Tipping on a LOB in Indonesia

[Clernix]

I know the tipping question always gets a ughhhh. I need a little help though. I am heading out on an 8 day LOB and a 12 day LOB. I have never done a LOB before so I have no idea what is customary for LOB or for Indonesia.

I am on a local boat and it is priced competitively. Everything I am reading and hearing say the guides are top notch and the crew is very friendly and helpful.

So lets go with a customary tip for good service.

One reason its a concern is I can't do any banking between trips so I have to budget my cash.

 

[gwklein]

I know the tipping question always gets a ughhhh. I need a little help though. I am heading out on an 8 day LOB and a 12 day LOB. I have never done a LOB before so I have no idea what is customary for LOB or for Indonesia.

I am on a local boat and it is priced competitively. Everything I am reading and hearing say the guides are top notch and the crew is very friendly and helpful.

So lets go with a customary tip for good service.

One reason its a concern is I can't do any banking between trips so I have to budget my cash.

 

[gwklein]

Many boats provide suggestions about tipping. For example, the Mermaid boats have the following on their webpage:

Crew Tips/Gratutity: Our Boat and Dive Crews will try very hard to deliver a high level of service, safety and professionalism tempered with lots of fun to optimize your holiday. Many of our guests use 5-10% of the cruise price as a tipping guideline. Tipping is voluntary and most appreciated!

 

[gypsyjim]

I figure @10%, for really good service.
It is really up to you, but i like to think i have really done something a bit extra, if i feel that people have gone out of their way to make our trip something special.
If the service is not special, then a tiny tip says that i do tip, but the service was not worth much.
If one particular person stands out i have given a larger chunk of my tip directly to them, personally, as a seperate transaction, and then tipped the entire crew as a group the balance.

 

[Centrals]

Used scuba equipment and even clothing tend to go down very well with the crew. The last LOB in Komodo I had managed to lighten my bag by 3-4 kgs after departing from the boat.

 

[Dan]

5-10% of the LOB cost is a good rule of thumb. My last LOB trip cost about $100/dive, I like the trip & thought that they did well to please us. Food was great, the guide was excellent in finding fishes & critters that I would have never saw them until he point it out to me like the Halimeda Ghost Pipefish, Hairy Shrimp & Pontohi. I was happy with the trip & gave the crew $5/dive & DM $5/dive.

 

[gypsyjim]

If i am going to leave used gear as a gift for the DM, I cannot see counting it as part of the "tip". It is a gift.
I figure those folks dont usually make much, and the tip is important to their livelihood.

 

[scorpiofish]

10% is a good rule of thumb. Many years ago I was on an LOB and an American guy asked me about tipping. I gave him the 10% rule. He thought about it for a while and then tells me he has been living and working in Germany for 8 years and Germans don't tip, ergo he didn't feel the need to tip. He had conveniently fully assimilated. It would have been $150.

 

[Dan]

It's known in Indonesia that Americans are generous tippers & the Europeans are lousy ones.

 

[gypsyjim]

I have heard that myself.