Dive Into Your Imagination

Alex Cosmakos was born in Newport Beach in 1986 and grew up in Irvine, CA. We think he was born on the water with a regulator in his mouth! Becoming a Captain has been the best experience of his life.

Captain Alex tell us about your experience with the ocean?

I have been at the beach since I was born. Swimming, body surfing, free diving. I would go free diving every day a half mile away from my house with my friends. I went scuba diving with my dad since I was 12. He was a scuba instructor since the 70’s and took me with him all the time.

Do you remember the first time you breathed underwater?

When I was 9 or 10 my dad used to give me a tank and a brush and used to have to scrub the bottom of the pool. He would not let me dive until I was 12 years old because that was the rules then. Now the age is 10 but I had to wait. My birthday is in December and it was really cold, but I didn’t care, I was stoked!

Tell us about how you came to live in Santa Barbara?

I graduated from high school when I was 16 and moved up to Santa Barbara to go to Santa Barbara City College. After going to school for two years, I started working on the Truth Aquatic Boats as a deck hand. I committed to working on the boats until lobster season so I stopped going to school to work on the boats to get my sea time to get my Captain’s License.

Tell us about working on the boats.

I saw an ad on Craig’s list to work as a deckhand for Truth Aquatics. And we emailed back and forth and was told that if I wanted to try it out then to show up the next day at 3:30 in the morning to go out to the Channel Islands. The boat was going to leave at 4:00 in the morning to The Channel Islands. I

showed up on the boat to go to work as a deckhand and had no idea what to expect. I was blown away by the entire experience. I was on the bow of the boat and the Captain was anchoring the boat so close to shore and I can remember thinking, “I want to do this.”

And so I spent the next two and a half years working as a deckhand. Working as a deckhand we had to clean the boat, safety dive, take care of all the divers, boat maintenance, keep everything clean, keep everyone happy and keep the boat running. We would work 17 and 18 hour days and I LOVED IT!!! I worked 65 days straight during my first season, had a four day break and then worked another 40 days straight. I was STOKED.

How did you become a Captain?

I had to prove that I had 720 days at sea and then went to The Maritime Institute in San Diego to take a two week class. After that I passed the Coast Guard Exam. You have to get fingerprinted, CPR Classes, First Aid, and on a random drug test in order to become a Captain. I checked the mail every day hoping it would my license would show up and when it did…I was so excited. In January 2008 I received my Captain’s License in the mail. Captain Alex Cosmakos!

I then worked as a Second Captain for six months on the Vision. And then in July this year, I approached the owner of Truth Aquatics and asked to run The Truth. I felt like I was ready and I really wanted to run the boat. I knew I could do it, I just needed a chance to do it. I literally went into Glen’s office and said, “The Truth needs a Captain. I have a license. I want to run the boat.” And he said OK, I’ll give you a chance.

So what was the first trip like as a Captain?

It was nerve racking to think that I had a 65 foot vessel with more than 24 divers that I was responsible for their safety and well being as well as their enjoyment. I was so excited because I was in charge of where we would go and what to do by reading the weather, the currents, the tides, the wind.

What would you recommend to others who want to work on the Ocean?

The most important thing about working on boats is you must work hard. Really, really hard. You have to try. I didn’t know anything and I had to fix so many things. You have to be a puzzle putter together.

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