Tipping on the Dive Boat

I was wondering what your thoughts on tipping Dive Masters/Mates, Captains, etc. when you are on a dive. I have noticed on my last few dives that the Captains have been “reminding” us to tip.

So, do you tip? Always, never, sometimes and why or why not, please explain.
What is the proper tip amount? Who do you tip? Who don’t you tip?

I know tipping is very different from country to country so please state what area you are from.

I have somewhat mixed views on the subject myself. I feel it is a bit tacky for the Captain to remind us to tip. I understand they want to get the message across, so they should state that tips are appreciated on their paperwork somewhere, but I think making an announcement on the boat is a little overboard (pun intended).

When I was just beginning to dive, I always tipped the DM as I was new and usually needed help with something. Considering I used the DM’s services I felt a tip was appropriate. When my wife got certified and started to dive with me, I also tipped as she would need the help of the DM from time to time. Now that we have been diving together for as many dives as we have, we don’t want the help of the DM and usually don’t tip. Even when the DM is there waiting at the top of the dive ladder I always make it clear that the best way for them to help us is to stay out of our way. Of course if we ever need the help of the DM, if they go out of the way for us, or are especially nice, we do tip.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this subject.

Ace

It really depends on how good the trip was. I don't really boat dive much, I'd rather just save the money and spend it on gear plus there's good beach diving around. They're already making a good amount and unless one crew member really helps you out I don't really feel obligated to tip. It might sound cheap but I don't just give money away for no reason. If a DM took you on a tour or something then toss him/her a bone. The cook is also one who deserves it, if the food is good and of course only if food is provided. Again I don't boat dive much at all but I don't have a problem not tipping if I didn't receive some extra help beyond the norm. Location: California

I always tip the crew and never the Captain! They always work hard and are there to serve you and you are how they make money! Amount depends on service!

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Originally Posted by Papa Bear

I always tip the crew and never the Captain! They always work hard and are there to serve you and you are how they make money! Amount depends on service!

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I noticed you said you tip the crew and never the Captain with an exclamation point. Can you give us some details on your reasoning on this one?

The Captain is or should be paid well for his license or he is involved in the ownership.... Etc.... The crew is usually young and do most of the work for you and their pays is in the bilge! So they need the tips and most boats the Captain is out side the division of the tips!

I always tip the crew. They help me with my gear, and I always have at least 2 deco bottle and a scooter. They can make life well worth the effort, or miserable. The better the help, the better the tip. Had a kid help me and my 2 team mates on a particular dive. He came out with over $50.00 for his work. He did a damn good job, and earned it!

We typically tip the crew, in most cases we tip the DM and leave it to him/herto distribute between the other crew as they see fit. Similar to most restaurants, you tip the wait staff as they are the guys you are face to face with, but they usually have their own policies with regards to kitchen staff, bus boys, management etc.

If you get good service, tip well and let them know that's why. If you get bad service, tip (or not) appropriately and also, let them know why. If they know you weren't well looked after, they may change their attitude, if they think you're just a cheapskate nothing will change.

And, of course, as with any bar/restaurant, if you intend to be a regular customer, make it clear that you tip not only for today's experience, but also with the expectation of future service. ;) In bars where I am a regular, I tend to get very good service, that's not a coincidence.

There was a recent article in Undercurrent on tipping, I'll dig it out and see what else they had to add to the discussion.

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Originally Posted by shinek

If you get good service, tip well and let them know that's why. If you get bad service, tip (or not) appropriately and also, let them know why. If they know you weren't well looked after, they may change their attitude, if they think you're just a cheapskate nothing will change.

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Fully agreed! Also if the service is bad, you simply don't go back because everyone always has a competitor wanting your business.

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Originally Posted by shinek

And, of course, as with any bar/restaurant, if you intend to be a regular customer, make it clear that you tip not only for today's experience, but also with the expectation of future service. ;) In bars where I am a regular, I tend to get very good service, that's not a coincidence.

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Now that is a really good point to think about.

If it was down here in South Florida you heard the "tacky" announcement there is a reason for it. There are tourists (international) here that are not used to tip much and tipping on a boat is outside what they are used too. Even many restaurants on for instance Fort Lauderdale beach add 15-20% on ALL checks, so watch out.

I tip the DM but not the Captain as per reasons previously stated, he is the owner or is paid for his license. I also don't give the tip to a Captain and tell him to forward it to the DM since there are those that will pocket the money them selves.

To tell a DM to get out of the way is IMO wrong, tell em how you want it and they will let you do it your way as long as it is safe (they are locals and know about local conditions). Even if you tell them to not help you at all a normally good DM is still watching your back and catches you when you fail/fall.. i.e. all DMs are earning their tip and most are not paid at all by the boat.

Don't get me wrong, I am not rude to them or anything like that.

I just make it clear that we are very self sufficient and I will ask if we need help. In fact on dive boats in NJ, you most likely won't get any help unless you ask or unless they know you are new. You are expected to be able to take care of yourself. Of course that is not for everyone, but some do like it that way. And no matter what, we all practice safe diving!


And yes the diving was in South Florida, but everyone was local except us.

And now I know why NOT to give the tip to the Captain, so I can make sure the proper people get what they should.

Almost all of my dives have been as a DM (for my real job I am an engineer in micro/nano technology and design optical microchips for telecomm and space apps). DM is my fun job and a way to cut down diving costs. And I like it more than being led by someone else.

I agree that it is real tacky to ask for a tip. So I never did/do as DM or boat master. Diving is already expensive so people shouldn't be expected to tip. DMs where I worked get paid very little.....about 15 - 20 USD per day. Even in Thailand it doesn't amount to a lot considering equipment costs (it gets used daily and gets worn out quickly) and membership costs such as PADI for professionals and insurance. Usually you dig into your savings. So tips are definitely appreciated.

