211ratsbud
Contributor
Jobs are available to run boats in the tourist areas. Some places seem to have more owner captains than others. The owner captains tend to have smaller 6Pack boats, in my experience anyway.
Captains do tend to move around from season to season so in answer to your question, yes I think someone with the experience and license could get a job. There other things to consider...Is this something you really want to do? You will still make a pittance and you won't get to dive.
My first commercial vessel job was running a 6pack boat so, here's my 2 cents.
On one hand, captain jobs are great because, well, you're the captain. What you say goes. You can take people to neat places that other boats don't go to, you occasionally meet some really interesting people, and you get paid to spend your days on the water! What could be better?
On the other hand, captain jobs suck because you're the captain. You don't get paid much, your divers don't usually have the experience to go to the cool places you want to show them so you end up running all your trips to the same old spots over and over, and, in general, allot of people aren't all that interesting. Also you are ultimately responsible for everyone's safety, boat maintenance, and running the boat.
6Pack boats are easier because there is no USCG inspection to go through. Also, less people.
Will the divers have a dive master? Will there be a deckhand to help out? Or will you be by yourself like many 6 pack charters are? Can you handle a dive emergency AND the boat?
Being in charge of everyone's safety is something I would look at very carefully before you decide to do this. Allot of divers that show up at your boat will tell you that they've been diving for 10 years. Well, they've actually been certified for ten years and have exactly 17 dives with 6 being in a quarry and the rest being beach dives in the springs somewhere. They'll have no idea how to ascend or descend using an anchor line, set up their gear, or navigate in anything less than crystal clear water. You WILL end up chasing them down on the surface when they get lost. Regardless of your brief they'll run out of air, crash into a sea urchin, or end up doing a free ascent somewhere other than your anchor line. What do you do when you have 4 divers doing a safety stop on the anchor line and 2 divers, 100 yards behind the boat in a panic because they're drifting away?
Someone may get bent. Someone may cut their finger off. Someone may not equalize their mask on an 80' dive and surface looking like a monster with blood red eyes. Can you handle being responsible for these things?
You know CPR? Not afraid to use it?
Other thoughts and things to consider. (Primarily from 6Pack boat experience)
Your boat or the owners boat will get beat up. Tanks and weights will get dropped on the deck and crack it. Tanks and weights will also get dropped on your feet and crack them too.
Someone will show up with twin LP 300's for a 60' dive and expect you to load them on the boat. You'll hurt your back.
The boat will break down. If you're lucky it will break down before you leave the dock.
You won't be lucky.
You'll cancel a dive because of weather and your charter will call you a pussy because it's just a little storm.
You'll go out in marginal weather because you don't want your charter to think you're a pussy. Your charter will call you insane for going out in a hurricane.
You'll get puked on.
A diver will loose their mask because they put it on their forehead even though you told them to keep it on until they got back in the boat. It will be your fault.
A diver will drop their weight belt on their mask and crack it. (at least it wasn't your foot). It will be your fault.
A wife will be in tears because she got yelled at for following your instructions that keep her safe. Her husband has 5 boat dives and knows more than you do and yelled at her for not listening to him even though what he said would have gotten her hurt.
Never get between a husband and wife unless you're ready to come to blows.
Same for kids and fathers.
Did you know that 80% of divers are terrified about a back roll entry? They haven't ever done one.
Did you know that that same 80% of divers can't properly execute a giant stride entry without almost hitting their tank on a swim platform and knocking themselves silly?
How do they expect to get in the water?
Yes, there will be blood.
Most divers are cheap and don't tip worth a damn. The already spent all their money on gear and the cost of the trip, that should be enough, right?
A divers poor buoyancy control is the captains fault. That's why they got the sea urchin spine in their knee. Bet you didn't know that did you?
You cant choose your customers...unfortunately.
You won't get to dive.
The list goes on and on.
it.
I didn't read the good because the bad was so on.