Deckhand / Dive Instructor
A deckhand / dive instructor does a full deckhand's job and runs the yacht's diving as well. You wash down, drive tenders and handle lines like everyone else on deck. When guests want to dive, you plan it, brief it, lead it and look after the kit. Owners and charter guests pay for that second skill, and crew agents look for it.
The jobWhat fills the day
Most of your week is ordinary deck work. You wash down, polish stainless, maintain the tenders and toys, stand anchor watches and handle lines when the yacht comes alongside. On top of that you own the dive locker. That covers servicing regulators and BCDs, keeping cylinders in test, running the compressor, logging air quality and keeping the dive equipment inventory up to date. The captain will expect you to know where everything is and what state it is in.
With guests aboard, diving takes over a lot of your day. You pick sites with the bridge, check tides and currents, brief the guests and lead every dive. Some guests are experienced divers who want a buddy and a good site. Others have never dived, so you take them through a Discover Scuba session or a full Open Water course. On a 45m yacht you might also be the main tender driver. On a 90m expedition yacht you could be one of a dedicated dive team with a rebreather setup and a dive tender.
Captains hire people who are good deckhands first. A qualified instructor who cannot drive a tender, splice a line or detail a hull will not last long. Most successful candidates have taught at a resort in Egypt, Thailand, Bali or the Caribbean and then done their STCW and ENG1. Teaching experience counts for a lot. Two hundred logged dives is a sensible minimum and you should be comfortable teaching nervous adults and children.
Diving gets you hired and pays a premium, but most people progress on the deck side. Two or three seasons as deckhand / dive instructor can lead to lead deckhand and then bosun, especially if you add an RYA Yachtmaster Offshore along the way. Others move on to the dedicated diving instructor job on larger yachts, or to watersports and toy management roles. If you want a long career at sea, start working towards your OOW ticket early.
Skills captains look for
- 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
A day aboardCharter day, 62m motor yacht, North Ari Atoll, Maldives
Wash down the aft deck and swim platform with the deck team before guests wake. Fill cylinders and log the compressor hours.
Check the current at the channel entrance with the bosun and confirm the morning site with the officer on watch.
Load the dive tender, run the guest briefing on the sundeck and take three certified divers out for a manta dive.
Rinse and hang the kit, log the dive and check one regulator that was free-flowing.
Crew lunch in the mess, then half an hour off in your cabin.
Pool session and first open water dive for the owner's teenage daughter, working through her PADI Open Water course.
Back on normal deck duties. Drive the tender for a sandbank picnic and help recover the water toys.
Tidy the dive locker, fill cylinders for the morning and help set up the aft deck for dinner.
Off watch. Anchor watch from 02:00 to 04:00.
Pay by yacht sizeMonthly, before tips. Estimates. Bars share one scale.
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. See the Bosun & Deckhand salary guide for figures from live adverts.
Tickets and visas
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
Where it leadsA typical career path
Deckhand / Dive Instructor jobsOpen now on SuperyachtRoles.com
Questions crew ask
Is Divemaster enough or do I need to be an instructor?
Divemaster gets you a deckhand / divemaster job, which is a separate role. Captains advertising for a dive instructor want someone who can certify guests, so they ask for PADI OWSI or equivalent as a minimum. MSDT or higher helps you stand out.
How much diving will I actually do?
It depends on the owner and the itinerary. A charter yacht in the Maldives, Red Sea or Raja Ampat might dive twice a day for weeks. A private yacht in the Med might dive a handful of times all season, and you spend the rest of the time as a deckhand.
Do I need yacht experience to get hired?
Not always. Resort teaching experience plus STCW and ENG1 can get you a first job, especially on yachts heading to dive destinations. Daywork in Antibes or Palma helps prove you can handle deck work too.
Who is responsible for safety on a guest dive?
You plan and lead the dive, but the captain has final say on whether it goes ahead. Most yachts have a written dive procedure in their safety management system, and you will be expected to follow it and keep records.