All roles/Specialist crew/Lifeguard
Specialist crew
Lifeguard
A superyacht lifeguard watches over guests whenever they are in or near the water, so swimming, toys and beach days stay safe. It matters most on large family yachts with children aboard.
- Department
- Specialist crew
- Reports to
- Chief Officer / First Mate
- Yacht size
- 70m+
- Contract
- Seasonal or trip based
- Starting pay
- €3,000 per month
What the job is
On the largest yachts, especially those with young families or busy watersports programmes, a dedicated lifeguard watches the water whenever guests are in it. You stand watch at the swim platform, follow swimmers in a tender or on a jet ski, and are first in if someone gets into trouble. It is a safety role first. You are not there to entertain guests, but to make sure the fun never turns into an incident.
Between swims you work alongside the deck team. You help launch and recover toys, brief guests on currents, jellyfish and boat traffic, check the rescue kit and set up swim lines, floating pools and the inflatable beach club. On some yachts the role is combined with watersports instruction or junior deck duties, so expect to wash down, polish stainless and keep watch at anchor when guests are ashore.
Captains hire lifeguards when the owner wants every child or weak swimmer in the water to have a trained pair of eyes on them at all times. The role is rare and often seasonal, tied to a summer charter programme or the owner's family trips. Candidates usually come from beach lifeguarding, surf life saving or resort watersports, and many use the job as a route into a full deck career.
What makes a good one
- Constant water scanning
- Open water rescue
- Calm, clear guest briefings
- Tender and jet ski handling
- Casualty first aid
A day in the life
- 07:00Join the deck team for the morning brief. Check the weather, sea state and the guest plan for the day with the Bosun.
- 08:00Inspect rescue equipment: rescue tube, throw lines, spine board, oxygen kit and the AED. Restock the swim platform first aid bag.
- 09:30Set up the swim area with the deckhands. Lay out the swim line, inflate the floating pool and check for jellyfish around the anchorage.
- 10:30Children and parents go in for the morning swim. You stand at the platform edge in kit, scanning constantly, with a deckhand in the tender on outer watch.
- 12:30Guests come out for lunch. Rinse and stow the snorkel gear, then take your own break while the water is closed.
- 14:30Shadow the afternoon toys session on a jet ski, keeping close to the teenagers on the seabob and the foil board while the Watersports Instructor coaches.
- 16:30Tender run to a nearby beach. Brief the family on the rip current at one end and keep watch from the water's edge until the last guest is back aboard.
- 18:30Recover and wash down all toys and the swim platform with the deck team. Log any incidents or near misses for the Chief Officer.
- 20:00Stand down unless guests plan a night swim, in which case you return to the platform with an underwater light and rescue tube.
Pay by country
Monthly crew salary for a dedicated lifeguard on a 70m+ yacht in 2026. Usually paid in EUR or USD whatever the flag. Charter yachts add tips, often 10 to 15% of the charter fee shared among the crew.
- France and Monaco
- €3,000 – 4,000
- Spain
- €2,900 – 3,900
- Italy
- €2,900 – 3,900
- United Kingdom
- £2,600 – 3,400
- USA (Florida)
- US$3,300 – 4,400
- Caribbean
- US$3,300 – 4,400
- UAE
- AED 13,000 – 17,500
- Australia
- A$5,000 – 6,700
- New Zealand
- NZ$5,500 – 7,300
Required
- STCW Basic Safety Training
- ENG1 medical
- Beach or open water lifeguard qualification
- RYA Powerboat Level 2
Recommended
- RYA PWC
- PADI Rescue Diver
- Medical First Aid
- Paediatric first aid
- Efficient Deck Hand (EDH)
- PDSD
Visas
- Schengen visa (non EU crew)
- US B1/B2 or C1/D
- Australian MCV
Where it leads
Lifeguard jobs open now
Questions crew ask
Is a pool lifeguard qualification enough?
Usually not. Captains want a beach or open water qualification such as the RLSS UK National Vocational Beach Lifeguard Qualification or the Surf Life Saving Bronze Medallion, because you will be working in the sea with currents and boat traffic.
Do I need to be a diver?
It is not required, but PADI Rescue Diver or Divemaster makes you far more useful and more likely to be hired, since many yachts combine the lifeguard role with dive or watersports support.
Is this a year round job?
Rarely. Most lifeguard positions run for a summer season or for the owner's family trips. Many lifeguards add their STCW and powerboat tickets to deck work and move into a permanent deckhand role.