Heading to Dominican Republic

[silver one]

In april My wife and i are heading down to punta cana in the Dominican republic. I told her the only way I would go is if I could go on a deep sea fishing trip. So I have one booked. Here is the web site of where i am going.

I have never been fishing on any big water othere then the Great lakes as I am a michigan native. http://www.firstclassfishing.com/

My question is, about tipping in another country. Is 20% the standard from a global stand point or is it higher. Depending on how well we do 20% woudl be around $400 as this is a 10hr vip charter.

[Line Dancin]

Not sure i only did the party boats out when in the islands and that is different. i know on the dive boats there the average was 10 to 15 percent. And they are doing gear setup and takedown for you. But not sure on the private charter fishing boats. If you get a chance look up the dive ops there. I can't remember who we used now it was almost 20 years ago now. but they do snorkling on some of the shallower reefs. It is very worth the money if the water is clear when you are there. They have funny currents if i remember right that can stir things up a bit. When you go out they take you out with divers and drop the divers on a deeper reef then take you in shallow.

Heres a little reading on diving/snorkeling:

http://www.destination360.com/caribbean/dominican-republic/punta-cana/punta-cana-snorkeling

http://www.puntacana-travelguide.com/snorkeling-tips.html

http://www.puntacana-information-guide.com/Punta-Cana-snorkeling.html

You can contact your resort before you go and get info and do research on which op to use before you get there. Also look at www.scubaboard.com and you can look at divers reviews from different places on the island.

[silver one]

I have actually looked at the web sites you posted. I did find a 80 catamaran charter called the Booze cruise. Its 3 hour evening boat ride up and down the Isaland coast for 75 a person and all you can drink. Depending on my mood I can drink 75 bucks easlily in 3 hours but its been many years since i gave up power drinking.

[Daybreak]

10-15 percent should be the average tip IF IT IS DESERVED!

Coming from a Captain, I can tell you TIPS SHOULD BE EARNED, NOT EXPECTED. If you feel you crew and Captain did all they could to show you a good, safe, fun time.....then tip accordingly. I have also been on a couple charters that I can tell you they did NOT earn a big tip, so they didnt get one.

Remember too, it not only about catching fish. Some of my best experiences as a charter customer in other ports were not the best days fishing, but they were EXCELLENT experiences! Thats what I book a charter for. When I run my boat, I try to put myself in my customers shoes, cause I have been there before!

Have fun in DR!! Thats a cool place with some GREAT fishing!!

[adrenalin]

My wife andI went to Punta Cana for our honey moon and it was awesome. We stayed at the Excellence Resort. She wanted to go deep sea fishing but I really didn't have an interest, but we went anyways. It really sucked for us, half the people got sick and we never saw a fish. The captain just put out the baits and drove in circles for 4 hours. Even my wife thought these guys were a joke, she said to me "those hooks are so rusted even if one hits we will never catch it." We never tipped and should have asked for our money back. Like daybreak said the tip has to be earned. It should be fun even if you don't catch fish.

[A-Fishy-Anado]

Joe

In Cabo for an 8 hour trip they like to see no less than a $100 tip, which is right around 10%, and that is coming from the fleet owner. Best thing you can do is get yourself educated on the different tactics used to catch different fish and just straight out tell these captains what YOU want to do. Some of these guys are not very ambitious and it is your dime. Be as proactive as you can because with some there is a little language barrier that only hurts the customer if you dont know anything about what kind of fishing you are doing. There are tons of resources on the web to get yourself familiar with this even if you have never done it before. On the smaller marlin tuna and dorado don't let them sit you in the fighting chair ask for the fighting belt if they don't offer, it is much more fun.

Check out the video tutorials here This is the type of fishing that you want to do if you are going to tip more than 10%!!

[silver one]

Thanks for the tip. I actually talked with the captain and first mate and did exactly what you stated. I told them exactly what I was looking for.

I told him I was not into bottom fishing on reefs and that I wanted to go after big fish. So that is what we are doing. We are going to target Wahoo,Tuna,King Mackeral,sailfish and most of all Blue and Black Marlin.

I cant wait. This will be the fishing trip of a lifetime for me and I have been on many fishing trips. I have been running a mile a day for a month and lifting weights. My kids said dad its good that you are jogging on the treadmill. I replied,"Jog Hell! thats flat out sprinting for me".

[DIRTY DOG]

Bromley is 100% write , tell them EXACTLY what you want and 100 is about right on for the tip.