what is the avg. tip you should leave????

[Earl Grey]

On my local gulf charters I have started to tip $20-30 (approx $10 per tank). I do most of the set up and hauling of my gear myself, but appreciate the DMs help during the day. So of the dives are less formal and the least I can do is buy a beer or two at the end of the dives (at the dock of course). I try to do the same on other charters in the US. That said, I offered the same while I was in Jordan on the Red Sea and they thought I was crazy as it was 'just part of the job". It is going to depend on where you are. US and tourist areas, it is definitely viewed as more "normal" or required.

 

[TMHeimer]

i will have to refrain from commenting on one of these threads again. i just can't deal with the stress. lol

i just wish i got tips at my job (not scuba related). i work as hard as anyone else at their job and in 22 years or so of doing it, i have yet to receive one. i'm lucky to get a thank you from some of my customers. maybe i should try standing their with my hand out with a sad look on my face until someone hands me a couple extra bucks. lol

sorry......couldn't help myself

Tipping in the diving industry has a lot to do with location, as pointed out. As for every other job in the world, certain ones involve tipping while others (like my former career) do not. That's just the way it is. I've always disliked the whole tipping thing, which is irrelevant.

 

[Davidccs]

I will usually tip $5 per tank as a standard amount even if I feel no real tip was earned. It seems folks are just expected to tip no matter what. When I go out on a charter there are a few things I expect to be the norm. I expect the boat to be reasonably clean and for the captain to get us safely to the dive site and back and if I rent tanks from the dive operator I expect them to be full. All that I have paid for in the charter price. So if I haul my own gear on the boat and set it up, switch my own tanks, and then take it all down at the end of the day........exactly what service am I tipping for? Now if a DM offers to do a lot of that for me and I say OK, then I can see tipping because they have gone above the call of duty in my book.

Tip?

Don't get me started...one of the worst things in society.

"We recommend a minimum of 60€ per person for crew tips"

Oh really!! - If you recommend that then - just add it to the total cost advertised!!!!

And Restaurants - 'A 12% service charge will be charged for tables with more than 8 people', the fact that you have a good number of customers, spending their money - you want to penalise them for it..!!!

When I was a DM and later an Instructor, our JOB was to haul tanks, help customers and generally give them a good time - and the end of the week we got paid for it.

I generally don't tip.

I couldn't agree with these post more. I tip based on the level of service, did you just do the bare minimum? Then you get a bare minimum tip.
The highest tip I ever given given was to a dm that took just me and my dive buddy out on her boat, jumped in with us even though we didn't request a guide and showed us a lot of things we might have missed, that is above the norm and it warrants an above the norm tip.

The whole tipping thing is just getting out of hand, seems like every other day a new profession starts requesting tips!

Sent from my PG86100 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

 

[corvettejoe]

A lot of you forget... many DM's in (at least in Florida) all work on tips only. They may be getting experience, free dives, etc and all out of it, but it's a thankless job that they aren't paid (monetarily) to do.

I've handed my tip to the captain/owner a few times, stating that I had exceptional service and I really enjoyed the DM or guide. I do this because I want the owner to know their choice in DM was appreciated by others, and I know they will give them the tip, and hopefully pass along the kind words.

 

[TMHeimer]

A lot of you forget... many DM's in (at least in Florida) all work on tips only. They may be getting experience, free dives, etc and all out of it, but it's a thankless job that they aren't paid (monetarily) to do.

I've handed my tip to the captain/owner a few times, stating that I had exceptional service and I really enjoyed the DM or guide. I do this because I want the owner to know their choice in DM was appreciated by others, and I know they will give them the tip, and hopefully pass along the kind words.

Right. I don't DM charters, but have noticed that what a DM earns in tips can vary from nothing in some places to not really bad at all for a day's work. It's an old discussion, but I don't feel sorry for anyone who would DM a charter (or even a class, which occurs a lot) for nothing or peanuts in tips. It's that old "I do it for the love of diving" thing. I don't get it.

 

[tdtaylor]

In the US, for a short boat trip with reasonable service, $5 per tank. If a long haul (1hr plus one way), and decent service, I tend to tip $10 per tank. If they bailed my backside out for whatever reason, it goes up from there. Bad attitude or service, $0.

A live aboard is another issue. The problem with live-a-boards, especially if there are European and US divers, they will often focus on the US divers, knowing we have a very favorable tipping structure.

Terry

 

[ballast]

I usually tip $10 per tank on a day-boat, and 10-15% for the dive staff at a dive resort, 15-20% for liveaboards. It's generally commensurate with the service received.

 

[jkyle]

A live aboard is another issue. The problem with live-a-boards, especially if there are European and US divers, they will often focus on the US divers, knowing we have a very favorable tipping structure.

Problem? Doesn't sound like a problem to me. I'm a huge fan of spending/tipping extra to get a better experience.

 

[BDSC]

I'm a huge fan of spending/tipping extra to get a better experience.

On a liveaboard you generally tip at the end of the trip so how would the crew know to give you a better experience because you are going to tip extra unless you tell them at the beginning of the trip that you are a big tipper.

 

[tdtaylor]

On a liveaboard you generally tip at the end of the trip so how would the crew know to give you a better experience because you are going to tip extra unless you tell them at the beginning of the trip that you are a big tipper.

As I mentioned, it has more to do with the tipping structure. Not saying better or worse, but Europeans often suggest wages should be better, thus less for the tip. Americans are use to a very different scenario. I for one feel the European scenario (better pay) would be better, but I am aware of the reality of the situation - and so are the crew members. To be blunt, on the last Live-a-board, the Americans were in the 20 percent range, the Europeans in the 5% range. The crew was fabulous. Not passing judgement, rather it was based on cultural differences.

Maybe I should just make popcorn and watch the comments...