Photos courtesy of Dennis Daletzki.

Tipping is a common custom in the United States – and the expected or requested percentage tip seems to be increasing – and expanding rapidly across markets, services, and locations.

Now all across the United States, a tip jar or a payment screen are nearly ubiquitous. Even many self-checkout kiosks require a decision to be made on a tip before the payment transaction can be completed.

So where does the tipping custom (expectation and amounts) come into play for marathon swimmers, channel swimmers, ice swimmers, expedition swimmers, adventure swimmers, circumnavigation swimmers, and stage swimmers?

Some of the questions that I ponder include:

• Is it common for swimmers to tip?
• Who do they tip after a swim: the pilot(s), escort kayakers, paddlers, safety or support crew, seconds, observers?
• How much do tips range?
• Is tipping after swims in the United States differ than swims in European, Asia, South America, or Oceania?
• What about tipping after a DNF or a DNS? In other words, is a tip only or primarily given after a successful swim?
• Can other things be substituted for cash tips, such as a post-swim meal or gifts brought from home?
• Is tipping different for relay swims as opposed to a solo crossing?

To put tipping in perspective, I wondered what was done in mountain climbing, an extreme sport somewhat analogous with open water swimming where guides, sherpas, and other support crew can help an athlete achieve their goal.

Tipping is apparently common in mountain climbing, at least in the United States – and elsewhere. According to The Mountain Guides, “At our company, we often receive inquiries about tipping our guides. We take pride in delivering outstanding experiences, and our guides are committed to providing you with exceptional customer service during your mountain adventures. We want you to know that mountain guiding is a service industry, and if you had a great time with us, we suggest considering a gratuity of 15-20% of the total cost of your trip. Tipping is a way to acknowledge the effort and dedication our guides put into ensuring your trip is memorable and enjoyable. It’s an excellent way to show your appreciation and is always welcomed.”

Footprint Adventure in Nepal that focuses on treks up Mount Everest explains, “It is generally recommended to tip your guide, sherpas, and porters on an Everest Base Camp Trek at the end of the trip. Tipping is a common practice in the tourism industry of Nepal. It is a great way to show appreciation for the hard work of the guide, porter or sherpa. The amount of tip is totally your personal preference according to the level of service provided.“

Exit Glacier Guides agreed, “The average tip amount for an outdoor or backcountry guide is between 10% and 20% of the tour cost per person. For example, if the tour price was $1,000 per person, then the acceptable tip should be between $100 and $200 per person depending on the level of service provided by the guide.”

But opinions on tipping among mountaineers topic vary widely (read here on Reddit). The opinions range the negative to the positive:

• It’s amazing how teachers, nurses, cleaning people earn shit, yet nobody tips them, but i’m expected to tip a guide?
• If I spent $2,500 for a trip, I’m not tipping anything. I’m a student, not flushed with money. Why can’t the employer just pay the guide a livable wage? Tipping is a stupid idea.
• I heard on my last guided trip that 10% was standard. I ended up tipping about 15% after our group talked it over.
• I try to tip at least 25%, the guides really deserve it.
• It’s like tipping a tattoo person: 20% if they give you an expected experience, 10% if its shit, 30% if its better than you expected.

With solo marathon swims ranging close to US$10,000 around the world, we wondered if tipping in the sport is largely an American custom. Email headcoach@openwatersource.com with your experiences to add to this article.

But I largely assume that tipping is an entirely personal decision and based on income of the swimmer and their degree of appreciation for the services rendered by the pilot, kayaker, observer, and support crew that is balanced by the fact that many swimmers save for years to cover the cost of their channel crossings and marathon swims and their requisite travel for themselves and their crew.

As a result of increasing prices in the sport, many swimmers bring their own support crew – and many believe that their escort boat pilots charge a sufficient amount to cover their crew. Additionally, the pricing model for some channel swims has changed to a flat fee plus an hourly rate over certain time duration (i.e., swimmers who are in the water longer than 12 hours are charged extra hourly fees) which is an incentive to not tip.

Of course, swimmers can offer alternatives in lieu of giving a tip to their crew:

• make a donation to the governing body, a local or designated charity organization, or the Association
• host a pre-swim meal for everyone or pay for a post-swim dinner or round of drinks
• reciprocate by providing crew and kayak support for other swimmers on their swim
• donate unused and unopened grease, feeds, water bottles, and any kind of useful supplies to the pilot, observer, and crew

On the other hand, swimmers can readily appreciate that escort kayakers, paddlers, seconds, observers, and crew members do some pretty exhausting work more out of passion and giving back to the sport rather than generating any of serious compensation as a part- or full-time job.

The real costs for volunteering or offering services to a marathon swimmer include:

• the time ranges from before they leave their house to after they return – it is much more than the swim itself  
• travel time getting to and from the swim
• packing preparation and set up in addition to the post-swim clean-up
• cost of supplies to support the swimmer
• the very real post-swim recovery time, especially if sleep is lost or it is a night swim
• expenses such as pet care and childcare
• time away from work

While tipping in the United States has been accepted in service industries, including guided fishing trips, old hands in the American channel community have suggested a 10% tip ($200 – $300) to the boat crew is customary and always welcome. That being suggested, boat captains usually exclude themselves and prefer to split the offered trip among the second captain(s) and deck crew.

Additionally, American veterans say that tipping the support crew (especially the kayakers) is important as kayakers are the swimmer’s first line of safety, especially when crossings go hours beyond what was expected. They add that there are reasons for this compensation; the kayakers provide safety, experience, knowledge, and stamina.

The bottom is that pilots and support crew are there to support a swimmer’s dream, to help them achieve their goals safely and without incidents in what can be a hostile, risk-inherent marine environment – and its total costs are not inexpensive.

Feel free to share your experiences to headcoach@openwatersource.com.

Photos of Oceans Seven swimmer André Wiersig, courtesy of Dennis Daletzki.

© 2023 Daily News of Open Water Swimming

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