reopen this but we are signed up for 2 lob trips.
One is on Pelagian, the other Blue Manta. We are not divers, we snorkel.
Blue Manta suggests 5 to 10 percent of the trip price. That is up to $700 us for a week. Is that what's usual? Just checking.
Other boats I have been on were Australian, nontipping. New to this.
Bottom line: Tip what you feel is appropriate.
For me that's about $5 USD per dive if the support is very good or better. On a live aboard, you also have the cabin and food service staff to consider. On a large cruise ship, the standard charge is somewhere around $12/pp/pd for a cabin steward, head waiter, assistant waiter, and maitre'd. I usually have the standard gratuities removed from the bill and tip directly to all those except the maitre'd, which is a management position that I don't feel is necessary to tip. So 20 dives @ $5/dive + 7 days @ $10/day would be about $170pp. I figure this into the total price when comparing companies (so if an Austrailian operator who pays their staff sufficiently that tipping isn't necessary charges $100 more for a week, that's a better deal based on price alone).
How the operator/resort handles tipping does change from location to location. Wakatobi very strongly states that they do not want guests to tip staff directly, as it causes friction between staff (who may be tipped different amounts for, presumably, the same work). Most places have separate tip pools for dive staff and hospitality staff.
I've stayed places that have recommended tipping rates that are, IMNSHO, are from another planet. They justify it by listing all the people the tips go to, including the cooks, the gardeners, the security guards, the dog, the dog's brother, etc. I just laugh as I drop that page in the trash. There have been places where the dive staff ignored my repeated requests as to how to handle my gear (do NOT lift the BC w/ tank by the bladder!) and I left no tip. One could argue that, as snorkelers, you don't need as much from the DM/dive staff; on the other hand, it could also be argued that you're taking a slot that might otherwise go to a diver.
Liveaboard operators and large resorts seem to have adopted a tipping philosophy by what kind of guests have the largest tipping customs (generally Americans). This makes no sense when they are marketing to a world-wide audience. If you're from somewhere that doesn't have a large tipping custom (Austraila, UK, Canada, among others) you might try to compare the charged price among different operators, if that's possible. Again, tip what YOU feel is appropriate.