All roles/Deck and Bridge/Deckhand / Dive Instructor
Deck and Bridge
Deckhand / Dive Instructor
A qualified deckhand who also runs the yacht's dive programme, teaching guests, guiding dives and keeping the compressor and kit safe, so owners and charter guests can dive straight off the boat.
- Department
- Deck and Bridge
- Reports to
- Bosun / Boatswain
- Yacht size
- 45m to 120m+
- Contract
- Seasonal or permanent
- Starting pay
- €3,500 per month
What the job is
You are a deckhand first. You wash down, polish stainless, handle lines in port, drive tenders, launch water toys and stand watches like the rest of the deck team. The difference is that when guests want to dive, you run it. On yachts with a dive programme the captain hires one person who can do both jobs, because a full-time instructor would sit idle on non-dive days and a deckhand without the ticket cannot teach.
The dive side is a real responsibility. You run the compressor, fill and analyse cylinders, blend or check nitrox where the yacht carries it, and service regulators, BCDs and computers. You plan sites with the captain or chief officer, check currents and weather, write the emergency plan and keep the oxygen kit ready. You brief, guide and teach, from a Discover Scuba session for a nervous guest to full certification courses, and you keep the dive log and guest paperwork in order.
These jobs sit on yachts that cruise where the diving is good: the Maldives, Red Sea, Indonesia, French Polynesia, the Caribbean and the Bahamas. Expedition yachts and larger charter boats are the main employers. Owners and insurers want a current, teaching-status instructor running any guest diving, so the role carries weight. Do it well and you are trusted with guests in the water, which is often the highlight of their trip and a big part of the charter tip.
What makes a good one
- Calm, clear dive briefings
- Compressor and kit maintenance
- Confident tender handling
- Reading current and weather
- Good with nervous guests
A day in the life
- 06:30Morning deck wash down with the team, then into the dive locker to check the compressor log and start filling the day's cylinders.
- 07:30Analyse every nitrox cylinder, label it and set up kit for six guests. Check the oxygen kit, first aid bag and radio in the dive tender.
- 08:30Confirm the site with the chief officer, looking at current, tide and visibility reports. Give the guests a full briefing on the aft deck.
- 09:15Tender out to the reef with a second deckhand driving. Lead the dive, keeping the group together and pointing out mantas at the cleaning station.
- 11:00Back on board, rinse and hang all kit, log the dive and refill cylinders for the afternoon while guests have lunch.
- 13:00Crew lunch, then help the deck team launch the paddleboards and seabobs for the younger guests.
- 15:00Teach an open water session to one of the guests, starting with confined skills off the swim platform and moving to the shallow reef.
- 17:30Recover the toys, wash down the tender and swim platform, and service a regulator that was free-flowing in the morning.
- 19:30Help with sunset drinks set-up on the sundeck, then take the first anchor watch before handing over at 22:00.
Pay by country
Monthly salary for a deckhand / dive instructor on a 45m to 120m yacht. Charter yachts add tips, typically 10% to 15% of the charter fee shared among crew. Instructors who also hold a tender or nitrox instructor rating sit at the top of the range.
- France and Monaco
- €3,500 – 4,500
- Spain
- €3,500 – 4,500
- Italy
- €3,500 – 4,500
- United Kingdom
- £3,000 – 3,900
- USA (Florida)
- US$3,800 – 4,900
- Caribbean
- US$3,800 – 4,900
- UAE
- AED 14,000 – 18,000
- Australia
- A$5,800 – 7,500
- New Zealand
- NZ$6,500 – 8,300
Required
- STCW Basic Safety Training
- ENG1 medical
- PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor (teaching status)
- RYA Powerboat Level 2
Recommended
- PADI Enriched Air Instructor
- EFR Instructor
- RYA PWC
- PDSD
- Efficient Deck Hand (EDH)
- Medical First Aid
Visas
- Schengen
- US B1/B2
- C1/D
Where it leads
Deckhand / Dive Instructor jobs open now
Questions crew ask
Is PADI Divemaster enough, or do I need to be an instructor?
Divemaster gets you a Deckhand / Divemaster job guiding certified divers. To teach courses and run the programme you need to be a current, teaching-status instructor, which most yachts with a dive programme now ask for.
How much of the job is diving and how much is deck work?
It depends on the itinerary. In the Maldives or Indonesia you may dive daily, while in the Mediterranean you might spend most weeks on normal deck work with the odd guest dive.
Do I need yacht experience as well as dive experience?
It helps a lot. Captains prefer someone who has done at least a season as a deckhand, because you still need to handle lines, drive tenders and keep the deck to yacht standard.