Tipping in Key Largo???

[The Chairman]

Are the crews in the Keys going to be understanding, or are we all going to get short fills on day two if I'm only tipping $5 a tank

It's fairly anonymous, so no worries.

 

[arew+4]

Not when you are 5/6 of a six pack

 

[noj3333]

It's fairly anonymous, so no worries.

Pete, I would disagree with you here. Your quote almost makes it seem like a smaller tip would encourage some negative actions if the DM/crew knew who left it...

It was my experience that even with a smaller tip (or maybe no tip at all) the crew at RR was still friendly and helpful. I saw a few people jump off the boat and not tip the crew (I watch kind of closely, and most people try to be discrete but obvious when tipping). The young DM's still smiled, helped them off, and gave them their bags (maybe they were hoping for a last minute tip, IDK)... My wife and I tipped between $7.50/ tank (so $30 for a 2-tank trip) to $12.50 ($50 for a private guide, 2 tank trip). I try to set up my own gear, switch my bc over during the SI, and break it down while heading back to the shop. I'm tipping for the guide to help us find cool stuff, and assist with minor things...

If I were to travel with a party of 5 I would kindly let the DM's know, "We've got it", when they try to set our gear up, or switch tanks over. There's no reason @arew+4 can't handle their gear (I would imagine). A smaller tip would be fine by me if I were just there to lead a dive, compared to schelping 5 sets of gear setting it up, and breaking it down.

This is just my opinion, I'm not a DM, and YMMV... I would however not be ashamed or embarrassed to leave $25-$30 per 2-tank trip if I were @arew+4.

 

[Wookie]

Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival is next weekend.

Next weekend like May 7, or Apr 30?

 

[The Chairman]

Your quote almost makes it seem like a smaller tip would encourage some negative actions if the DM/crew knew who left it...

My point was that they don't really care. They're not hovering over the jar. They're cool about it.

 

[kelemvor]

It was my experience that even with a smaller tip (or maybe no tip at all) the crew at RR was still friendly and helpful. I saw a few people jump off the boat and not tip the crew (I watch kind of closely, and most people try to be discrete but obvious when tipping). The young DM's still smiled, helped them off, and gave them their bags (maybe they were hoping for a last minute tip, IDK)...

Not that I have anything against RR but I suspect you get better than average out of their staff because they're a dive pro factory. As I understand it, they do tons of DM and instructor training - so I would bet at least some of the folks doing all that work are the trainees hoping to please their instructors. They do that by pleasing the paying customer. Also the old adage "crap rolls downhill" generally holds true in any business. I'm sure every single boat owner wants their staff to be as helpful as humanly possible to the customers.

In the case of that operator in particular, the low men on the pole have incentive other than just tips. I still tip them, except the one time they ran aground. It wasn't the DM's fault, and the DM even schlepped my tank over to the rescue boat. At that point though, any thoughts of giving the guys extra cash had fled my mind. Hopefully the DM's held a blanket party for the captain or something along those lines.

 

[Key Largo Dive Center]

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?

At Key Largo Dive Center we include a dive guide on all of our trips. There is no separate fee for the guide. They are always either Divemaster or Instructor certified. We find that it's a great safety feature for us because we actually have a professional closely interacting with the divers both on the boat and in the water. It tends to head off any potential problem before they happen. Inexperienced or less confident divers appreciate the moral support of having a dive professional in the water with them. We don't advertise for tips or keep a tip jar yet the crew is generally well tipped by most of our divers. Putting only six divers on a boat designed for 12 plays a big part in diver satisfaction too.

Captain Larry
www.Key Largo Dive Center.com

 

[boulderjohn]

I have a question about DM tipping that can only be answered by people who are part of the system.

As I understand the law in the USA, a worker has to make at least minimum wage. In the case of waitstaff and others where tipping is common, employers are allowed to pay less than minimum wage on the theory that there will be tips, but if the tips do not bring the pay up to minimum wage, then the employer must make up the difference with higher pay.

I do a lot of diving in South Florida, and I usually hear the captain say something like "the DM works for tips" or "the DMs pay comes only from tips" in the hope that we will chip in generously. As I understand the law, that is illegal. This past winter I heard captains say several times something along the lines of "much (or some) of the DMs pay comes from tips." I had never heard that before, and it seems to me to be more in keeping with the law.

Can anyone who knows explain what is really happening in regard to these tips?

 

[The Chairman]

Crickets... I'm hearing crickets.

 

[kelemvor]

Can't tell you what IS happening, but if they really do only get tips it is illegal. According to the US Department of Labor, they must get at least $2.13/hr plus enough tips to make the full $7.25. Otherwise, the employer is busting the law. I think there have been other threads about that where operations try to call boat workers "independent contractors" or some such.

Fact Sheet - Wage and Hour Division (WHD) - U.S. Department of Labor