Beyond the Deck: Hugo Ortega on Mentorship, Representation, and Changing the Game in Yachting

Three years ago, Hugo Ortega was already making waves in the yachting world, an engineer-turned-mentor with a mission to open doors for underrepresented crew. But today, his impact stretches far beyond the confines of engine rooms or even superyachts themselves. With a growing platform, a thriving mentorship program, and a breakout role on Below Deck, Hugo has become one of the most visible and vocal advocates for change in the maritime industry.

For some, stepping into the spotlight might have been a brand move. For Hugo, it was a statement. “People don’t get it, it’s still real yachting,” he says of the reality show that catapulted him into the broader public eye. “Just with cameras and time crunches and added chaos.” However, under the pressure of production schedules and the scrutiny of millions of viewers, Hugo remained grounded in the values that launched Superyacht Sunday School: honesty, accessibility, and mentorship.

Since we last spoke, his mentorship platform has helped nearly 300 crew members land real, paying jobs, many of whom come from backgrounds traditionally excluded from the industry. Think tattooed stews, middle-aged deckhands, first-generation yachties from places like Mexico, Brazil, and Eastern Europe. For Hugo, success isn’t measured in social media reach or screen time. It’s measured in transformed lives, in phone calls from crew who once felt invisible, now sending updates from the Med or Caribbean.

But visibility comes with challenges, too. As he tells us, “The gatekeeping’s gotten worse. The negativity from senior crew? It’s real. But that just makes this work more important.” Whether he’s advocating for diversity, helping a green crew polish their CV, or calling out industry hypocrisy, Hugo is no longer just part of the conversation, he’s helping shape it.

In this follow-up to our original interview, Hugo opens up about life after Below Deck, the next chapter for Superyacht Sunday School, and the realities of fighting for inclusion in a world that isn’t always ready for change. What follows is a raw, unfiltered look at leadership, legacy, and what it really takes to make it in yachting today.

1. Since your debut on Below Deck, how has your role as a mentor and leader evolved, on and off the screen? What did stepping into a televised leadership role teach you about communication and representation in the maritime world?

Since being on Below Deck, my role as a mentor has grown in a big way. Both due to Superyacht Sunday School growing in reach and my new visibility on TV. I’ve got over 200 crew members I'm mentoring directly now, and that’s the real focus for me. That’s my number one. 

Here’s the thing: Below Deck is a TV show, right? Sometimes it’s a bit of a caricature of the job. But what people don’t get, especially from within the yachting community, is that it's still real. Like, real yachting, just with cameras and time crunches and added chaos.

The truth is being a good leader on that show was, in a lot of ways, even harder than real life. Yachting already moves fast, everything’s urgent. But when you add TV production into the mix you have to be on. You need presence, you need clear communication, and you don’t have time to ease into it.

After doing a season on the show, I realized to be a good leader is, in some ways, even harder than real life. Yachting already moves fast. Everything’s urgent. Everything’s yesterday. 

For me, thankfully, all the experience I’d built in the past ten years made that transition smoother. But more than that, it mattered to me to represent. I wanted to show the maritime industry that going on Below Deck isn’t a career killer. It’s not a joke. You can be a serious yachtie, have a great season, and lead with integrity on camera. That shaped how I led on the show, but really, it just reflected the leader I’ve always been.

2. How has the Superyacht Sunday School grown since we last spoke? Any notable milestones, partnerships, or stories you’d like to share?

Superyacht Sunday School has grown a lot since we last spoke. Back then, it was still pretty fresh, just getting off the ground. We’re now in our third year, and we’ve passed the 200 mark. We're pushing toward 300 crew that I’ve personally, one-on-one, helped land jobs. That’s wild. Honestly, I feel like a proud parent.

And the stories, I’ve got so many. I’ve helped people break through every kind of barrier: crew with tattoos, crew in their 50s, women breaking into deckhand roles. People who thought yachting was out of reach… and now they’re in. I’ve helped first-timers get their foot on the passerelle. I’ve had students who had given up on the dream—and now they’re living it.

I've got crew in the Med, crew in Florida. Joaquin is a Mexican deckhand working on a 50-meter surf program traveling the world. Maya, ex-hairstylist, tattooed, now working up and down the Caribbean. Johan, a former French rugby player, is now on yachts. Anthony, the “professional day worker” who hustled for six months before landing something solid.

