Tipping in Key Largo???

[Mouth Breather]

Wow I feel like a cheapskate thanks to this thread. I have been on just about every charter in SoFla and have never tipped more than $10 per trip. Never noticed anyone that tipped more than that either.

 

[The Chairman]

Never noticed anyone that tipped more than that either.

Don't feel bad: a lot of people just won't tip, especially if the seas are rough. I saw an older diver drop two quarters in the tip jar. Hey, she did what she could and that's cool. However, I was envisioning the captain and two crew splitting a half a coke on the back of the stern, so I had to chuckle to myself.

 

[Lorenzoid]

I like the advice to tip more in crappy weather, when the crew is working their hardest.

 

[Basking Ridge Diver]

Here's the bad side of tipping.

And of course the flip side of bad. My son and I were diving - had a great two dives and we were getting ready to head home. The Captain got an urgent request to go a further 30 miles out to sea to tow back in a fishing boat from the same charter company. I had no phone service of course and when asked I asked I said sure go get them - how can you not? That was not the answer I wanted to give them but I understood the predicament.

But it added an additional 3 hours to the dive trip - getting in after dark. My wife was furious - we were on vacation and had plans for dinner.

So I stiffed the crew and did not feel bad about it. They could have gotten Sea Tow or someone to tow them in of course - but they chose to get them. But I felt my time was not worth it.... However I also felt bad for those on the fishing charter and did not want to leave them in the dark - I have been there done that and it sucks...

But for me - the decision was made on the way in - sitting in the back of the boat maybe doing 2 knots the whole way in...
It can be a cruel world and you need to be ready to be stiffed even if you are doing the best you can...

 

[Wookie]

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.

In Key Largo, the private guides are almost always subcontractors for the dive shop, no? Except for RR and in Islamorada Key Dives, guides are typically not automatically included?

 

[The Chairman]

So I stiffed the crew

Sometimes you need to "stiff" the crew. There was a boat out of Phil Foster Park (Not the one currently there) called the SS Minnow we had dubbed the vomit comet. I had a class of six and was assured that we would have less than three foot seas. I don't take students out in bigger seas than that. I want their first dives to be FUN, FUN, FUN. The captain assured me that in spite of the bad weather report I had read, that we would be fine. We weren't. During the six+ seas, she made a snide comment about my students not being very sea worthy and that she thought less of me as an instructor for not wanting to take students out in crappy weather. Then a student slipped while between dives and broke his finger. I called the trip. She wanted to know how I could do that when there was one other diver on the boat. I pointed out that she was her friend and diving for free. Take us in, NOW. To add insult to injury, she filled up (Deisel) on the way in. The few who weren't puking from the seas on the ocean were spewing from the fumes there in the bay. She told me that we would have to pay again when we rebooked, and I told her to go to hell. I would never go on her boat again and told my students to keep their tip money. What a horrid captain. She was livid at that point and told me that I would never, ever teach on another boat in Florida. I have never been rejected and she soon went out of business.

Tips are not automatic and they shouldn't be. Tip for great service.

 

[The Chairman]

In Key Largo, the private guides are almost always subcontractors for the dive shop, no? Except for RR and in Islamorada Key Dives, guides are typically not automatically included?

In KL, most guides you hire through the shop are on their payroll but not always. All who guide in the Keys belong to the Drug Testing Consortium to prove that we're clean and they count us all as crew for the USCG, but we're not necessarily their employees, especially if we're guiding for another shop on the boat. There are several shops in Miami and even in the Keys that don't own boats. They put you on someone else's boat with their dive guides. While I get a few people asking me to guide them, I more often guide for other shops. The guy who gave me that bodacious tip was visiting Miami from NYC and had contracted the dives through South Beach on Ocean Divers.

 

[NYCNaiad]

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.
...
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.

The fish whisperer. lol

This is all very surprising to me & fantastic to see the other side of this. I thought I was tipping well because I give $10-$15/tank regardless of what we see or what the weather is like since to me it's the person/service that I'm tipping. ($10 is for regular service & then it easily goes up from there.) I didn't think I had an independent guide since they all seemed to be a part of the shop wearing the shop's shirts. But I have been diving with one you mentioned (Ocean Divers). How would I tell if someone is an independent guide?

Also, it sounds as if you're saying that regardless of whether there is an independent guide or not, you think a reasonable tip is $10/tank/guide + $10/tank/crew? I ask because I don't think I've ever seen that before. Some people have even said that I'm tipping too much when I've done $15/tank. (When I was really young, I worked as a waitress. Because of that, my minimum tip for regular service at a restaurant is 20% & if they do a nice job, I tend to tip much higher. I'm wondering if you're looking at this in a similar way? I don't want to under tip, but I also want to make sure I'm also somewhat in line with the industry standard & you're noting twice what I thought the standard was.)

Appreciate all of your insight.

 

[The Chairman]

But I have been diving with one you mentioned (Ocean Divers). How would I tell if someone is an independent guide?

Did you pay extra? If you contracted through Ocean Divers, and it's their guide, then they're a part of the crew. If you contracted through someone other than the shop running the boat, then you probably have a private guide or at least a semi-private guide. Not sure? Ask. FWIW, I've seen some shops come on the boats and collect the tips under the premise they were going to give them to the crew and then keep the tips for their staff. Grrrrrrrrr. I don't think that's nice. Bypass all that and give the tip directly to the boat crew. I can guarantee that they do more for you than the visiting crew.

Also, it sounds as if you're saying that regardless of whether there is an independent guide or not, you think a reasonable tip is $10/tank/guide + $10/tank/crew?

As much as I dive, I couldn't afford that. My tipping starts at $5/tank for good service. If I get excellent service or they have to endure a lot (bad weather or divers), then that goes up. I never ever use a guide since I R 1. Even if I'm off in a foreign country, I don't like being guided and I find ways of convincing them to let me do my own thing. Sometimes that means a "Leave me alone" bribe, er tip! To further complicate things, if I'm bringing peeps on a boat (teaching, guiding or a group), then I am probably not going to tip. My tip is bringing them lots and lots of customers and I don't feel bad about that. If my clients tip me, I will share that tip unless I'm asked not to. As an independent guide, I very, very rarely get tipped. They often tell me that they've tipped me in "the jar", but I'm not about to ask for my share. That would be gauche. I do encourage everyone of my students to tip the crew and not worry about me. I'm OK by that as I've usually had a blast teaching and/or guiding. When I do get tipped, it stands out in my mind. In my case, it's truly never expected, but it's always appreciated.

Caveat: the best tip for me is posting about our fun right here on ScubaBoard. Do your dive op a real favor and post about them HERE, where Google can find them. Use their names, the shop's name, the shop's website and even the op's phone number. Ask @CajunDiva how that's worked out for her! It used to be word of mouth, but now it's word of internet.

 

[NYCNaiad]

Ah, ok. Then I likely haven't had independent guides, but I will keep this in mind in the future. That's shocking a shop would steal money like that even if it's for their own crew.

And I have also been putting the tip in the jar the captain has set aside for this purpose (because I was told this would be more fairly divided ensuring that all the crew got their share) or if there's no jar, then I give the money to my guide.

(Most of my diving is foreign so I like being guided because the locals often see things I miss since I'm not used to the area.)

I'm very happy you're telling me that $20 is too much because I couldn't afford that either. lol But this whole thread has given me a lot to think about & I appreciate it.