All roles/Specialist crew/Watersports Instructor
Specialist crew
Watersports Instructor
You run the guests' time in the water: briefing, teaching and supervising everything from jet skis and Seabobs to e-foils and kitesurfing, while keeping the toys working and every session safe.
- Department
- Specialist crew
- Reports to
- Bosun / Boatswain
- Yacht size
- 50m to 150m+
- Contract
- Seasonal or permanent
- Starting pay
- €3,000 per month
What the job is
You are the person guests look for when they want to get in the water. On a 60m charter yacht that might mean teaching a ten year old to wakeboard before breakfast, taking two adults out on jet skis to a quiet cove, then running an e-foil lesson in the afternoon. You brief every guest, fit buoyancy aids, set the boundaries and stay with them until they are back on the swim platform.
The other half of the job is the kit. A busy yacht carries jet skis, Seabobs, e-foils, paddleboards, kayaks, inflatables, kites and dive gear, and all of it lives in salt water. You rinse, charge, service and log it, and you know which Seabob battery is weak before a guest finds out. You work closely with the engineers on tender and toy maintenance and keep spares ordered before the season.
You sit within the deck team, so between guest sessions you help with launching tenders, line handling, washdowns and anchoring. Off charter you join the normal deck rotation. Captains hire for this role because a good instructor makes guests braver and keeps them safe, and that shows up in charter feedback, repeat bookings and the tip at the end of the week.
What makes a good one
- Teaching nervous beginners clearly
- Reading wind, swell and current
- Basic toy and PWC maintenance
- Calm control of guest safety
- Working as part of a deck team
A day in the life
- 07:00Check the weather, wind and swell with the officer of the watch. Decide which toys suit the conditions and which bay works for kitesurfing later.
- 07:45Launch the jet skis and Seabobs with the deck team, check fuel and battery charge, and rig the floating swim platform and inflatable slide.
- 09:30Safety briefing for the family on the swim platform. Fit buoyancy aids for the children and set a marked area away from the anchor chain and tender route.
- 10:00Two hour session teaching the teenagers to wakeboard behind the tender, with a deckhand driving and you coaching from the boat.
- 12:30Rinse and recharge the Seabobs while guests have lunch. Log engine hours on the jet skis and note a sticking throttle for the engineer.
- 14:30Guided jet ski ride along the coast to a sea cave with two guests, keeping speed and distances within local rules.
- 16:30E-foil lesson for the principal guest in flat water near the yacht. Short runs, clear hand signals, and you stay alongside on a paddleboard.
- 18:30Recover all toys, wash down with fresh water, stow the slide and check the toy garage is secure for the evening.
- 19:30Brief the bosun and chief officer on tomorrow's plan, then help with deck evening duties before stand down.
Pay by country
Monthly salary for crew, usually paid in EUR or USD. Charter tips often add 10 to 15% of the charter fee shared among crew, and busy watersports yachts can tip well.
- France and Monaco
- €3,000 – 4,500
- Spain
- €3,000 – 4,300
- Italy
- €3,000 – 4,300
- United Kingdom
- £2,600 – 3,800
- USA (Florida)
- US$3,300 – 4,900
- Caribbean
- US$3,300 – 4,900
- UAE
- AED 12,000 – 18,000
- Australia
- A$5,000 – 7,500
- New Zealand
- NZ$5,500 – 8,200
Required
- STCW Basic Safety Training
- ENG1 medical
- RYA Powerboat Level 2
- RYA PWC
- Recognised watersports instructor qualification (RYA, IKO or similar)
Recommended
- RYA Powerboat Instructor
- PADI Divemaster
- IKO Kiteboarding Instructor
- Efficient Deck Hand (EDH)
- Medical First Aid
- PDSD
Visas
- Schengen visa
- US C1/D visa
- US B1/B2 visa
- Australian MCV
Where it leads
Watersports Instructor jobs open now
Questions crew ask
Do I need yacht experience to get this job?
It helps but is not essential. Instructors with strong teaching tickets from resorts or watersports centres get hired, provided they have STCW, ENG1, RYA Powerboat Level 2 and RYA PWC. Expect to do deck work too.
Which instructor qualification do captains look for most?
There is no single ticket. RYA instructor qualifications, IKO kitesurf certification and PADI Divemaster are the most valued, and holding two or three makes you far more useful on board.
Is it a dedicated role or a deckhand job with toys?
On larger charter yachts, usually 70m and up, it can be a dedicated position. On smaller yachts it is often combined as Deckhand / Watersports Instructor, so you share deck duties when guests are not in the water.