Tips on Tips

[av8er23]

It depends on where you're from and where you are. Americans tip. Europeans and Asians don't. In Mexico it's customary for Americans to tip 10% or per tanks....in the Philippines I got tipped maybe twice. No one got tips but our customers were Taiwanese, Hong Kong....European...different.

Yea, good point. It just sucks that is is customary and expectied of our society.

 

[Divesherpa]

To all those who tip from all those who divemaster: THANK YOU!

 

[Buoyant1]

I did $20 for the Discover Scuba class I did in Key West last year because the DM basically held my hand through 2 dives, taught me a lot going into my OW training and was just basically a really nice guy to hang with! ... (and I bought him a beer to boot)

When I was in the Keys a few months back, I did a few days of diving, so I didn't want to over do it, but I want to show appreciation, so I did $10.00 per trip to the guide, who also set me up in between dives.

Most of those guys rely on tips because it's so freaking expensive down there, but they get to dive all the time and get paid...but... they put up with a LOT from some very high maintenance people (Al, on the one trip for example...he was a MESS!)

I say tip as you feel appropriate! If they give you good service, it deserves it, if they treat you like dirt, then screw 'em!

 

[baitedstorm]

So here is the question: If I do my typical dive and take care of myself - would YOU consider a $5 tip appropriate?

Absolutely! Like I said before, the tip thing does feel a little freaky to me, but I'm gracious for whatever anyone wants to tip. There are plenty of times we get nothing, and then other days (like today) that people feel overly generous. The service was the same, the weather was just not as good.

I would say 85% of the divers on the boat truly need a DM in the water with them. Not that they aren't capable, they just perfer a dive guide to show them around an unfamilar reef. If I had to rely on tips alone in order to live, life would be bad. I left a very well paying job (that I hated) to explore the dive industry. Do I ever plan on getting rich doing this, absolutely not, sometimes there are things far more important than money.

When I do my dive briefing I tell all the divers that I will not be babysitting them, they are all certified divers and I expect them to plan their dives and dive their plans (I tell them only what the maxium allowed time/air supply). If I lose site of a diver on the reef, I will hang in between him and the group only if I feel he might need some extra help. If I was diving with you, there's a good chance I would just let you be. I'm only the dive Natzi during two things, roll call and dive briefing.


As for diving with me, I'm very curious as to weather or not we've dove together. I used Rampage exclusively until she sank. Mike Law also taught me everything I know about the reef system, what to look for and all in all how to DM on a boat. He use to sit there and quiz me during our SI to get me ready for my DM test. I still see him every now and again working off Doug's boat, so he's around. He is one of two people I would trust with my life in the water. I agree with you about him being a mentor, there's no way I could have been taught from a book what he has shown me. His passion for diving is as strong as my own.

 

[jcm996]

Tipping is for good service not because. I was on a trip where the deck hands didn't touch my gear (But they set up the cute ladies stuff faster than lightnig each time) But on the same dive my DM would point out stuff 20 seconds before I could see it, practically looking down his arm. And then a ray or turtle would appear 75-100 feet away.

There was a tipping "chart" there and my DM (Same one for 14 out of 15 dives) got 10 times the recommmended, where the boat crew I thought could split 10 bucks for handing me an occasional water.

If I would have made the same dive "alone" I would have never seen the seahorse or some of the other creatures he pointed out. He didn't have to hold my hand, but out of the 6 of us with him maybe only 1 person would have saw some of the stuff he seemed to just find. (and if you can plan to have 1 turtle and 4 rays swim by on an average dive you are the greatest DM ever)

I tip according to service, what did you do for me. I already paid X amount. Why should I tip you? If your operation does not let me know you work for tips only how can you blame me for not tipping?

If I know someone works for tips only, I am 90% more likely to tip. I worked for tips once myself and understand.

 

[TekDiveGirl]

All I expect is to take me to the dive site, let me off, and take me back to the dock. This is what I am assuming I paid for at the dive shop. I do not expect the DM or any other staff to carry my tanks, clean my equipment, or wipe my *****. Like someone said earlier it is a taxi service. Say if you have a boat with 8 people. It costs about 100 bucks. That is 800 bucks. Where does that money go. I know that boat maintance and fuel has to be covered but were does the rest go? Maybe to the owner of the boat or dive shop?

If this is all you expect -- then when you come up from your dive and something has gone terribly wrong -- you don't want your boat crew to rescue you... get you on the boat... get you on O2 if necessary etc???

Your DM has been trained to watch the divers to be sure that they are all ok in the water, on the surface, look for signs of DCS, etc... some operations require them to be DAN O2 providers as well -- for your health and safety.

They make sure you are accounted for and do their part to be sure you make it home safely.

I am not saying one must tip their DM/Crew -- that is a personal decision -- but to call it nothing more than a Taxi Service is pretty demeaning to some of us who are out there doing the job and taking it seriously.

