nolatom
Contributor
That swing would move them from the "generous" end of the spectrum to the "cheap" end. As someone who has crewed on a dive boat for years, I can tell you that the going rate appears to be $20/person for two-tank trips.
$20/tank for first rate service on a 2-dive charter is on the "that dude rocks, he can dive with us anytime" end of the spectrum. I saved a woman's life once (no resps and no pulse when I pulled her out) and she didn't tip me that much. Not sure what else I could have done for her to earn more.
My rule of thumb for reasonable service on tropical day trips is as follows, with the assumption that much of the crew's work is in the "loading, going, returning, unloading" associated with how many times the boat leaves/returns to the dock so there's not really a linear relationship between tanks and work.
1-Dive = $15 tip
2-Dive = $20 tip
3-Dive = $25 tip
To earn that from me crew members really only need to do two simple things:
1.) Be a nice person; 2.) Don't do anything specifically that causes me to have a bad time. (And there's not much you CAN do to cause me to have a bad time.) I'll tote my own gear to the boat, I'll set it up, I'll break it down, I'll carry my own stuff off the boat. Out of force of habit I'll probably help the other passengers load/unload and help you drag all the empty tanks off the boat too. Typically I'll let the crew know that I'm very self-reliant, like to do my own thing, including gearing up, and am happy to allow them to focus their attention on any passengers that either really need or really want their attention. Most crew folks understand that this allows them to make more passengers happy with less total work. Everyone wins!
From the diver's point of view (Gulf and Fla) I agree you've got it about right. I started at $5 per tank 15 years ago, now $10, for a day dive. DMs and deckhands who are intuitive and know when I do (and don't) need a steadying hand on a rolling boat, or some help positioning your tank as you sit down (tired) after boarding, are the ones I see the most, and like best.
And if you save my cookies by McGyvering my broken gear/straps or finding that extra weight, or matching me up with the perfect insta-buddy, then more.
Oh, and Also if crew and shop work together so they take my tanks back to the shop and I don't have to divert in the wrong direction to go there after the dive (or even before, so I can go straight to the boat). Not always practical for them, but when they do, I'm an even happier camper. A typical day dive for me (Pensacola, Orange Beach) entails lots of driving on 1-10 starting at 0-Dark-30, so saving time enroute, rocks.
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