Tips, Tips, Tips?..? How much and why?

[FishBoy05]

How and what do you base your tips off of? When I got my basic OW cert I actually left without tipping because I was the only diver in training and a time never really presented itself. I then went back 2 days after and left my instructor $50 and a bottle of Jack.

I usually dive the keys, some captains never even mention it but some give there lines and it feels force fed. Two tank dives cost between $75-100. I tip $20 for great service, $15 for good, $10 for being there.

The reason I ask is, I did a 2 tank trip on Provo today, $130. I was the only diver on the boat, they picked me up in front of the resort on the beach:cool2: and there were 3 crew members. Service was great but not over the top. I gave them $25 cause that's all I had.

I would love to hear some stories, good or bad, and get a little thread going about some expierences.

 

[TMHeimer]

There have been many threads on tips. It varies from place to place/ country to country, etc. I've heard standard charter tip in the U.S. is $10/tank. At our shop I have never seen an instructor being tipped after a course. Someone bought me a beer once. I don't think tipping occurs often on the charter boat we use-- and the Capt. only charges $50 Canadian for a 2 tank dive in the N. Atlantic.

 

[gizmo1972]

who were you diving with in provo???

 

[FishBoy05]

Ocean Vibes. Curtis was the main guide/instructor, Santo I believe was Capt. and dove 2nd site. Maybe Andre? Can't remember. I'm new to this board PM me if you'd like gizmo.

 

[Jon_R]

I generally do 5 dollars per tank. I am usually paying for 2-4 divers so 20-40 bucks on a typical 2 tank drift on a 20 diver boat. If everyone did the same would be 200 split with two crew members. Trip is 3.5 hours plus boat prep and clean so maybe works out to $20 an hour for each crew member. If the irs ever knows about It is none of my business....


I went out during the week just me and only 4 divers on the boat. I tipped 20 / double since the one crew member did not have many people to chip in. If all the divers did the same would be 80 for the one crew member.

 

[gizmo1972]

i take it you were diving grace bay then
nice easy diving but you neeed to get out to west caicos and french cay try dive provo!!!!

 

[ASert]

i always tip from the person picking me up / dropping me off from the resort about $5 ( you pay more for a cab.) about $20 for the instructor ( the guy who got me my open water certification all said and done got about $130 ) now i would probably give all the guys from the shop on the boat about $10 each, possibly more.

 

[Skittl1321]

We did not tip our OW instructors or the DMs that helped the class. In conversation it came up they were specifically prohibited from taking any tips. I felt bad about this as one of the pool days I practically got a private lesson.

Never dove off a boat yet, but I think we plan on the $10 per tank based on the idea the operation is fairly full service: but that is somewhat built into the price we are paying for the trip.

 

[gopbroek]

There really is no hard and fast rule. The often quoted $5 a bottle is a cop out, the tip should reward the great ops, in a restaurant I will not tip 15% to an indifferent waitress who is more interested in her cell phone than her customer. Should a bored DM and indifferent Captain on a 20 diver cattle boat with 35-45 minute dives make two to three times as much as a valet OP with an enthusiastic DM and conscientious / knowledgeable captain who are getting you great 60-90 minute dives and then after the dive spend an hour cleaning your gear, including your reeking wetsuit? I dive Mexico and will tip a base 50 pesos a bottle for average service to 100 pesos for good service and extra for special situations. Last month on Independence Day, as a courtesy on my last day in Cozumel, the boat went out with me as the only passenger. I got in a 70 and then a 90 minute, great dives, I tipped $60. Tip based upon the level of service received.

 

[LWB]

i take it you were diving grace bay then
nice easy diving but you neeed to get out to west caicos and french cay try dive provo!!!!

The absolute best dive I have ever had was in Grace Bay. We dropped at Piranha Cove, swam out to the wall, turned left (west), and then back tracked the way we came. I've been to Roatan, Belize, Cozumel, and in Florida from West Palm Beach all the way back around to Ft. Myers. None of them topped Grace Bay. I can't really put my finger on why it was such a great dive, perhaps it was the almost unlimited visibility, all the corals, tropicals, sharks and other big fish, or perhaps it was the wall followed by the shallow reef dive. Perhaps it was the fact that my expectations were low. If West Caicos and French Cay are better, I can't wait to go!

As far as tips go, I usually do $20 for a 2 tank dive. If the Captain is a little too obnoxious about it or the crew doesn't do much, then it might be less, but that might have happened once. That all said, I was offended last week in Cozumel to see a guy tip the DM 50 pesos (about $4) for a nice two tank dive for he and his daughter. The guy was from the U.S. and should have known better. This crew (from Deep Blue) did a great job. They even took us through some swim throughs on Palancar Gardens (even though we had two with less than 20 dives total). My only complaint was how small the boat was, but that wasn't their fault.