Kimber

 

[gjmmotors]

To not have someone carry and touch your stuff cant be compared to not helping a person in distress.
If the boat crew didnt help the person in distress, they have other things to worry about besides a tip.

If you are a needy diver tip the person that you are using as your servent. The rest of us will get along fine without the hand holding.

A ride there, and a ride back. Thats all I expect when I get on a boat. Hell, let me stay down longer and Ill even untie and sort the rope for you, no charge.

- g mount

If this is all you expect -- then when you come up from your dive and something has gone terribly wrong -- you don't want your boat crew to rescue you... get you on the boat... get you on O2 if necessary etc???

Your DM has been trained to watch the divers to be sure that they are all ok in the water, on the surface, look for signs of DCS, etc... some operations require them to be DAN O2 providers as well -- for your health and safety.

They make sure you are accounted for and do their part to be sure you make it home safely.

I am not saying one must tip their DM/Crew -- that is a personal decision -- but to call it nothing more than a Taxi Service is pretty demeaning to some of us who are out there doing the job and taking it seriously.

Kimber

 

[MikeFerrara]

Mike, where do I send your tip?

It's on the house. LOL

tips are kind of a custom and I don't really know where it comes from. We know that waiters and waitresses pay depends on tips. Maybe that's the plan with DM's too. On principle though I have a problem with it. If I pay $100 to go diving and x services are promised why shouldn't I expect...no...require those services and done excellantly for what I already paid? It's the same with waiters and waitresses. If I pay $50 for a meal, why do I have to pay another $7.5 to have it brought to the table hot?

Recreational dive boats take out less than great, experienced divers for a living. Some only dive once a year. That's the business. The dive op advertises and goes WAY out of their way to atract those people to their boat. Providing that diving service to that market is the specific job that the whole crew signed up for. Taking those less than great divers diving is not performing above and beyond. On the contrary, it's the very most basic and lowest level of service acceptable. Who did you think was going to show up? LOL


How about we put the base price on a sliding scale. you tell me that you'd like $100 for the half a day diving and if everything is perfect I'll pay full price. For everything that isn't perfect I'll re-evaluate what I'm willing to pay. Why can't I expect the service provider to be very very good at what they do? I have to pay extra for that?

And why is it that there aren't any servers in restaurants that have a clue anymore. you don't get extra money to run up, grab my order and bring my before dinner coctail, sald, soup, main course and dinner wine inside of 10 minutes. One doesn't start soup, salad ect until after coctails and conversation. It's incorrect to bring the main course before a table has finished apatizers, salads or whatever. It's not the servers job to bring everyhting as fast as they can and interupt you every two minutes to ask if you want anything else. It's their job to read the table and bring things at the right time. I just spent a month on the road and didn't come accross a single place that had the slightest clue how dinner should be served. And why do you have to ask for a wine list...and worse why do some places not have them..."Do you have wine?" I ask. "Yes." the server says. "Do you want some?" "What do you have" I ask. "A bunch both Red and white. What would you like?" answers the server. I ask "Do you have a wine list?" and they say "Yes do you want one?" Am I wrong or does that make just a bit hard to get a glass of wine with your meal. And then lets say that I take a chance and order one. Why do I have to specifically eplain that I want the wine with the stake? I mean, if I don't they bring it with the martini? Don't these people ever eat themselves? Then I'll bet they get on some chat site someplace and complain about the tips they get. LOL

A have a tip for any one that wants one. Be GREAT at what you do. Continue to surprise and delight every one you work with and for with just how GREAT you are. Keep looking for new ways to prove it. Realize that no one owes you a job or a living. If you get a job it's you who are in dept. Or...your fired. You can be replaced.

 

[StSomewhere]

To all those who tip from all those who divemaster: THANK YOU!

You're welcome!!! :dazzler1:

 

[vladimir]

tips are kind of a custom and I don't really know where it comes from. We know that waiters and waitresses pay depends on tips. Maybe that's the plan with DM's too. On principle though I have a problem with it.

I have a theory on why this custom exists.

I work on Wall Street. At the end of the year, my bonus might be anywhere from 20 to 80% of my total compensation. This works well for me and for my company--they only pay me in proportion to the profit I contribute. My performance is easy to evaluate--profits are tabulated in separate accounts.

It is harder for the boss to evaluate the performance of a waiter or a divemaster. Just because the food got to the table, or the divers made it home alive, doesn't mean they did a great job. So he lets the customers evaluate the waiter/divemaster instead. If the waiter/divemaster does a great job, he gets rewarded accordingly. In the abstract, at least, it is an elegant form of incentive pay. Unfortunately, it only works well if the customers accept the implicit contract (obviously, many don't, and will argue with my choice of the word "contract") and the boss trims prices to reflect the wages the customers are paying instead of him.

Just a theory--I tip because I can afford it and I'm generally a nice guy.