Or more like observations that I have made on the sidelines watching our amazing guides. But that is not a very catchy title so here we are.
A guide takes care of the tickets by ripping the small part from the ticket. It helps in keeping count of how many passengers have already boarded. After all the passengers are safely onboard the guide helps releasing the boat by taking care of the ropes. When the tour begins the guide always introduces the crew and tells the safety measures onboard. Every one likes to make a notion that no one, ever, has fallen overboard in the history of the company. It really gives a nice spice to the customers to not be the first one.
I think it's quite self-explanatory that the guide tells facts about cetaceans during the tour. The difficult part is that since the cetaceans might pop on the surface anywhere at any time so the guide must be able to remember where they were left before the appearance. At our boats the guides use the clock system. Front of the boat is 12 o'clock, back of the boat is 6 o'clock, left is 9 o'clock, right is 3 o'clock and all the numbers in between. It's important to let the passengers know about the system (And know clock face yourself). Good eyesight and diligence are necessary in spotting the cetaceans. One interesting thing to tell the passengers is always about the whale names. Since the humpback whales that get identified get their own names it's fun to tell them to suggest names.
At the end of the tour the guide tells about the importance of not polluting the ocean. The amount of trash in the oceans is ridiculous and I think it's good to remind the passengers about that fact. When the boat docks the guide helps with the ropes to get it safely stay on the side of the pier.
Of course there's a lot of metawork on the background and all the other preparations to help the guiding run efficiently. Even though the basics of the guiding are the same (the things mentioned on the text) there's room for personal touches. The same thing can be said in many ways and that makes it all so interesting. It has been very educational to see how the guides style impacts the overall experience.
This was a little inside scoop of how I think things as a guide go. It's not anything absolute, but still some things that I have noticed. Until next time!
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