Good Captains are in demand in Key Largo

[mselenaous]

For months as I run into friends who work at local dive shops or own local dive shops, the most common comment is “We are looking for Captains if you know anyone”. One week in May there were at least 5 companies looking for captains and running into the same road blocks.

Being a Captain in the Keys sounds prestigious…”Livin’ the Dream”. A good captain makes it look easy however the reality is that the days are long and the work is hard. The pay is low for a region with a high cost of living, specifically housing. This is not a 9-5 Monday through Friday job. Work starts 2 hours before customers show up and ends long hours after the customers have left when the boats and tanks are prepped for the next day. Dive boats run 365 days/year, including every holiday, weather permitting. No trips = no pay that day. There are busier seasons where Captains work for weeks without a day off and then there are slower seasons sometimes with only a few trips per week due to weather. The job is a mix of boat driver, mechanic, mentor, hospitality director, educator, entertainer, medic, safety & Coast Guard compliance enforcer, and many more. Every trip regardless of sea conditions, captains keep working with a smile to ensure the divers are safe (in spite of themselves) and that they have a good time.

The biggest lament I hear from the shop owners fall into the following categories:

• Attitude:
  • Applicant calls owner, answers “yeah, I can do that” to multiple discussion questions, but doesn't or can’t follow up with a complete resume showing where/who worked for, as well as the size and types of vessels driven, and copies of credentials (USCG, dive ratings, etc.).
  • Does not work well with crew, instructors, or shop staff.
  • Inflexible
• Experience:
  • Captains with very little actual driving experience who need to spend a year mating before taking the wheel.
  • Lack of local knowledge (this the easiest to learn with a good mentor)
• Reputation: Bad reputations that precede the applicant (this is small community and we talk)
• Stability: Too much drama in their personal lives.
• Mandatory Drug Testing Consortium…’nuff said.

If you have what it takes including a sense of humor and are not afraid of hard work, the FL Keys Dive Operators have work for you...usually sooner than later.

If you are interested in knowing who in Key Largo is hiring, send me a PM and I will be happy to give you more information.

 

[The Chairman]

You can be living the dream in the Keys!

 

[tekkydiver]

It really is a lousy job. All of the above plus the know-it-all attitude of know nothing customers. It's no wonder I see a lot of them coming to the dock in the morning with a six pack with three missing.

 

[C Dub]

Wide open field for Wookie and his bride..... Wonder if they looking at a day boat?

 

[Wookie]

Thanks for the thought, but the inflexible knocks me out, and the Navy offered me a job that working a day boat can't touch.