Hi everyone, there is a lot of good information here on how to become a captain academically but I can't find much about how somebody who is starting out with no experience like myself would learn to safely pilot or even function as a deckhand for a small < 50ft dive boat in near coastal waters. I know experience has got to be a huge part of this but surely there are highly qualified captains and schools that teach beginners hands on how to safely pilot a boat including doing it in "rough" seas. I have been in enough small dive boats in bad weather to know the captain can make a big difference in the beating the boat and passengers take. Are there good practical hands on schools out there and how long realistically would it take to learn the skills enough to take out a typical small dive boat on the ocean < 10 miles and deal with with the weather turning bad? I am looking at working in the recreational dive industry and obviously this is a skill that would be a huge plus.
Thanks
Thanks