Tipping in Key Largo???

[FuAn]

Yes, your waitstaff expects 20%, your room steward would like 10% or $10 a day, and your DM would like $10 a tank. The service industry is what it is.

No its not!
In other parts of the world even service workers get treated as human beings and paid fairly. This is one thing I will never get over with in this country why can't you just pay your people right and price things accordingly? And I am the least person not to tip if I receive great service but putting the burden on the employe paying them not at all or below minimum wage and tell people tip is part of their salary is nothing but wrongful employer friendly behavior.

 

[The Chairman]

$10/tank is great!

​

 

[Wookie]

No its not!
In other parts of the world even service workers get treated as human beings and paid fairly. This is one thing I will never get over with in this country why can't you just pay your people right and price things accordingly? And I am the least person not to tip if I receive great service but putting the burden on the employe paying them not at all or below minimum wage and tell people tip is part of their salary is nothing but wrongful employer friendly behavior.

What parts of the world do you dive in where service workers (ie dive boat crew) are paid fairly? As far as I know, I was the only Liveaboard owner to pay my crew a living wage, as well as covering their medical, room and board, and flights to/from the boat.

And I've worked on quite a few liveaboards.

 

[FuAn]

What parts of the world do you dive in where service workers (ie dive boat crew) are paid fairly? As far as I know, I was the only Liveaboard owner to pay my crew a living wage, as well as covering their medical, room and board, and flights to/from the boat.

And I've worked on quite a few liveaboards.

Frank,

ok I change my word from fairly to livable wage, I agree that dive professionals are not paid well enough considering their duties and responsibilities. I also agree service staff might not be paid very well in other industries.

I could name a few dive businesses but I don't want to start a fight over names and businesses. And we could now start a discussion about where to tip how in hotels and restaurants, it is certainly not everywhere like in the US.
But I do however applaud you having paid living wages to your crew and I know the Spree is well missed at least in Houston.

 

[Rred]

Noj-
You can't miss the TIP JAR and if the guy running the boat (who may or may not be the captain) does his job he certainly WILL remind you that if you are happy with the service, let them know about it.
Whether ten bucks a tank is fair depends on what service you need or want, and what service you were given. If the crew just spring up without being asked, help you get the tank on, tank off, help you over to the side in rough conditions, reach out for your gear and help you aboard, I'd say they were working for it. If they just kinda hang out and you have to keep calling them over...that's not very likely in the Keys, there are lots of underpaid hands competing for positions.

 

[noj3333]

Thanks everyone... this post was bumped and is older now. I loved my time with RR... and I was happy to tip the crew what I thought was fair and appropriate for their services.
I hope to get back there in the Spring of '18...

 

[Flotsam]

If it's a boat with a couple DMs, how does the tipping work? Is it per tank for each dm (2 tanks ~$20-30 each), or split the total with them? And tip the guide separately, right?

 

[The Chairman]

Tip your guide separately, and the crew as one.

 

[NYCNaiad]

Tip your guide separately, and the crew as one.

This is interesting. So if you had a decent guide & a decent crew for a 2-tank guide...you would tip the guide $20 and the crew as a whole $20 (to divide up among them)?

 

[The Chairman]

This is interesting. So if you had a decent guide & a decent crew for a 2-tank guide...you would tip the guide $20 and the crew as a whole $20 (to divide up among them)?

The guide doesn't always share in the bounty. Some do. Some don't. Many of us are independent guides, so the crew doesn't even see us as 'crew'. That's OK.

BTW, the best tip I ever got was because I was sick. I've shared this before, but it is kind of funny. I dove in the morning with SB Invasion peeps... @LowVizWiz and his gang. I was feeling poorly, but I didn't get really sick until I got deep. It was horrible and I tried to back out of the afternoon guiding gig... I couldn't do it. @mselenaous brought me all sorts of meds for my tummy and even sea sick crud. We're not down five minutes and I felt the world go in a spin. I grabbed the nearest rock, spit out my reg and went yackity yack. I was immediately swarmed by anything with a yellow tail. This kept happening throughout the dive and I would keep ducking my head down low, trying to protect my clients from seeing the vomitous. They had a blast and I was planning my funeral. On shore, I trying my hardest to be helpful and do the stuff a guide should do, when the Dad came up to me and gave me the biggest tip I had ever seen. We called me the "Fish Whisperer" and thought I was praying or calling them to me whenever I ducked my head. He even told me that the tip was all for me and that he had taken care of the crew separately. Boy, that put my whole ordeal in a different perspective and I didn't feel as sorry for myself.

Here's the bad side of tipping. When the waves get rough and the weather is not cooperative, there are very, very few tips. This is when your crew and guide are working their hardest to serve you, but since you didn't have fun, they don't make as much. Sure, they're used to it, but that's when I give an extra special tip. I remember how that huge tip made me feel a lot better about life when things were as crappy as I had ever experienced. It's not their fault that the seas don't want you and you can bet they wouldn't be there if they weren't being paid. Just a thought, but if you put them through hell by insisting to dive when Poseidon is playing rough, then make it worth their while.