However, on a dive boat that takes multiple groups (not a private charter), tips aren't usually expected. So it is a nice surprise to get enough just for a couple beers. Even just a few bucks.

If you privately charter a boat that is different. The crew will treat you like roytalty so tipping is common place. It is up to you how much to tip. Normally people just ask me how much a good tip is as they don't want to look cheap and who to tip and I give an honest answer. I've gotten (on private charters) anywhere from 20$ a day up to 70$ a day. Chartering a speedboat for a day costs upwards of 600 $. So these people who charter them privately are well off and tend to tip more. They usually give each dive professional 25 ish $ and each boat crew member (including captain) 1/2 that. And that's a nice tip as it is about double our daily wage.

Normally we don't do these charters so don't make much in tips. As long as I get a great dive out of the day I'm happy. That's all I need. A good group to enjoy the diving with!

For the more experienced divers I give them the choice of diving on their own or with me if they want me to point out interesting things. Either way is good with me. I understand and am not offended at all if they want to be on their own. Most don't want or need to be pampered too much or they like to go along at their own pace; so often prefer no guide. I totally understand and it actually makes my job easier with advanced divers who need little to no assistance. As long as they don't endanger themselves or others.

I tip $10/dive. Four dives is $40..
I know diving is expensive, travel, diving costs, hotel, food.. But I figure
that shouldn't mean I penalize the crew to save a few more dollars..
As far as I see it, if they put out by getting up early to prepare the boat,
the gear, etc.. and stay after I walk away to clean, etc...
They help me prepare, teach me about their environment and what they know
from their experiences.
When I lead a group of divers, I ask that they consider $10/dive if they
were happy with all the hard work the crew puts in to help them enjoy
their dive.. Image 10 people leaving $400 tip.. You think the next time we come
back, we're not going to receive extra special attention? You bet we are..

I too am a professional and I imagine walking away for like $40 for the day,
I think I would begin to get depressed with working so hard for so little..

I've found over time, I've made good friends in other countries.. Not just because I give tips, I give gifts of things they need. Things that are hard to come by for them. Contact the folks where you are heading ahead of time and see if there is anything they could use... For example, underwater "Laser", or
reels and sausages, masks, hoods.. Each item cost about what a tip or two would be..
My last trip, I gave away an Atomic B2, with Z2 Octo and other stuff..
I'm not rich... They just have a need greater than mine.. Like rwfuchs stated, their gear wears quickly..
Support your dive crew. Pay it forward. What goes around, comes around.

The situation here in eastern Canada is similar to Ace's ... there are no dive boats locally, usually you are hiring a fishing boat if you have a big group. There may or may not be a DM, but usually you are expected to be self sufficient. I usually DM for the free trip and the dive, and you really have to love our sport and the act of sharing it with others to spend the money and the time to go diving for the day when you will probably spend the day schlepping tanks and helping new divers get dressed and guiding them underwater, most likely will only get to breathe 1/3 or so of your air supply and have shorter dives than everyone else. I don't see tips very often, I think the best tip I ever got was $50 for two dives, private charter of one buddy team. With the local divers, they are aghast if you ask them to pay $25 or $30 to get on the boat for a two dive day, let alone get a tip from them when it is over, no matter how hard you work. Like I said, you do it because you love it.

It really depends on the local customs.

In parts of the US, for example, DMs don't get paid to help out on a boat; their only remuneration comes from tips (instructors are presumably being paid if they are doing training dives with their students). It's customary to take care of them. Likewise, in the US, the Captain may be the owner, and there is a custom in the US not to tip owners of businesses where employees are normally offered tips.

In Australia, it's my understanding that tips are not customary on dive boats (or in most other places). While crews may appreciate tips, they don't expect them. I imagine that this would apply equally to boat crew and dive staff.

Here in SE Asia, dive boats are usually leased by the operator, and the captain and crew are all hired hands. We do tip the boat crew here, and every crew member gets an equal share whether they work as captain, cook, or boat boys. We also tip dive staff, but separately and individually.

One of my pet peeves is people going on dive holidays and applying the non-tipping customs of their home country while abroad. Here in Thailand, we get a lot of foreign visitors who are not used to tipping and take an active stand against tipping while they are here. Typically, these non-tippers offer three reasons to excuse themselves from giving tips:
1) Workers should be paid a living wage so they don't need tips.
2) We don't tip at home so we don't see any reason to tip elsewhere.
3) We aren't being cheap... really we're not!

My view of these three excuses is
1) Standard wages in a country are what they are. There is no chance that not tipping as "protest" will change a wage policy. This is not a case where a philosophical debate will make any difference to a worker's earning power. A tip is meant to show appreciation--a concrete way to say "thanks very much". If you feel good enough about your experience to utter these words, also put some cash in the tip box!
2) If you want everything in a foreign country to operate just like it does at home, then my suggestion is to take your all of your holidays in your home country.
3) Yeah, sure.

I live in the Philippines and learned to dive here, so I've only observed Filipino habits.

When we go to resorts, we leave a tip for the resort staff as a whole, or for the dive staff and the resort staff separately if that is they way they have it set up. For day diving, I tip the boat crew. I prefer to tip at the end of our stay because I don't want to have to find the right sized bills for every day of diving and I don't want to feel obligated to tip every day, even if it is a problem day. At the end of the period, I can leave a good tip and feel comfortable about it.

Filipinos tend not to tip for service; generally, boat crews are happy for any tips and we get a lot of good will, even though our tips aren't large.d

Regards,
Bob