THE RIB CAPTAIN LIFE
There is a lot to think about when you are a captain of our RIB boats. I asked our head RIB captain Sverrir about his daily life as a captain. A RIB captain’s day starts quite some time before the tour:
“As a captain my day starts off by taking a look at current weather, future weather forecast, and wave height/length/duration. Then I drive to the harbour area ca. 30 minutes before departure and get the keys to the boat. I have to check the engine compartment for anything unusual, check engine oil, coolant, fuel and make sure everything is in order and ready for the day. In case weather is not ideal (wavy, windy or rainy) I give my guide instructions about the situation and if I want special seating for the passengers or raincoats, all depending on conditions, though usually we can go on with no special instructions. Then I can go have a cup of coffee as the passengers are getting dressed in our floating overalls and life vests, and talk to other captains to gather information on where the whales were the day before.”
After all the prep work is done, its time to go!
“Once everyone is ready, we all get on the boat, the guide gives the safety speech, and we are ready to rock. Of course, safety is always the number one priority, and that is a combination of the captain’s ability to handle the boat and the people’s will to follow the crew’s instructions. I try to choose the best route given the conditions and sunlight to keep the people as comfortable as I can, and I do my absolute best to find the animals. All the boats use the same radio channel, so early in the morning I will have news of what is in the bay and where it is. We all aim for the same thing: to give the best show we can each and every day”
Sverrir feels that going whale watching with the RIBs has advantages:
“The major benefit of the RIB over traditional boats is the travel speed. Our economical cruising speed is three to four times faster than the oak boats top speed! These 800hp super agile, super fast and reliable machines are amazing, you can thread a needle with these boats if you know how to. The biggest advantages of the RIBs are they are safe, they have a very low center of gravity so they are extremely stable, and passengers are less likely to be seasick. Every day is different and it takes a lot of planning and thought to give a proper tour and try to show as much as we can in only 2-2,5hours. It can be a challenge and experience has a lot to do with how good the tour is.”
And Sverrir has a lot of experience, he has been a RIB captain for Gentle Giants for almost a decade! In that time, he has seen RIB whale watching evolve:
“I have seen a lot of changes in how things are done. I see more and more awareness of how these animals are approached. Our RIBs have the speed to do anything and go anywhere in these tours. It is always the captain’s common sense how he/she uses the boat to approach the animals. Each year we learn more and more, and we get better every year.”
Sverrir had one moment as a captain that was particularly memorable:
“My most memorable trip is without a doubt taking a blind woman whale watching. To let her hear the whale and feel the moisture of a whale’s breath drift over her... I can safely say I have never ever put more heart into angle, distance, wind, waves, you name it. I found that was one of the most special moments in my life, to be the one that got to make her dream come true... No question, I gave it my all.”
Overall, Sverrir had these final thoughts about RIB whale watching:
“The RIB boat success at Gentle Giants is mainly because we as captains give it our all to deliver the safest, most enjoyable and memorable tour we can, and we have the tools to do that when we are on a RIB!”
We hope you get the opportunity to join one of our RIB tours and experience it for yourself! You can book your RIB tour here.
-Charla
Researcher/Guide
Photos of our RIB with a humpback whale in beautiful weather by Charla Basran
