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Behind the Scenes as a Cruise director

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Our Blogs and Features are usually about marine life, like the whale shark we featured last time, but we do also like to invite guest bloggers to share their knowledge of all things Liveaboard related. Read more in our latest blog about how it actually is to be a cruise director on one of the liveaboards we offer around the world.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]

 By Guest Blogger Nicole, former Cruise Director of Indo Siren and liveaboards in Egypt.

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‘You have the perfect job’ or ‘I wish I had your life’, or my all-time favourite, ‘You have such an easy life!’

Just a few sentences we Cruise Directors, or any dive professionals alike get to hear at some point or another in our diving career.

I do have to admit from the outside it looks pretty glamorous and it probably is the best job in the world. When we meet you in the morning, our faces are smooth, and sleep wrinkles have been ironed out. We are fresh and chirpy. (Don’t be fooled, we are probably already on our third coffee!)

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Our day starts just before the sun rises.

To me this is the best time of day; you can still feel the coolness of the night, it is quiet, and the sun is already painting pretty colours in the sky. With our first coffee, we get to talk to the captain. Did the night travel go as planned, what does the weather look like and is our plan going to work out for the day? We get in contact with other liveaboards in the area to avoid the crowds. We also talk to the crew while, as a team, we are getting the tenders ready and the guests’ dive equipment set up and ready to go. By this time, the guests are slowly making their way up to the upper decks.

Before we give you the dive briefing, we will go and check the dive site to make sure you get the best experience. We check for currents, direction and strength, fish life, visibility, temperature and best entry and exit points. It is great to get a little preview of what you and your guests will be seeing on the dive.

If we are not guiding we get to catch up on other jobs that need to be done. Accounting, yes we do some number crunching. We get a budget from the company, with that we pay fuel, port clearances, spare parts, maintenance, food and drinks. Everything is registered and monitored. We also get some money in when we receive guests’ payments. From gear rental to marine park fees, merchandise, dive courses or drinks. That’s all in multiple currencies.

Stocktakes of everything you see and don’t see. This is something that’s being done every single trip. Luckily the crew will help with that, but we make final checks.

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Dive site drawings. 

There was a time when we would draw the dive site on a whiteboard for every dive. But we arrived in the digital age, and we now have powerpoint presentations, and yes, we make those ourselves.

Update our medical kit, essential as you can’t just pop over to a pharmacy. We are not doctors that can give you prescribed medication, but we can patch you up if you have a scrape or a cut.

Some of us have special abilities, like photography, marine biology, engineer or yoga teacher. I could keep going, but that would get a little boring. But all these skills do come in handy when living and working on a liveaboard.

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When the sun sets we hang out with our guests, talking about our favourite topics, the dives we did and are going to do. Fish we have seen, the ones we want to see, the places we dived and want to go diving. Because that’s what it is all about, getting underwater and experiencing the most beautiful places!

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Images were supplied by Aggressor Fleet and Spirit of Freedom Liveaboard.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]