Tipping customs in Indonesia, Bali, Wakatobi?

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In my moderator's voice:

Take it easy in here please. Some of you go too far sometimes when addressing each other.

Let's keep a RESPECTFUL discourse going on this matter.

Thank you.
 
Leaving gear or expensive stuff is an exceptional case, ie. when I'm very happy and I don't like gear I use or want to buy new gear.

I bought probably one of the most expensive and optically fine divemask on the market (atomic venom ) which doesn't fit me (ok marketing got me) hence pretty much as new.

I wanted to give it to my guide, he said nah, it's crap
 
I think tipping is a very personal thing. For me if I think I had great service, I have no hesitation to give a big tip, if it equals their salary or more so be it. Being from this part of the world (SE Asia), it was only one or two generations back where my parents and grandparents were in jobs no different from the Indonesian guides/cooks/deck ends, etc. If I can leave a good tip and make their day, week, month, why not? Its not a large chuck of how much I spent on the LOB trip anyway.
 
There is more to it than tipping. This is an ethical conundrum for me.
I have been to resorts where the priority was clearly the profit the "Owner" could make. We tipped directly to the staff and left with virtually empty suitcases. :( The staff were so grateful for everything. We had also brought heaps of sun glasses, colouring books, pencils, crayons and first aid supplies with the intent of giving them away. We research ahead an avoid those types of places which sadly means the staff also miss out. That makes it hard:(

With research we would rather spend our money at a resort that does good things for the locals, the environment and treats their staff well. We prefer to spend our money at places like Lembeh and Siladin where they provide staff with decent work clothes and top notch dive gear. Like mentioned about Wakatobi they have policies to motivate and educate the locals to maintain the marine environment we all enjoy. For example I know Siladen pays a "finder's fee" to let them know about turtle nests and an additional reward when the nest hatches out. They support the local school and work to give the next generation the skills needed to support themselves. I am going to stop before I am mistaken for someone with a vested interest in one of these resorts. I am just one person who is doing all I can to contribute in a positive way by supporting businesses that I believe have business plans that support what is important to me.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.

I've been on 11 and many have been in Indonesia. 5% is what is generally recommended - and this is even from a French owned and run boat in Indonesia. You can obviously give more or less as you see fit and only you can make that decision for yourself.

I hope this helps.
 
Thanks. 5% works out to about the amount @WetInPortland mentioned. That seems reasonable. Twice that not so much.
 
I've been on 11 and many have been in Indonesia. 5% is what is generally recommended - and this is even from a French owned and run boat in Indonesia. You can obviously give more or less as you see fit and only you can make that decision for yourself.

I hope this helps.

I think the “5-10%” suggested range contemplates that Americans will tip 10%, and the rest of the world will tip 5%.
 
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