Sofia was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina and grew up in a small town in the middle of the country surrounded by nature. When she was a teenager she traveled abroad for the first time and that’s when one of her biggest passions was born: the wish to explore new places, getting to know people from different cultures and to experience cuisines from all around the world. Therefore, when Sofia was 21 she moved to the Middle East to become a flight attendant and explore the world, where she lived countless adventures for four years. She recently decided to switch up her career and move from the skies to the sea. She landed her first position on a 124m where she worked for a year and gained invaluable experience. Sofia is ready for her new adventure on M/Y Sealion, where she thinks she will grow tremendously both professionally and personally. 

Suné Marais is a dynamic 30-year-old from South Africa, with a BA degree in Communication Design. Alongside her professional career as a photographer, she has spent the past three years working in the yachting industry. Suné embarked on her yachting journey to immerse herself in new experiences, discover diverse cultures, and expand her photography portfolio. Suné’s adventurous spirit is evident in her love for the outdoors and various activities such as horse riding, diving, hiking, and yoga. Her outgoing and fun-loving nature allows her to connect effortlessly with people from all walks of life, making her an invaluable crew member. Her exceptional photography skills shine on every trip, as she captures the raw and unforgettable moments of guests, ensuring their memories are preserved in the most authentic and artistic way. Suné’s ability to blend her creative talents with her passion for exploration enriches the yachting experiece for all guests onboard. She is passionate about fine dining, high levels of service and mixology, with old fashioned and espresso martini being her all-time favorites.

Emily is a free-spirited young lady from South Africa who has a huge passion for life and the ocean. She joined the yachting industry after studying a degree in Marketing in the hopes of traveling the world and creating lifelong memories and friends. She has been with Sealion for over a year and considers this her home away from home. Emily was born and raised on a farm in South Africa and that’s where she gained her love and passion for the outdoors and nature. This is her dream job and Em hopes to see as much of the world before eventually settling down in South Africa. Emily has been in yachting since 2021 and has absolutely fallen in love with the industry. She has a huge passion to create the best experiences for her guests as well as crew members amongst her. Emily dreams of traveling the world by yacht and is happiest when she is surrounded by the ocean. 

Danelle was born in Cape Town, South Africa. She has a Bachelors degree in Business Management, and loves to use this skill set to assist with her progression in the yachting industry. She loves to spend her time in the kitchen, always baking up a storm. Danelle is passionate about making the most out of life and enjoying the wonderful and adventurous experiences yachting can give her, as well as delivering exceptional service to her guests onboard. She loves to travel and hopes to see as much of the world as possible. Danelle loves dancing, especially line dancing to country music, and keeping active by going for long runs. One of her favourite activities is camping with her friends and family back home in South Africa. After a couple of years spent in the yachting industry and a recent promotion on SeaLion, Danelle’s goal is to continue to progress her career and hopefully lead her own team to success one day.

Nadine grew up in Germany, where her Spanish parents emigrated before she was born. Feeling part of both cultures but not completely immersed in either and, maybe receiving a desk pad with a map of the world as a gift, had her dreaming about living by the sea and traveling the world from a young age. Nadine realized that she had a talent for languages and strategically chose a job that she could pursue anywhere. She started working in hotels after graduating from college and has been working in the hospitality and service industry for over 25 years, including restaurants, bars, hotels and cruise ships. Being around the ocean ignited a passion for marine life and the underwater world, which prompted her to take some time off from the service industry to become a scuba diving instructor. It was in Honduras when she met a deckhand who told her about the yachting industry in 2011. She didn’t think twice and decided to give it a try. With her established background in hospitality it did not take long until she was promoted to Chief Stewardess and has been in charge of running various yachts’ interiors since 2012, where she brings a very high level of personalized service and guest satisfaction. Nadine looks forward to receiving our guests onboard and together with the interior team providing unforgettable moments and experiences on board. 

Catherine, more commonly known as Cat or Kitty, was born in South Africa. She spent her first 6 years travelling the world with her parents and lived on Tristan Da Cunha, the most isolated island in the world. Cat held a music scholarship for 8 years throughout her schooling but went on to study Psychology at Stellenbosch University in South Africa. Cat transferred her degree from Clinical Psychology to Industrial Psychology and upon completing her Post-Grad Degree decided to join the yachting industry. Entering her 14th year working on board superyachts, Cat still loves the travel, excitement and social interactions just as much as she did when she joined the industry. Cat has invested her hard-earned savings in property and owns three thriving Airbnb’s in Cape Town. She still has a bucket list of countries she’d like to visit and her hobbies include travelling, the beach, reading, African wildlife and safaris, cooking, braaing, friends, food, good wine and planning for her November 2024 safari wedding.

