This has been an interesting discussion to follow. I teach (college-level) for a living, and of course students CAN'T tip me. Some (usually at graduation) have given me cards, or little gifts (coffee cards, etc.) and while I'm honored, I've always felt uncomfortable getting them. In this field, a tip could be seen as a bribe for a good grade.
I don't think that's an issue for a dive instructor. Sure, you could bribe your instructor to pass you, but the instructor has strong motivation to not pass an incompetent student diver (specifically, future lawsuits if they kill or hurt themselves).
I really resonate with paying folks a tip in places where being a dive instructor is their sole source of meaningful income. Where I live, the water is too cold to have a thriving dive tourism industry, so instructors and divemasters are doing the work mostly for fun and the discounts on dive gear they get at the LDS.
I don't think that's an issue for a dive instructor. Sure, you could bribe your instructor to pass you, but the instructor has strong motivation to not pass an incompetent student diver (specifically, future lawsuits if they kill or hurt themselves).
I really resonate with paying folks a tip in places where being a dive instructor is their sole source of meaningful income. Where I live, the water is too cold to have a thriving dive tourism industry, so instructors and divemasters are doing the work mostly for fun and the discounts on dive gear they get at the LDS.