Tipping Your Divemaster: It's Not Always About the Money

Those are some hardworking DM's.

It's a common question: How Much Should I Tip My Divemaster? Should I tip my instructor? And yet, despite being such a common question, it doesn't have the most common answer. Tipping/gratuity practices vary greatly depending on where you dive, and not all tips need to be in the form of cold, hard cash.

Right off the Bat: Divemasters are Typically Not Paid. And If They Are, it's Not Much.

Being a DM is not normally a paid position. DM's are usually gaining experience or completing an internship on their way to becoming instructors. In tropical areas, DM's typically rely on tips for a large chunk of their income, whereas locally DM's tend to DM because they like doing it (or are gaining experience). Some instructors also give their DM's a kickback for assisting them (these instructors rock, may they get all the pizza and candy they desire). But, that being said, remember that DM's don't typically get paid for doing what they do.

Divemasters Work Their Butts Off

At the time of this writing, I'm a relatively new instructor. A baby instructor if you will. I was a DM far longer than I've been an instructor. As a DM, I got students geared up, worked with those having issues, filled the tanks, swept the pool deck, set up the dive site, prepared the classroom materials, and kept the flow of the class going so the Instructor could focus on.. well.. instructing! It's a ton of work. And every time I'm graced with a DM, I remember my DM days, and how much love I put in to helping out. When debating whether to tip your DM, think about the effort they put in to making your dives more enjoyable, and all the behind the scenes stuff they do.

Group Tipping is Commonplace on Trips

It's almost expected that you'll tip your DM on trips to the tropics. Remember, that may be their primary or sole source of income. Especially if you end up with a DM that really made your dives more enjoyable, tip them! A common amount to tip is between $5-$10 per tank. If they absolutely wowed you and made your trip incredible, tip more! By all means! You can also do a Group Tip if you're diving as a group. It's fairly common when doing liveaboard trips, especially if you travel as part of a group - you'll end up giving a group tip that then gets divvied up amongst the crew members. If, however, your DM made a special effort to make your diving more amazing, don't hesitate to give them something extra - just make sure the boat rules allow for that!

Local Diving and Tipping

Surprisingly, not as common. It's just not a common practice to tip DM's when diving locally. DM's around here don't expect it either, so don't feel bad if you don't. I've had folks try to tip me as a DM, I've always had them turn around and just make a donation to the Humane Society or the Children's Hospital instead. I DM'd for the love of doing it. BUT - that being said - don't be afraid to tip your DM locally! There's always a chance they'll kindly refuse, but it's always nice to offer - hooray for gas money! There are other ways to tip too....

Tipping Doesn't Always Have to Be Money

Tipping your DM locally can be done so many ways - you don't necessarily have to give them money! If you're a serious Divemaster around here, chances are it's because you love doing what you do. No one gets into diving to get rich! You can, however, show them your appreciation in other ways which are also really super fun!

Ways to Show Your Appreciation for your Instructor or DM:

-Money (the obvious one)

-Gift cards

-Buy them a post-dive beer

-Buy them a post-dive lunch

-Ice cream (any time we dive in Waterton, we tend to finish up with a nice walk to the ice cream store! Which is pretty much full of magic. And waffle cones. Which are magic.)

-Cookies, candy, all manner of delicious snacks and edibles

-A bottle of wine (post-diving only!)

-Send them a postcard from wherever you traveled (my favorite!)

-Send them a thank-you card

-Send them pictures from where you dove

-Sign up for another course with them specifically

-Invite them out fun diving

-Call the shop they teach at and leave a GLOWING review

-Social Media Geek? Tell your friends how much you loved diving with them, and tag them in it!

What are your favorite ways to show your favorite Dive Pro that they're loved? Try one of those unconventional ideas! You might just make someone's day!

Happy Diving!

-Sab