Robin was born in Cape Town, South Africa. In the early years you could find him mountain biking with friends and crayfishing with his family. Robin attended the prestigious Silwood school of cookery in Cape Town. After working in some of the finest restaurants Cape Town has to offer, Robin felt he wanted to travel and explore the world, so he joined the yachting industry. He has been yachting for 3 years now and has thoroughly enjoyed his time in the industry. He hopes that in the next year his adventures take him to new culinary destinations. During his spare time whilst on board, Robin likes to keep active, either kitesurfing, going to the gym or having a braai with friends.

Thean started his culinary career at the age of 20 where he did 3 years in culinary school in South Africa. He worked in large hotels doing banquets for a large number of guests, spent some time at a bakery honing his venoisserie skills and then worked at a private game lodge where he worked in a fine dining setting. After graduating top of his class at Alfresco international academy of food and wine, he got his first job as a commis chef at Terroir – one of South Africa’s best fine dining establishments. He worked his way through all the various sections in the kitchen, being promoted twice in the three years he had spent at Terroir. He developed a special love for the pastry and sauciers sections during his tenure. Thean then decided to get his foot in the door in the yachting industry. He landed his first job as sous chef on a 65m Motor Yacht and worked under an extremely experienced head chef who had been in the yachting industry for over 12 years. He was mentored to take over this chef’s role and after only one year stepped into the position of head chef on the same yacht. He spent over 5 years with the same owner and moved across to the owner’s new yacht – an 85m A&R. During this time he spent every year doing a culinary course in different cuisines to better himself at his craft. He did an Indian course in India for 6 weeks, a Thai cooking course in Thailand for 4 weeks and an expert patisserie course in Yssingeaux in France for 8 weeks. After 5 years of working as head chef, he wanted to venture to a larger yacht to see how things operate on that level. He got a job on the largest charter vessel in the world at the time  and spent over a year running the galley as senior sous chef working under former head chef of the Ritz Carlton in London. Thean has recently joined SeaLion to showcase his skills to clients who appreciate extremely high standards with regards to world cuisine.

Ruan grew up on a small coastal town in South Africa called Kleinmond. After High School, he set off on his Culinary journey completing a 2-year diploma at a Culinary School in Stellenbosch. Shortly afterwards, Ruan started working as a Chef amongst the best restaurants within Stellenbosch and Cape Town. During this time working, both restaurants were recognized amongst the top 10 best in South Africa. Having now been working in the Super Yacht industry for the last 9 years and during his years working as a chef, Ruan has acquired and learnt a vast range of different types of food from across the world. Ruan spends his free time,traveling, kitesurfing and learning new skills; most of Ruan food inspirations come from traveling and eating at some of the world’s best restaurants where he comes back and tries out his only version of what he has eaten.

Chad grew up in a small town in South Africa and fell in love with the ocean from a young age. He gained his love for the ocean through his passion for surfing and sailing. He decided to join the yachting industry after racing sail boats. He took up the career to continue his adventures exploring the world by sea. Chad’s enthusiasm and love for life adds value to his career as he strives to make the guests enjoy the ocean and its beauty as much as he does. He’s now been a part of the Sealion family for over a year. In his free time, he likes to snorkel, fish and surf. He dreams of climbing the ladder in the yachting industry, He is currently studying for his Yacht Master at the end of the year and will continue traveling the world by sea. 

Justin grew up in coastal town in the province of Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa. He has a massive interest in sports and any activity outdoor related. He grew up on the ocean fishing and was lucky enough to spend much time on a Catamaran at the age of 10 with his family sailing parts of Mozambique and Tanzania. His main sports were swimming and rugby, swimming competitively on a provincial and national level and post swimming-career playing premiere club rugby. After his school years Justin spent a year in Zimbabwe, where he completed a Diploma course at Quest Africa which entailed hands on acumens as well as physical fitness to a military standard. It was in Zimbabwe where Justin found a love for wildlife photography. He then went on to study photography in South Africa. After this, Justin worked for a Pharmaceutical and retail company as assistant manager for two years. Justin then decided to pursue his passions and went on to complete his yachting courses. His first vessel took him to many off the beaten track locations which worked well with his photography and was able to start making guest videos and supplying them with hard drives of photos as well as drone photography of their never to forget experiences. Justin went on to complete his Yacht Masters 200 ton Power and Efficient Deck Hand Course with aspirations to complete his Officer of the watch Certificate of Competence.

