Tipping for Divers; Part 1

Next month, we will carry a story about how Undercurrent subscribers tip on their dive travels. About 90 percent are Americans or Canadians, known worldwide as the highest tippers, so we thought we would begin by providing a European perspective.

Europeans consider tipping a private matter and like to be discreet about it. When I asked a British underwater photo-trip leader, Alex Tattersall of Underwater Visions, who leads trips abroad, how much he suggested his fellow passengers tip, he said he advised them "to tip as much as they felt comfortable with. It is a private matter."

When it comes to trips abroad, Europeans tend to have much longer vacation allowances, and six weeks per year is not uncommon. They like to take long holidays, meaning they must spread their spending money over one long period or several trips in a year, which means they may be less generous with tips.

Europeans may look rather stingy when it comes to tipping in comparison to their American counterparts. But we know that in less developed countries, money goes much further than it does for us. For example, a course of broad spectrum antibiotics may cost only a few dollars in Indonesia. Local workers always seem grateful for any extra money they are given.

Tipping amounts can be very variable. The one time I took it upon myself to collect all the tips on behalf of the (European) passengers on a two-week trip to Aladabra, one passenger gave $400, whereas another couple contributed a £5 bill (slightly more than $6)!

Caroline Vitalini of Scuba Travel told Undercurrent, "It's a bit of a hot topic, especially when some U.S. suppliers seem to be suggesting 20 percent of the trip cost as standard. We always tell people to tip what they feel comfortable with."

"After a seven-day trip on a liveaboard in Egypt, with 18 passengers, Brits are usually advised to leave around $75 per passenger for the crew of around ten, and $75/person for the dive guides. We don't make tipping recommendations for other destinations as it should be discretionary and reflect the level of service."

Werner Lau, a respected German dive center operator formerly in Egypt and Indonesia, and now only the Maldives (Werner Lau Diving Centers), suggests for a oneweek liveaboard tip his customers each tip, "$100 for the crew and $100 for the guide."

He opined that the worst tippers were the British and the French, closely followed by the Italian and Spanish, with the Austrians and the Germans not as generous as the Swiss.

Londoner Mark Murphy of Oyster Diving leads dive trips abroad. He told Undercurrent he'd just taken a group to the Bahamas, and they tipped around $20 per person per day for day boats. "When we chartered a boat in the Galapagos, the dive guide suggested the recommended tip was 10 percent of the cost of the whole holiday, including air flights - around £650 ($820) per person. People were really upset as they thought it was really taking the biscuit. When you have people who have spent four years or so saving up for the trip, that is a huge chunk of their monthly wage."

Alexander Bryant of Emperor Divers said, "In the Maldives, there is a compulsory 10 percent service charge. Emperor does not actually charge this as it goes against our monied-extras policy. Therefore, we recommend $150 per person per week. Whatever is short, we top up from our own funds so that the crew receives a min of $150 per guest per week.

"In Egypt, there is no compulsory service charge, so we recommend $100 per guest, and whatever is short, we top up from the company."

He says, "Americans clearly tip the best. Aussies and Brits are second best. Russians tip well, but way down at the bottom are the Europeans, especially the Dutch (who often tip only $50 for a week)."

Over the 25 years I made back-to-back dive trips as the Technical Editor of Diver Magazine (U.K.). I was usually hosted. I was paid a modest stipend, and any additional expenses I incurred, including tips, were reimbursed. I concluded that it's best to tip no more than the usual or expected amount, whatever that may be. Being too generous may do damage, as I once learned.

After a dusty trip to Gallipoli, I was so pleased with how a shoeshine boy outside the Blue Mosque in Istanbul renovated my shoes that I gave him a $20 tip. The other shoeshine boys took umbrage and beat him to a pulp. I often wonder if he thought it was worth the money.

If you feel you'd like to tip me for researching and writing this piece, please send the money to Ben Davison. I'm sure he'd forward it to me!

- John Bantin

PS: What are your thoughts about dive travel tipping? Email us at BenDDavison@undercurrent.com