Is it customary to tip the instructors on the dive boat in CM as it is at other resorts?If so what is the usual amount?

All who wander are not lost

in which country or Club Med ???

Usually there is NO TIPPING at Club Med. If you want to give something to a GO, rather ask him what he could need from the boutique...

In some villages, some GE's start "lending their hands"... do not give anything, they are not allowed to ask for money.

the heck with the boutique. for scuba GO's you need only to remember three little letters: B-A-R. aperitif before dinner, coffee directly after and then the hard stuff after the show...

Padre...www.clubmedxgo.com
Scuba GO's, we go deeper, stay down longer and
keep you wet for hours...Dive deep, live shallow

ok ok ... my mistake... I thought you all were sports people ...

there is no tipping at CM. Though a few goodies from the main land are helpful. I usually bring some snack foods down for the G.O.'s just to be nice. Or I bring some cheap good DVD's down that I know all the G.O.'s will pass around.

of course... me, being from Switzerland, usually carry a suitcase of Swiss chocolate for the GOs. Some others used to get as well cheese Fondue, Swiss white wine and other Swiss stuff. (The ones who get those will recognized themselves and are greeted by this message!)

However, stopping by the boutique for a new T-shirt according to "tonights dress code" for YOUR SPECIAL GO is very much appreciated, believe me.. I have 30 years of CM as a GM behind me !

At Club Med the official policy has always been no tipping. This goes back to the traditional Tahitian customs which shaped the early days of Club Med over 50 years ago. It's a social insult in Tahiti to "tip" a friend & GO's historically have been considered your friends rather than your employees. That's why they eat with you in the restaurant, dance with you in the disco, and generally enrich your experience.
That said, though, any GO's will always welcome any friendly gesture of appreciation. What would make these friends happy? Invite them to join you at the nice table you've reserved with other friends at the annex restaurant for dinner. Offer drinks at the bar. Take the time to get to know these interesting people with such varied backgrounds from around the world. The GO's are what makes the Club special.
As far as little gifts go, one of our regular dive buddies brings boxes of Oreos (which, believe it or not, are highly desired, despite the availability of all the pastry in the restaurant). Recent magazines are appreciated, as will be any recent best-selling books you may finish while you're there. (The further the particular village is from "civilization" the more such things are appreciated.) Extra supplies of good-quality sunscreen & insect repellent, in fact any expensive hair products, toiletries, etc., which are hard to obtain in the area or too expensive to buy locally on a GO's wages, will be appreciated; and that also saves you the trouble of schlepping it home. (We always bring extras, though.)
If we already know people on the GO team we e-mail them before the trip to ask what specifically they'd like us to bring. (I always tell them to only ask for things which are small, easy to pack, and legal.) Requests have ranged from Nutella & beef jerky (not for the same person) to camera batteries & film. But you don't have to act like Santa Claus handing out gifts. Just be as generous as you'd be with your other friends when you're out having fun.


Adria

I thought Club med outsourced the diving to a company called "Euro divers" ?

Reef Police is spot on.

In the past, GOs get to inherit my unused bar beads, travel magazines, snacks like dried mangoes, contact lens solution, good quality after sun conditioner. ie things which are not easily available at the CLub or something from their home country

As they say in Tahiti :

Aita Pea Pea

Reef Police, I think you explained it perfectly. I would emphasize the importance of getting to know the GO as a person. First of all, it is the right thing to do, and also you can make another friend to keep in touch with when you leave. When I was in Punta Cana three years ago, Joker came up to me and said, "I know you". I didn't recognize him at first and then it occurred to me that I had known him when he taught archery in Huatulco six years before! It meant a lot to me that he remembered. It's a very reciprocal thing--you get to know them as a person, and they will get to know you as a person.

BTW, when I have sent CARE packages down to GO's the requests sometime are a little bizarre. It has varied from mascara to Orville Redenbacher's microwave popcorn. Go figure. As the merchandiser Marshall Field once said, Give the lady what she wants.

John

vinz: euro divers handles a bunch of the clubs but columbus and turks are still dove with GO's.

Padre...www.clubmedxgo.com
Scuba GO's, we go deeper, stay down longer and
keep you wet for hours...Dive deep, live shallow