Alice Goot
Registered
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.
I agree leaving used gear is a gift. Lol, an old wetsuit doesn't help feed the family and cash goes a long way. Also, if the boat/resort operates like a team and you leave your old gear as a gift how does that get divided up? I know engineers, that have worked just as hard (filling tanks, loading and unloading boats, helping with gear, carrying tanks, staying up doing a security watch...etc) on dive boats as room stewards, should they be left out because they weren't directly dealing with guests?
I usually tip the crew/staff and my dive guides separately or if they suggest a tip for the entire staff I'll do that and privately tip the guides a little extra. How much depends on service and guiding but I'm usually going to give about 7-10%