I am noticing how many posts seem to be coming from Bonaire dive professionals. So I am going to open a question, naive as it may be, in hope that I will get some straight answers from you pros! My concern regards hiring dive masters in Bonaire and tipping/payment practices for their/your service. What do you all consider the norm for services rendered when us "clients" hire boat dives, etc but pay through the shop? Does it differ with the level of service (just diving with your buddy off the boat vs. diving with the pro whilst touring or doing check-outs). This may seem obvious to many, but I do most of my diving at altitude, from shore, and with just a buddy; but visit Bonaire yearly. Thanks for any insight [:>o]

Great question..we'd be interested in your answer too...looking for someone to take us out on night dive the otherside of Town Pier..not where all the cattle boaats go..whats the procedure

John, I know the board is visited regularly by representatives of various resorts but in comparison to our ramblings, their posts are very few and far between.

That being said, I know the resorts usually have a "thank you" jar placed near where you sign in/ sign out for your diving. As a rule I tip at least $10.00 per day when doing boat and beach diving. Although you see and meet the boat captain/divemaster/instructor you do not see all the folks that support your diving (fill tanks, load and unload the boats, clean the dock, etc. etc. etc.)

If I were to hire a Divemaster or Instructor I would consider 15-20% gratuity reasonable. When on a two-tank boat dive in Panama City Beach, FL I will usually tip the mate $10.00. As with all things, this of course is contingent on service.

Debbi - Town Pier dives are arranged through the resort your are staying/diving with. There is usually a sign up sheet posted, if not, inquire at the dive shop and they will have all the information you need.

If we stay at a resort we tip at the end of our visit...we do alot of shore diving...but if we are on the boat a few times we probably give 30 dollar a person...if they fixed out equipment...last trip had to fix regs 3 times and bc once...we tipped the girl 70...she was also dive master on our boat trips

Good Morning John and All,

As President of CURO (Council of Underwater Resort Operators) I will try to answer you question. The subjet of tipping is obviously a very sensitive subject on both sides. In any service oriented business, around the world, tipping or gratuities is widely accepted and in some cases expected. I think I can safely speak for most or all of our members that we don't expect it, however our staffs do certainly appreciate it. A lot of the operations and resorts have a built in gratuity much like a lot of restaurants around the world have. It usually ranges from 10%-15% of the total invoiced amount. This is normally only applied to service oriented purchases such as accomodations, diving, instruction and rental but not on retail purchases such as t-shirts, dive equipment, souvenirs, etc.. I don't know the specifics of each operation/resort but at our resort this amount is then divided among all the employees of the resort based on a point system. Points are then awarded to the employee's based on longevity with the company, how much direct contact they have with the guest's, etc.. This is then paid on a monthly basis. Over and above this built in gratuity, from the diving standpoint, normally a diver will tip anywhere from $5 to $10 per day if and only if they receive excellent service. If a diver is a member of a large group that has been diving with the same Captain and Divemaster all week the norm is usually $25 to $40 per person which is normally given directly to the Captain and Divemaster to split evenly. Some groups and individuals will even leave a gratuity to be split with the deck crew as well, the folks filling tanks and helping on the deck. Many of our guests will also leave a gratuity for their housekeeper as well if they feel it was deserved.

As far as Town Pier or other private guided dives, you would probably need to check with the operation you are diving with on their policy. I know many operations allow their divemasters/instructors to guide divers on their time (after normal work hours) and whatever you agree on with the divemaster/instructor is up to you. I would suggest that you make it very clear what the agreed price is prior to making the dive and make sure whether the price is per person or for the dive.

I know this is a touchy subject and I hope I haven't offended anyone but a valid question was posed and I thought an answer was appropriate. If anyone else wants to add their 2 cents worth, please feel free.

Jack I don't think anybody could or should be offended. And thanks for reminding us about the housekeepers. To often we forget the persons behind the scenes that make our stay even more pleasant.

One other thing, when dining on Bonaire make sure you read your menu (or bill) to see if your bill includes a tip/gratutity. As I remember the Green Parrot included a 15% gratuity into their bill, if service was outstanding we added a little something extra.

Jack, I just want to make sure I understood correctly. Most/some operations include the gratuity in the bill. However, it is appreciated that you tip on top of that? If you give the DM a tip, that is not split with the crew in the shop?

We are like John, in that the diving we do here in SO CA, even from boats, never have a dive master that goes in the water with you (unless someone is having problems in the water). The boats have a "tip jar" and usually $5-10$ per diver is appreciated. The pot money is split amongst the crew, cook, deck hand and on board dive master. Cabo San Lucas a year ago was the first time we ever had the dive master go in the water with us and take us to the cool spots. Of course we tipped him well at the end of the week.

John, good subject to bring up. I certainly never want to offend anyone by not abiding by custom in what they may take as being "stiffed." And Jack, your feedback is much appreciated. I will make sure we tip the crew in the shop on our trip in 20 days!!!

I just want to thank everyone for their input. I love coming to Bonaire, and Bonairetalk reflects the great hospitality and genuine caring that abounds there in the locals and visitors. I feel better now knowing how to properly conduct the boat diving side of things, and can't wait for our two-week stint in early October. Thanks again all!

Cynde, I think most of the operations do include a gratuity in the bill, however it would be wise to just ask and make sure and anything on top of it would be greatly appreciated by the crews. Kelly, you're right, the behind the scenes folks work just as hard to make sure your vacation is an enjoyable and memorable one. Anyway, John, thanks for bring up the subject and I hope to get to meet you in October.

Cynde: At Buddy Dive Resort, no gratuity or service charge is added to your bill for diving or for your accommodations. We have left the option to reward our staff up to you. And as the others have indicated, we hope that any gratutities our guests might choose to leave would be for the benefit of the entire staff. The behind the scenes folks work equally as hard, without the opportunity for the enjoyable guest interaction that the divemasters and boat captain's have. All of the "invisible efforts" and hard work of the maintenace, housekeeping and front office crews, and dive-support staff goes toward creating the environment that enables the guests to more fully enjoy their divemasters company - if you get what I mean. The behind the scenes folks are the cake, the divemaster and boat captain the icing on the cake.

Carol, thanks for the info. Like I said, here in SO CA, we don't have all the "pampering" as it is a cattle call and fend for yourself on the boats (35 folks packed/stacked)...the crews work hard on them and we always tip the 'jar'.