We’ve hosted events at the Palma Yacht Show in Fort Lauderdale. And what’s special is it’s not just a program, it’s a community. A lot of them? I call them friends now. We keep in touch. We’ve met in person. And here’s the twist, while they’re learning from me, I’m learning from them. One of my students even read my tarot cards and gave me life advice. I mean, come on. That’s the magic of it.

Superyacht Sunday School’s not just changing their lives, it’s changed mine too.

3. You’ve spoken before about being misled early in your yachting career. How do you see the industry changing in terms of transparency and support for newcomers? And where is there still work to be done?

Honestly, it depends what day you ask me this question. Some days, I feel like the industry’s evolving. There’s definitely more information out there than ever before—that’s a win. But at the same time, I feel like people in yachting are getting more closed off. There’s this gatekeeping mentality that’s ramping up, and it’s frustrating to watch.

I don’t know if it’s the economy, the cost of living, or just fear that salaries haven’t caught up—but a lot of experienced crew, captains, officers... they’re becoming super negative about green crew. And yeah, I get it. I was that guy once too. I’ve rolled my eyes at newbies. But now that I’m mentoring people, I feel that pushback hard. I get crew sneering at the fact that I bring awareness and help new people get in. And to be honest? It really pisses me off.

Because here’s the deal: people don’t stay in yachting forever. We need fresh crew. We need to fill the gaps. The industry is growing. There’s room. There are enough yachts for all of us. So if you don’t think there’s a job out there for you, maybe it’s not the industry—it’s that you’re not competitive yet. Or you’ve got some work to do.

What we need less of? Gatekeeping. Bullying. Harassment. The old-school shaming of green crew. We need more guidance. More patience. Because these new crew? They’re the ones who will be deckhands and stews while we’re stepping up into officer roles—or stepping out of the game entirely. They’ll be the ones carrying the torch.

And I’ll say it: Below Deck gets blamed unfairly. So many amazing crew have come through my program because they first heard about the industry through that show. And they’re out there now—working their asses off and proving the haters wrong.

So yeah, the cat’s out of the bag. Pandora’s box is open. We’re not putting the genie back in the bottle. The only thing we can do now is mentor better than we were mentored. That’s the job.

4. What’s your take on the current job market for aspiring crew? Are there any trends that surprise you, or opportunities people aren’t capitalizing on?

I actually think the current job market for new crew is better than ever—and yeah, I know that might sound controversial. You hear people say all the time, “It’s oversaturated,” or “I’m South African so it’s harder,” or whatever excuse they’ve got that day. But look, I’m in the trenches with this crew every day. I see it up close. And honestly? Most of the people who aren’t finding work... it’s because they’re just not trying hard enough.

It’s laziness. Simple as that.

My SS Fam (SSS Crew) run circles around the average greenie. They’re constantly telling me stories about people in their crew houses who can’t be bothered. Crew that don’t follow up, who have terrible CVs, who don’t dock walk, have never even met with an agent. 

Like, they’ll work so hard to get 90% of the way there, they’ll fly to Florida or Antibes, pay for a crew house, and then... they just stop. They get in their heads, they drink too much, they get distracted, or they just sit around waiting for someone to hand them a job.

And I don’t know, maybe that’s ‘cause it was never their dream. Maybe it’s daddy’s money. Maybe they liked the idea of yachting, but not the grind. But anything in life? You’ve got to go take it. And there are too many people showing up expecting a job to just land in their lap without putting in the work.

And the truth is, a lot of those people are going home at the end of the season—broke, disappointed, confused—because they weren’t realistic. And that blows my mind. Because I know how hard I worked to get out of engineering and break into this industry. I wanted it. I hustled to learn, to fit in, to get better at the job every step of the way.

But there are too many wet blankets out here right now. And no one’s convinced they’re gonna make it, not even them.

5. Your story resonates with a lot of career changers, those looking to escape burnout or find more purpose. What advice do you have for someone considering a leap into yachting in 2025?

My whole purpose with this school, with yachting, even doing Below Deck, honestly, is to show people that life is long. You’ve got time. And you can reinvent yourself as many times as you need to.

If I’d stopped at 23, if I’d just stayed where I was, married the person I was dating, kept the engineering job I hated, never asked for more—I’d be miserable. Depressed, even. So when I talk to people who are burned out or stuck or just done with where they’re at, my message is this: you can change it. Whether it’s yachting, and I hope it is, or something else, if your life feels like it doesn’t fit you anymore, then do something about it.

