Tips on the boat

[Palm1059]

Hi

I am a relatively new diver and still seem to struggle with the proper guidelines for tipping. I have gathered the 20% pretty much applies depending on extra efforts or service, but is it for the boat captain, divemaster, dock hands, etc? My first dives in Roatan were great but I made a mess out of tipping when I left. I passed a good amount of money around, but not sure it went to the right hands and in the right quantities. I apologize as I am sure this is an earlier thread, but when I searched it didn't seem to come up.

Thanks!

Mike

 

[spc751]

I Mexico I tip $10 for a two tank dive. I give $5 to the boat captain to split with his crew and $5 to the dm to split with his crew. I told them both that I also tipped to other person.

 

[Bratface]

When in doubt, give the captain the tip money in an envelope marked for him and the crew. I usually tip $5 - $10/tank. If anyone has done something out of the ordinary for you given him/her a separate tip and your thanks.

 

[ibj40]

Due to the fact that I've been diving since the 80's, and we were tipping $5 per tank even back then (which comes to $20 for two, two-tank dives), a couple of years ago, we upped that to $30, owing to the fact that, I understand, there's been this thing called inflation.

 

[Superlyte27]

Captains get paid to captain you. Deckhands and DM's usually are not paid, or if they are paid, it's something like $35/trip, which is peanuts. At least that's the way it was in the key's when I was a boat captain there. IMO give it to the guy who takes best care of you. Also, my experience is that if you give it to the Dive Op, the OP keeps the money and captain nor crew ever see a penny of it.

 

[RJP]

The going rate in the real world (at least where tipping is the societal norm) seems to be $10 per dive for good service a 2-tank day trip. As mentioned above "$5/tank is the going rate" has been touted for more than 20 years at this point. Probably made sense when gasoline was 89 cents a gallon and a can of Coke was 50 cents. Not so much in the 21st century.

It's good to note that the above is specific to a 2-dive day charter, which is essentially the most common dive outing. You can use some common sense to modify that for fewer/more dives: For instance, I would probably tip $15 for a single dive charter, $20 for two-dive charter, and $25 for a three-dive trip. Thinking being that the work involved in getting folks on/off the boat etc is essentially "a fixed cost" since it's not LESS work for a 1-tank trip nor is it MORE work for a 3-tank trip.

Also note that in most settings you should tip when the boat gets back to the dock each day... even if you'll be diving with the same op the next day. (Unless the op tells you that you'll be assigned a specific crew for the duration of your stay, which happens at some dive resorts.) Crew changes, people have different schedules, etc. In many places the folks you're tipping may well need today's money to buy dinner tonight!

 

[Yoyodyne-88]

"if you give it to the Dive Op, the OP keeps the money and captain nor crew ever see a penny of it."

That definitely can happen. I've had employers tell everyone that a certain group "left no tip," then hand me a wad of cash after the others weren't around.

 

[mselenaous]

View attachment Etiquette for the boat diver.doc

I borrowed & modified this many years ago ,but it is still applicable and I give it to all my new student divers as part of their education. Do remember that different cultures around the world have different tipping customs.
For liveaboards I recommend 10-15% of the cost of the trip.
CASH. Although some ops might let you add a tip to your credit card, after fees & if the op is honest & diligent with book keeping, the crew might only see a small fraction of what you intended.
Tip each crew each trip and smaller bills like $5s & $10s are appreciated, eaiser for the crew to divy up. As stated above, tomorrow might be your favorite DMs day off for the week. Anyone who goes above & beyond...repairs or loans you gear so you can still do you the dive or jumps in to rescue your camera (or you), or makes the trip extra special for your nervous spouse or energetic kid, provides extra help with gear because of your bad knee/back ...deserves an extra $10-20 handed to them personally, discretely, with a heartfelt thank you and a smile.

If you have questions, don't hesitate to ask the booking office or at check in about what is "average" & logistics.

How much do you tip a bartender or waiter for making sure you had a good time? Think of dive crew as your bartenders of the sea.

 

[spc751]

Unfortunately, I am feeling the affects of inflation as well. I make the same money I made 15 years ago. For me, a $5 tip per dive is all I can afford. Lots of divers on the boat with me don't tip at all. If I am expected to pay more than $5 a dive then I will have to stay home.

 

[Dive Right In Scuba 2]

In my experience as both a "customer" and a DM working the boat, 15-20% of the charter fee is customary. More if good service is given...of course less if you're treated like crap. Most often the captain is paid a wage for operating the boat so a tip isn't necessary for him/her unless exceptional service warrants it. Usually there's a tip jar or the captain says something like "be sure to take care of (Person's name)". There's been a few cases where neither is offered, in those instances I split the tip up and personally hand it to the person individually with a handshake and a thank you.