Specialised Skills That Set You Apart in the Superyacht Industry.
- Info Compass Rose Crew
- Dec 8, 2025
- 3 min read
Yachting is an industry that demands a vast array of skills. From keeping a vessel afloat and well maintained, to delivering a seamless five-star experience for some of the wealthiest people in the world. The range of expertise onboard superyachts is immense! Every role contributes to the operation, safety, and guest experience but beyond the core deck, interior or engineering duties, there’s a growing demand for specialist skills.
These additional skillsets can make your transition from shore life to yacht life easier, broaden your opportunities and help your CV stand out in a highly competitive industry. Some yachts will expect these skills, many will value them and others will pay a premium for them.
Fitness & Wellness
Wellness has become a huge part of the yachting experience. Guests want to stay active, move their bodies, and often arrive onboard expecting some kind of daily routine .Whether that’s yoga on the bow at sunrise or a quick HIIT session on the sundeck before breakfast.
Having qualifications as a personal trainer, yoga teacher or Pilates instructor makes you instantly more attractive to certain boats. It gives you the ability to offer something memorable during charters and in some cases, it can even put you into a slightly more specialised role. Owners and guests love having someone who can guide them and it adds an entirely new dimension to what you can offer onboard.
Water sports skills & Adventure
If you’re joining the deck team, water sports skills are some of the most valuable you can have. Many charters revolve around being in the water: wakeboarding, e-foiling, kite surfing, SCUBA diving or dinghy sailing are all valuable skills to have on deck.
Deck crew who have water sports instructor experience are highly valued. It also creates a much more relaxed experience for guests, who feel safer knowing they’re with someone who actually knows what they’re doing. Dive masters, kite surf instructors, sailing instructors and even experienced fishermen often end up becoming key parts of the charter experience.
Spa & Beauty
On the interior side, spa skills are one of the biggest selling points you can bring to a yacht. Massage therapists, beauticians, hairdressers and nail technicians are consistently in demand on larger vessels with dedicated spa spaces.
Guests often request daily treatments and having someone onboard who can deliver that makes the entire trip feel more luxurious. It’s also a great way to move into a dual role, giving you a bit more variety and often a better salary.
Photography & Creative Skills
More and more yachts are developing a social media presence and even the private vessels often like to have professional ‘holiday videos’.
Being able to take high-quality photos, edit videos or fly a drone instantly makes you more valuable. Some yachts specifically look for deckhand/photographer or deckhand/drone-pilot roles because the demand for content has grown so much.
It’s a fun, creative way to bring something extra to the table!
Trade & Technical Skills
Carpentry, boat building, welding, electrical work: these are the kinds of skills that solve real problems onboard. Yachts are constantly moving, vibrating and exposed to saltwater. Things break, come loose, crack, jam, or corrode.
Having practical hands-on skills makes you the kind of crew member people rely on. Even simple experience as a handyman can make you stand out as junior crew.
Conclusion
One of the best parts about yachting is how diverse the crew are. Everyone brings a story and more often than not, their old skills become their biggest advantage onboard.
If you’re looking to get into the industry or move forward within it, developing even one additional skill can make a huge difference. It not only helps you stand out in a competitive industry, it also makes your time onboard more interesting, more dynamic and a lot more fun!
