Life as a liveaboard crew member?

[cappyjon431]

Most liveaboards prefer hiring instructors because they can perform more functions than DMs (teaching courses), and these functions make money for the company. That being said, I know Nekton has hired a number of DMs and if they stuck around long enough, the company would often pay for part of the crew members IDC/IE.

 

[atedeschi]

what kind of money is one looking at in this type of job?

 

[cappyjon431]

About $200/week salary, plus commisions (teaching courses but not much) plus tips, which can vary greatly. Over an eight year period I averaged approx. $350/week in tips. The money gets better once you get your captain's license. You'll never get rich, but there's also not much opportunity to spend the money if you are at sea for months at a time.

 

[Scuba_Chris76]

For people that have worked on a Liveaboard boat, where did you live when you were not working? Did you live near where the boat was ported at or did you commute from other places?

 

[cappyjon431]

When I worked on a liveaboard, I had several options:
When we were based out of Ft. Lauderdale, I would often crash at my parent's house in Miami or travel up to cave country in north central Forida and camp/cave dive.
Our company also provided a crew house (one in Lauderdale, one in Belize, depending where we were departing from). Very sparse accommodations-not my first choice.
I also did a lot of traveling during my off time. When we were based in Belize, I would often travel for three or four weeks at a time--it gave me an opportunity to go to Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador, Cozumel, and Akumal. If you stay in hostels and eat like a local (not in the tourist restaurants), and take buses this was an inexpensive yet awesome way to get to see the world.