Use me as the example. Ten years from now, you could be living a completely different life—something better than you imagined. But you’ve got to take the risk. You’ve got to make the jump.

Because if you don’t... nothing changes. Nothing happens. And that would be a tragedy.

6. We know your students come from all over the world and all walks of life. What kind of transformation have you seen in your international students, especially those from non-traditional backgrounds?

One of the main reasons I started Superyacht Sunday School was because of where I came from. As an immigrant, coming from a Hispanic household, I know what it’s like to not have access. Not to have the money. Not to have the passport. I wanted to create a system that could help people who otherwise would never get the chance to earn this kind of money or see this many parts of the world.

And yeah, like attracts like. I get a lot of South Africans. I get Americans. But I also work with crew from everywhere. I’ve got a stewardess from Russia who used to work on cruise lines, she’s now on a superyacht earning more than she ever thought possible. I’ve got a tour guide from a tiny island in Brazil, now he’s cruising the Med and seeing a side of life he never thought was his. That stuff? That’s the magic I live for.

The most rewarding part is helping people experience parts of the world they thought they’d never see, and do it while earning in euros, dollars, or pounds. That kind of financial shift? That changes everything. I’ve got students now saving for houses. Supporting families.

Planning futures they didn’t think were in reach.

And I feel very lucky every day to be part of that transformation.

7. You mentioned in our last interview the camaraderie on board as one of your favorite aspects of yachting. Has being part of Below Deck changed your perception of yacht crew culture?

No, Below Deck hasn’t changed my perception of crew culture at all. If anything, it reminded me that camaraderie really is my favorite part of working on boats. When you’re exhausted, running on fumes, feeling like you’ve got nothing left, that’s when the banter, the relationships, the laughs with your crew are what carry you through.

And it was the same on Below Deck. Sure, there was more pressure, cameras, production, chaos, but those moments on deck, the laughs with your mates, the secrets shared in cabins... that’s the spice of life. That’s what makes yachting fun. Yeah, the destinations are incredible, but it’s the people who make it unforgettable.

And let’s be real, Below Deck and yachting? They’re not opposites. They’re the same. You’ve got crew from all over the world, all kinds of work ethics, languages, and experience levels. That mix? That’s yachting. On or off camera.

8. How do you balance the educational side of your platform with the entertainment-driven exposure from Below Deck? Has that exposure changed how people approach you or the school?

Honestly, I think the answer’s a lot less complicated than people make it. Nobody likes being lectured. Nobody wants to sit through pure teaching anymore, we’ve all had enough of that. What people want now, especially with social media, is to have fun while they learn. They want to be entertained. And that works perfectly for me—because I don’t take myself too seriously. I swear in my material, I keep it real, I stay raw. And people resonate with that.

Yeah, a lot of people find me through Below Deck or through content that’s entertaining, but what they’re really looking for isn’t just information. They want a full-blown life change. They want to be inspired. They want someone who’s gonna be real with them about what it takes. And that’s my lane. That’s where I live.

So for me, Superyacht Sunday School isn’t just an educational platform. It’s a community. It’s a tribe of yachties and soon-to-be yachties sharing their stories, helping each other, trading wins and failures, and yeah, actually becoming friends. That’s what I’m building.

Because for too long, this community’s been scattered across random Facebook groups and private chats. What I want is a centralized space where, if you’re serious about growing your career, or just having the best experience possible out there, this is where you come. This is where you get mentored, and where you mentor others, too. That kind of space? That’s the most valuable asset you can have in yachting.

9. Lastly, what’s next for you, both professionally and personally? Any upcoming initiatives, ideas, or dreams you’re working toward?

Alright, next steps for me? Personally, look, I’m getting up there in age by yachting standards. I’m a whopping 34 (laugh). So it’s probably time I propose to my girlfriend and move that part of my life forward. It’s been on pause for a couple of years while I built everything else, and now it’s her turn.

Professionally, the plan is to take Superyacht Sunday School into its next phase. It’s not just about helping people get into the industry anymore, I want to support crew while they’re on board. We’re building out a membership program with benefits for active crew: coaching, test prep, documentation help—especially for the deck department. But we’ve got stuff coming for the interior and galley, too. So yeah, stay tuned.

And on a personal note, I'm starting my digital nomad visa process for Spain. Yachting kind of turns you into a citizen of the world, and now I’m making that official. Long-term? That’ll be my path to Spanish citizenship. So yeah... big things ahead.

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