Don't ask. A resounding "Yes" is the answer. You ought to tip. It is common to tip both the Captain and the DiveMaster when you go on a chartered and supervised dive through a commercial diving shop. Gratuities are not required and depend on how generous you are. Still, it is polite to give your scuba crew a tip.
If you're going out for just one day, you should bring some cash on the boat so you can tip the crew. If you dive with the same DiveMaster and Captain for a whole week, it is okay to give them a tip at the end of the week.
If you book multiple dives through a dive shop, you might not have the same Captain or DiveMaster on each dive. If you aren't sure that the same crew will be with you the whole time, it's best to tip them every day.
One way to look at it is to compare the jobs of Captain and DiveMaster to jobs in other fields where tips are common. Your Captain is like a taxi driver because he or she gets you to and from your scuba site safely.
10% to 15% of the fare is a good tip for a taxi driver, and the same amount is appropriate for the Captain. On a $65 single-tank dive, you should give the Captain between $6 and $9 USD as a tip.
Your DiveMaster should get a 15 percent tip, or even more if the service was really good. On a single-tank dive that costs $65 USD, give your DiveMaster between $8 and $12 USD.
Don't give less of a tip because the currency is different. If you are travelling in a place where the exchange rate is too good to be true, don't cut your tip just because the local economy is cheap. A boat captain in Florida will accept $15 USD as a thank-you gift for a nice trip.
A Captain in rural Honduras would be very happy to receive $15 USD. Give your gifts where they are most needed, like to DiveMasters who are doing good work in areas where money is tight. Keep in mind that tips are a big part of some crews' incomes, and in some cases they are almost their only source of income. Don't lose your cool, and keep diving!