Chris was born in Zimbabwe but moved to New Zealand at a young age. From there having completed high school, Chris relocated to Australia with his family where he completed a Bachelor of Business degree. Chris then travelled extensively throughout Europe, Canada, America and Central America. Chris decided to join yachting because he wanted to incorporate work and travel and found the perfect industry to combine his passions. Throughout the last few years Chris has worked on a different variety of Super Yachts and has moved his way up the ranks quickly. Chris completed his OOW oral examination in November 2023 after being awarded a Scholarship by the Slater Foundation in the UK. Chris is passionate about his career in yachting and enjoys being in a crew environment. He loves anything water sports related and thrives on giving guests the best possible experience whilst on board. 

After growing up in Cape Town, South Africa the beach and ocean played a major role in Ryan’s life. Sailing in and around the Cape of Goode Hope sparked an interest in a career in the yachting industry. Having worked on all types and sizes of vessels from sail to motor yachts up to 90m in length, Ryan has circumnavigated the world with the most memorable trips being an Antarctic expedition as well as 3000nm on the Amazon River. During Covid, Ryan decided to take time off to complete the Officer of the Watch Unlimited ticket to further his professional career as a yacht Officer. His experience within the industry has taught him exceptional skills to ensure a hospitable guest and crew experience alike.

Dylan was born in the Mother City, Cape Town. Dylan means “son of the sea” and growing up on the West Coast of South Africa fishing with his grandfather from a very young age he knew a life at sea was predestined. He is a professional race car driver and a Red Seal Automotive Body and Collision Technician. Wanting to be at sea and conducting his craftmanship, yachting was the answer to his call. Dylan is very hands on and loves problem solving mechanical and electrical components. He is our very own Electro-Technical Officer (ETO) onboard that takes care of all AV and IT equipment onboard, maximizing the operational safety and efficiency onboard Motor Yacht SeaLion. Dylan is sedulous and very proactive. He loves watersports, fishing, cycling, camping and cruising around the streets of Cape Town and 4×4/off-roading with his Beach/Dune Buggy that he built himself. He is also engaged to one of our own lovely Stewardesses, Danelle. He loves learning from others and expanding his knowledge, one day he’d like to become a Chief Engineer and usher his department to great success. 

Steve grew up on the beautiful coast of England and has always lived and worked by the sea. He developed a passion for Engineering from his boat building father and a love of drawing from his mother, an artist and potter.

At the tender age of 16, he entered the British Royal Navy, where he had an exemplary 30-year career, holding every rank from Junior Mechanic to Lieutenant Commander.

He has sailed on every ocean and served all of the world, including 3 years as the officer in charge of the prestigious Royal New Zealand Navy Fire Fighting and Damage Control School in Auckland.

He met his wife Dianne when they appeared as contestants on a television dating show and has been very happily married for 20 years. They share a love of hiking in the forest with their two rescue dogs and spare time at home sees them tending to their wildlife garden and restoring their Victorian house.

Always keen to better himself and embrace new challenges, Steve immersed himself in the yachting world in 2017. His impressive career trajectory has seen him hold Senior Engineer positions on M/Y Lost Boys 114ft, M/Y Ice Angel 196ft, M/Y North Star 206ft, M/Y Victoria del Mar 164ft and has recently completed a global circumnavigation and highly successful Antarctica Expedition on M/Y Gene Chaser 180ft.

With 37 years at sea, Steve thrives on being a valuable part of a close-knit team that the high tempo yachting world demands. He prides himself on cultivating an inclusive, positive atmosphere on board, ensuring his crew mates realise their full potential whilst owners and guests receive the highest level of service possible.

Nathan was born and raised in Auckland, New Zealand “City of Sails”.

Nathan spent much of his childhood sailing, fishing and exploring the North Island of New Zealand. While attending high school Nathan became a PADI Advanced Open Water Scuba Diver and has since grown a passion for diving which has allowed him to explore dive sites from the Pacific to Europe. It has also allowed him to be involved in artefact recovery from ships lost in the 17th century. Nathan is also a keen sports fan with a passion for Motor Racing, Football and the Americas Cup Sailing. Nathan’s family was involved in the super yacht industry in New Zealand which lead to him pursuing a career at sea. He left New Zealand on his maiden voyage at 18 and hasn’t looked back traveling to 16 Countries so far by Sea.