What's it like to work on a liveaboard?

[oreocookie]

I spent a week on the Pirate's Lady (Blackbeard's out of Nassau) earlier this month and thoroughly enjoyed the experience and atmosphere. Since then, I've been thinking that working on a boat like that might be something I'd want to do in the next few years (I'm 22 now). Obviously working on the boat is different from being a passenger, but I'm curious: What is it like to work on a liveaboard?

 

[baitballer]

In three words.....very hard work! I have worked on two liveaboards and loved it but understand it is very hard work in front of the guest 24/7 and for little pay. It is a great experience though.

 

[scubaskipper]

I see less than 50 dives on your profile. Remember you'll be expected to dive in any and all conditions and be able to take care of yourself as well as 10-15 divers of all skill levels. You might want to get more real world experience before you sign up for this adventure.

 

[oreocookie]

I see less than 50 dives on your profile. Remember you'll be expected to dive in any and all conditions and be able to take care of yourself as well as 10-15 divers of all skill levels. You might want to get more real world experience before you sign up for this adventure.

Thanks for the advice. I'd be considering this for 2 to 3 years from now (after I finish school) as right now I feel like I'd be qualified to do little more than clean cabins. I'm asking this now partly out of curiosity and partly to see if this is even something I should consider at all.

 

[SeaHorse81]

I have not worked on a liveaboard, but have gone on several trips and always talk to the crew about their experiences. Here are the highlights of what I've been told:

• They work many weeks on end, not seeing home for sometimes months at a time. They're not home for long when they do get to visit. It doesn't sound possible to maintain much in the way of home relationships if you do this for a living.
  
• They seem to work pretty much every waking minute, leading your dives, checking your gear, serving your meals, answering your questions, cleaning your room, cleaning your bathroom, maintaining the boat, cleaning the boat, and trying their hardest to accomodate every guest request, no matter how inane such requests may sometimes be.
  
• They have to witness diving practices they may mightily disagree with as they walk the fine line between enforcing responsible diving and keeping paying customers happy.
  
• They need to be prepared to be responsible for everything from keeping the salon tidy to getting you to a chamber ASAP if you get bent, to coming and finding your sorry self if you get lost on a night dive.
  
• My impression is that their rooms are pretty cramped, and the brief times they get to spend in them are their ONLY moments of privacy, ever.
  
• They greet each new week's bunch of guests with the same big smiles and enthusiasm that were bestowed on last week's incoming guests, and all the guests for all the weeks before that. They manage to look like you are their first and most important guests ever, even though they've been working non-stop since who knows when.
  
• From what I can tell, they don't make a lot of money, and tips from guests make a huge difference in what they take home.
  
• They sometimes have frustrations with the home office, which they generally work hard to keep from interfering with their service to their guests.
  
• They can definitely get burned out from the work, which is why some change routes when they can, and why others leave the work for months at a time to recharge.
  
• I'm sure there's more, because there seems to be no end to what these people do, but I hope this gives you a sense of it. While it looks glamorous, fun, etc, being a liveaboard crew member is a job in every sense of the word, and not an easy one at that.

Kudos and admiration to all of you who do it so well.

 

[ewaiea]

If after all this negative talk of the downsides (which I am not disagreeing with), you can get paid and if you have little to no bills it's cost free living you can probably save up a pretty hefty nesteg over the course of a few years. Which is how long most of them stick with it.

The captain of the Star Dancer - Christopher Guglielmo - worked on the Turks and Caicos Aggressor for quite a few years and when he got off time - he actually went on other Aggressor liveaboards! He loves diving that much! He told me to this day he doesn't take vacations unless there is a significant diving entity! Being a professional underwater photographer with numerous magazine publications he had many chances to hone his skills! He never stopped loving diving, and I found that to be a real inspiration! --As much as I hate to admit it, I don't think my love of diving would continue.....I love diving, but not enough to do it as a job. I'd rather get up to my Master Scuba Diver rating which would get me the satisfaction that I can handle myself about as well as a divemaster but don't have to look after other divers. On day boat trips out here in Hawaii, when I go some of my friends who are dive masters have looked to me to help out from time to time since they recognize my skills. That's about as close to "working" in the dive industry as I hope to ever get

Best of luck to you whatever you decide!

 

[SeaHorse81]

If after all this negative talk of the downsides (which I am not disagreeing with)

Good point -- that was all generally negative stuff. I think it came out that way for a couple of reasons. First, I assume that the positives are all pretty obvious, and the reasons someone would consider liveaboard work in the first place, so I was looking to fill in the picture with the perhaps-not-so-obvious things. Second, this is how the crews I've spoken to tend to frame it. I'm guessing that this is mostly because I've spoken to seasoned people who are over the novelty of it and willing to share more about the nitty-gritty of it all.

While I doubt many active liveaboard crew members will see this thread (since they're working, probably don't have internet access away from the dock, and definitely don't have the time), my hope is that the few who do will see that what they do is noticed and very much appreciated. Those who put their hearts into it are phenomenal people, and will work harder to give the rest of us a good vacation than perhaps anyone else, anywhere.

