Tipping on the Dive Boat

[acelockco]

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.

[Nemo]

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.

[lars2923]

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.

[seasnake]

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.

[Quero]

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.

[TravellinThru]

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