Expedition lead
| Highest | $10,000 / mo · United States |
|---|---|
| Experience | 5+ yrs |
| Degree | Required |
| First paycheck | 3-4 years bachelor's + 5 years sea experience |
Pay in the destination countries
Monthly, in US dollars. Each country is an Imora admission package — open one for that route's fees, language requirement and deadline.
| Country | Monthly |
|---|---|
| United StatesTOEFL 80–100 · $10–70k | $10,000max |
| AustraliaIELTS 6.0–6.5 · AUD 30–50k | $9,400 |
| SwitzerlandIELTS 6.5 · CHF 0.9–8k | $9,200 |
| CanadaIELTS 6.0–6.5 · CAD 20–40k | $9,200 |
| NorwayIELTS 6.0–6.5 · NOK 130–260k | $9,000 |
| Hong KongIELTS 6.0–6.5 · HK–200k | $9,000 |
What does the day look like?
A working day on an operational research vessel lasts 12 to 16 hours, routinely arranged in 12-hour shifts or 4-hours on and 8-hours off watch rotations. The vessel operates 24 hours a day. Around 75% to 80% of the day consists of operational logistics, risk management, and administrative logging: reviewing ECMWF and GFS weather forecasts and bathymetry with the Captain and Chief Mate, coordinating winch and crane operations on the back deck with the bosun, supervising instruments like the Sea-Bird SBE 911plus CTD, Kongsberg EM 124 multibeam echosounder, and Teledyne RDI ADCP, logging cruise data into the SCS, and compiling daily SITREPs.
The glamorous exploration side accounts for only 20% to 25% of the schedule. This involves directing real-time ROV dives (such as SuBastian or Jason) and inspecting newly recovered water, rock, and biological samples. An expedition lead stays confined at sea for 20 to 65 consecutive days without shore access, working through rough weather and remaining on call 24 hours a day.
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