 

[Mossman]

The captain of the Star Dancer - Christopher Guglielmo - worked on the Turks and Caicos Aggressor for quite a few years and when he got off time - he actually went on other Aggressor liveaboards! He loves diving that much!

That's hardly uncommon among Aggressor crew since they get free Aggressor trips as one of the (few) benefits of the job and it's not much of a benefit if you don't use it. Besides, no one decides to become part of the diving crew of a liveaboard if they don't like diving to begin with and it would be odd indeed if someone who dives the Caribbean day in and day out wouldn't yearn to see the wonders of the Galapagos or Palau for example.

Christopher is one of a small handful of crewmembers who stick it out and work their way up the ladder instead of burning out or otherwise moving on after a couple of years. I was curious to know where he ended up after his stint on the T&C Aggressor - I met him when he was relief captain while Piers was off the boat and he did an excellent job of maintaining a tight ship with only 4 other crew while also managing to get in a few dives as photo pro/DM and to work on his own portfolio. My chances of a future trip on the Star Dancer relative to all the other boats/resorts in the world I've yet to visit just increased a bit now that I know Christopher is at the helm. I had been down on PH since my first and only experience with them on the Sky Dancer, but now with both the Sky Dancer and PH himself gone from the Fleet, I would certainly give them another try, at least on the Star Dancer. There's no way the Christopher I knew would allow the problems I suffered on the Sky Dancer to occur on his watch.

 

[ewaiea]

That's hardly uncommon among Aggressor crew since they get free Aggressor trips as one of the (few) benefits of the job and it's not much of a benefit if you don't use it. Besides, no one decides to become part of the diving crew of a liveaboard if they don't like diving to begin with and it would be odd indeed if someone who dives the Caribbean day in and day out wouldn't yearn to see the wonders of the Galapagos or Palau for example.

Christopher is one of a small handful of crewmembers who stick it out and work their way up the ladder instead of burning out or otherwise moving on after a couple of years. I was curious to know where he ended up after his stint on the T&C Aggressor - I met him when he was relief captain while Piers was off the boat and he did an excellent job of maintaining a tight ship with only 4 other crew while also managing to get in a few dives as photo pro/DM and to work on his own portfolio. My chances of a future trip on the Star Dancer relative to all the other boats/resorts in the world I've yet to visit just increased a bit now that I know Christopher is at the helm. I had been down on PH since my first and only experience with them on the Sky Dancer, but now with both the Sky Dancer and PH himself gone from the Fleet, I would certainly give them another try, at least on the Star Dancer. There's no way the Christopher I knew would allow the problems I suffered on the Sky Dancer to occur on his watch.

Keep in mind, Peter Hughes got Christopher to do like a 12-18 month contract. Then they were going to get a new captain. He is working on the Star Dancer with his girlfriend who was also on the T&C Aggressor with him. She was off the ship when I was there but she's still working with him. They're having a blast in PNG and they apparently have intents to stay on for photo/video throughout the winter when the boat does the south coast of New Britain Island charters. So if you want to see Christopher again this might be your last chance - he mentioned he wanted to come back to the states and manage his photo gallery. So if you hit up Star Dancer you might want to start looking now at booking a charter.

But whoever is the captain I'm sure will be great. Owner Wayne Brown and President Wayne Hasson of the Dancer Fleet and Aggressor Fleet run a great company - and though many of their boats are franchises I don't think for a second that it changes the greatness of the experience for the guests.

 

[Mossman]

But whoever is the captain I'm sure will be great. Owner Wayne Brown and President Wayne Hasson of the Dancer Fleet and Aggressor Fleet run a great company - and though many of their boats are franchises I don't think for a second that it changes the greatness of the experience for the guests.

I'm not sure I fully agree with that assessment. Even the best franchise overseer can't be on every boat on every trip. Boats get run down really quickly and if the franchise owner doesn't want to keep the cash flowing for maintenance or fails to obtain/retain a quality crew, guests can indeed have an experience that at least borders on less-than-greatness. Sure, Wayne and Wayne, when they eventually hear of the problem, can eventually remedy it, but some problems take time to fix.

Of the five different Aggressors I've been on, three were absolutely outstanding in every way: T&C, Galapagos (II), and Palau. The fourth was in fine shape mechanically, but had some crew and maintenance issues that only amounted to minor annoyances - it's no longer operating there. The fifth was cramped and horribly maintained, though I understand it's been drydocked and overhauled since. While the diving was spectacular off the fifth boat, the condition of the boat definitely affected many passengers and I wouldn't chance going on her again (since there's better competition at a similar price) unless it were extremely discounted or free. Only the Palau trip came after Wayne Brown took over so I'm hoping quality control will be stricter under his regime, and my experiences were still all positive enough that I'll certainly try another Aggressor in the future and I wholeheartedly recommend the three trips that I thoroughly enjoyed.