How to become a Deckhand / Dive Instructor
You can start as a Deckhand / Dive Instructor with no yacht experience. You need the right tickets, a CV that shows work that transfers, and to be where the yachts hire. This page sets out each step.
Where you startAnd where it leads. A typical path, not a rule.
Deckhand / Dive Instructor
Year 0-2. Pay from about US$3,800 a month. A deckhand who also holds a scuba instructor rating, running guest dives, training and dive kit alongside normal deck work on a superyacht.
Lead Deckhand / Senior Deckhand
Year 2-3. Pay from about US$3,800 a month. The senior deckhand who runs daily deck jobs, trains newer crew and covers for the bosun on superyachts of roughly 50m and above.
Bosun / Boatswain
Year 3-5. Pay from about US$4,000 a month. The bosun runs the deck crew day to day, leading deckhands on maintenance, tenders, watersports and mooring, and reports to the chief officer.
Second Officer
Year 6-8. Pay from about US$5,500 a month. A qualified watchkeeping officer who keeps bridge watches, plans passages and looks after safety equipment on yachts from about 50m upwards.
Before you applyWhat a Deckhand / Dive Instructor needs, from the Deckhand / Dive Instructor guide
Must have
- STCW Basic Safety Training
- ENG1 medical certificate
- PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor or SSI equivalent
- Emergency First Response Instructor
- Proficiency in Designated Security Duties (PDSD)
Gets you hired
- RYA Powerboat Level 2
- RYA Yachtmaster Coastal or Offshore
- Enriched Air (Nitrox) Instructor and gas blender
- DAN Oxygen Provider
- RYA Personal Watercraft
Visas
- Schengen visa where needed
- US B1/B2 visa
What counts instead of yacht experienceOur advice
Captains hire a Deckhand / Dive Instructor for scuba instruction and briefing, dive planning and risk assessment and compressor and gas management. With no yacht job behind you, show the same skills from work ashore. A background in watersports and boat handling is the closest match, for example work as a watersports instructor.
Write each job on your CV as what you did, with numbers: how many guests, how many boats, how many covers. Then list every skill below that you can prove.
- Scuba instruction and briefing
- Dive planning and risk assessment
- Compressor and gas management
- Tender driving
- Exterior detailing and varnish
- Line handling and anchoring
- Guest care in the water
Your first stepsIn the order we suggest
Get the tickets a Deckhand / Dive Instructor must hold
You need STCW Basic Safety Training, ENG1 medical certificate, PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor, Emergency First Response Instructor and Proficiency in Designated Security Duties (PDSD) before a yacht can put you to work as a Deckhand / Dive Instructor.
STCW and ENG1: what they are and what they cost →Write a first Deckhand / Dive Instructor CV
Keep it to one page. Put your tickets and your start date at the top, then the work that transfers: watersports and boat handling.
See a Deckhand / Dive Instructor CV example →Create your crew profile
Upload that CV and we build your profile from it. Your name and contact details stay hidden. Captains and recruiters contact you. It is free.
Create your crew profile →Apply and look for daywork
Apply to open jobs and to crew agencies, and take daywork: a few paid days on a yacht is how most first-time crew get a reference. 1 Deckhand / Dive Instructor job is open on SuperyachtRoles.com now.
See open Deckhand / Dive Instructor jobs →Step up to Lead Deckhand / Senior Deckhand
The usual path puts Lead Deckhand / Senior Deckhand at year 2 to 3. Pay starts from about US$3,800 a month.
How to become a Lead Deckhand / Senior Deckhand →
Deckhand / Dive Instructor jobsOpen now on SuperyachtRoles.com. Some ask for experience, so read each advert.
QuestionsMore in the green crew guide
Can I become a Deckhand / Dive Instructor with no experience?
Yes. Deckhand / Dive Instructor is a first job on yachts. You need STCW Basic Safety Training, ENG1 medical certificate, PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor, Emergency First Response Instructor and Proficiency in Designated Security Duties (PDSD), and work that transfers, such as watersports and boat handling, puts you ahead of other new crew.
How long does it take to become a Deckhand / Dive Instructor?
It is a starting role, so the time is what it takes to get the tickets and find the first job. From there, the usual path puts Lead Deckhand / Senior Deckhand at year 2 to 3.
What does a Deckhand / Dive Instructor earn at the start?
From about US$3,800 a month, by our Deckhand / Dive Instructor guide. Expect a few hundred dollars a month above a standard deckhand. Charter tips can add 10-15% of the charter fee shared across the crew, and some yachts pay a per-course bonus for teaching guests.
Let the yachts come to you
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