Established Boat Charter Company is seeking a reliable, experienced, and customer-focused Boat Captain to operate our 49-passenger dolphin sightseeing vessel out of Clearwater Beach Marina.
This position is responsible for the safe operation of scheduled dolphin sightseeing, sunset, island, and private-charter cruises. The ideal candidate is safety-first, confident handling a larger commercial passenger vessel, knowledgeable about local waterways, and able to create a fun, welcoming experience for families and vacationing guests.
We’re looking for someone with a great personality, a positive attitude, and good energy. Our team is fun, supportive, and works well together, so we want a genuinely good person who brings positive vibes, treats others well, and adds to the culture we’ve built.
Responsibilities
- Safely operate a 49-passenger commercial sightseeing vessel in accordance with all USCG regulations, company policies, and established safety procedures.
- Conduct pre-trip vessel inspections, verify required safety equipment, complete passenger counts, and maintain required logs and documentation.
- Lead passenger safety briefings and ensure guests board, ride, and disembark safely.
- Navigate Clearwater Beach, Clearwater Pass, the Intracoastal Waterway, and surrounding nearshore waters safely in changing weather, tide, and vessel-traffic conditions.
- Work with first mates and dock staff during boarding, docking, undocking, line handling, fueling, cleaning, and daily vessel preparation.
- Provide a professional, friendly onboard presence and help create an enjoyable guest experience.
- Respond calmly and effectively to guest concerns, medical issues, weather changes, mechanical concerns, and emergency situations.
- Maintain a clean, organized, guest-ready vessel and promptly report maintenance, safety, or operational concerns to management.
- Help ensure all tours leave on time while maintaining safety and service standards.
- Represent the company professionally with guests, marina staff, vendors, and the public.
Requirements
- Valid USCG Master Captain’s License appropriate for the vessel, route, and passenger operation.
- Current TWIC card and enrollment in a USCG-compliant drug-testing program.
- Prior commercial passenger-vessel, sightseeing-tour, ferry, dinner-cruise, charter-boat, or similar experience strongly preferred.
- Strong docking, close-quarters maneuvering, and passenger-management skills.
- Comfortable operating in busy marina environments and handling changing Florida weather conditions.
- Dependable, punctual, calm under pressure, and able to make sound decisions independently.
- Professional appearance and strong customer-service skills.
- Ability to work weekends, holidays, mornings, afternoons, evenings, and sunset shifts as needed.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience operating a Coast Guard-inspected passenger vessel.
- Clearwater Beach, Tampa Bay, Clearwater Pass, or Gulf boating experience.
- Experience working with dolphin, sightseeing, sunset, or private-charter tours.
- Basic mechanical knowledge and ability to identify potential vessel-maintenance issues early.
- First Aid/CPR certification.
Compensation
Competitive hourly pay plus gratuity from each tour.
Job Type
Full-time and part-time positions available.
Schedule
- Day, evening, sunset, weekend, and holiday shifts
- Peak-season availability required
- Typical shifts include multiple scheduled cruises per day
Work Location
Clearwater Beach Marina, Clearwater, Florida
Pay: $25.00 per hour
Work Location: In person
