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

[RJP]

My point exactly, you deserve my tip and I should not be stingy. I appreciate all you do to make my dive an enjoyable experience. Thank you very much.

Have you dived with us? If so, look forward to seeing you again. If not, look forward to meeting you!

:d

 

[TMHeimer]

RJP, I don't do charters, but those that do here get $5 pay per diver. To my knowledge (having been a paying customer a while back), there are maybe 4-8 divers per trip. I've never seen anyone tip. It seems that you do a lot more. Here the Capt. takes care of cleaning the boat, head, etc. Divers tend to help out loading, etc. Maybe the "free" diving those DMs get is more worth it? It is what it is, I guess. Still not worth it for me with 5 hr. early A.M round trip drive, extra insurance and Canadian gas prices.

 

[smokin3000gt]

I usually tip $15-20 for a two tank dive x 2 (me and my SO) depending on attitude/service. $5/thank is holding on to your wallet pretty tight IMO unless service was just that bad. I also tipped our AOW instructor $30. She did a great job the class/trip was very enjoyable.


One thing I have wondered though, do captains get tip share or does it all go to the DM?

 

[Mustard Dave]

My point exactly, you deserve my tip and I should not be stingy. I appreciate all you do to make my dive an enjoyable experience. Thank you very much.

There is no question of whether DMs earn their tips, but another way to look at it is the dive operator is benefiting from their efforts, so they should be paid a fair wage.

In Britain, DMs are not that common on charters. Usually there will be a skipper and one crewman, with spaces for twelve divers. We would not normally tip, but if we saw them in the pub that night, they would get a few beers out of us.

There is a liveaboard charter we use regularly. It is a converted fishing boat (as many are) and the skipper owns the boat and the business. He employs one crewman who helps out on the boat and cooks for us. He is a fantastic chef (this was his career before working on the boat) and an extremely competent seaman. He gets a good from us tip every time. I do not know what he is paid and I don't care - we are not making up for a shortfall in wages - we are rewarding him for exceeding our expectations in terms of service.

When I travel, I find out what is the norm and tip according to local custom. It's very well me saying staff should be paid by their employer, but making a stand and not tipping does not put food on their table.

I do not agree with tipping instructors anywhere in the world - IMO it is unethical to tip somebody who is responsible for assessing your competence and certifying you.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Hmm... I can see where space travel, splitting the atom, or reattachment of someone's severed arm blowing your mind. But tipping an instructor? I mean, I can see disagreeing with it, not understanding it, even ridiculing it. But you must really have been exposed to very little of significance in your life for your mind to actually be "blown" by the concept.

I like the expression. Hyperbole can be fun. I guess you guys in New Jersey are jaded by splitting atoms and reattaching severed limbs all the time. Anyway ...

I have taken all kinds of courses and lessons in my life in a variety of disciplines, and it would never in a million years (another expression--I don't literally mean "one million years") have occurred to me to tip someone who is being paid to teach me and, in some instances, give me a grade! I can't imagine (okay, I actually can imagine--it's only an expression) what would happen if instructors in various disciplines were to become influenced by the prospect of receiving a tip at the end of the course.

 

[scubadada]

Have you dived with us? If so, look forward to seeing you again. If not, look forward to meeting you!

:d

Not yet, hope to make your aquaintance next season

 

[RJP]

One thing I have wondered though, do captains get tip share or does it all go to the DM?

Can't speak for elsewhere, but here in NJ the captain most commonly is also the boat owner. If not, the captain is running the boat for the owner and is being paid. In either case, if they do not share in the tips... and if handed one seperately they would kick it in to the "tip jar" for the crew.

 

[LWB]

I never knew that DMs were not paid a daily rate. I can't believe we pay $100+ for a two tank dive and dive operators don't pay their crew. That said, I've been going on some of the same dive boats in South Florida for 5 or 6 years now and I keep seeing the same DMs....so tips must be pretty good.

 

[TMHeimer]

I never knew that DMs were not paid a daily rate. I can't believe we pay $100+ for a two tank dive and dive operators don't pay their crew. That said, I've been going on some of the same dive boats in South Florida for 5 or 6 years now and I keep seeing the same DMs....so tips must be pretty good.

I think it varies a lot. Here we get paid to assist with classes, but almost nothing to do charters, and I don't think DMs doing that get tipped. I know of one U.S. shop where DMs are not paid for assisting classes but can make significantly more in tips than what we get paid for a weekend as the shop/instructor really pushes tipping the DM. I'm sure in some places DMs get paid something for charters, or possibly room and board & tips. Many places (U.S. a lot) DMs assist classes with no pay or tips-- that one is puzzling.

 

[RJP]

I never knew that DMs were not paid a daily rate. I can't believe we pay $100+ for a two tank dive and dive operators don't pay their crew.

More of a "can't" vs "don't" - economic reality is that the cost of making crew "employees" (including paying them as such, along with associated book-keeping, payroll cost, etc) would increase the cost of a charter far, far more than the $20 or so tip that is currently customary.

Many say that they wish the stated charter cost included the cost of the crew/DMs. I wonder if that would be true, once it became understood that means that a trip that was once $125 + $20 is now $175.