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Below Deck Med: Malia White reveals Captain Sandy Yawn inspired her to stay in yachting

Malia White from Below Deck Mediterranean admits Captain Sandy Yawn helped her guide her yachting career.
Malia and Captain Sandy remain close friends outside of Below Deck Mediterranean. Pic credit: Bravo

Below Deck Mediterranean alum Malia White has revealed Captain Sandy Yawn inspired her to stay in yachting and build a career.

Malia was introduced in Below Deck Med Season 2 as a green deckhand involved in a love triangle with chef Adam Glick and Wesley Walton. In Season 5 of Below Deck Mediterranean, Malia returned as bosun, and her close friendship with Captain Sandy was evident to viewers.

The bond was strained during Season 6 of the show after Captain Sandy called Malia gay in a cameo video. However, Malia has made it clear she considers the captain a good friend and has mad respect for her as a female captain in the yachting world.

Captain Sandy Yawn inspired Malia White to stay in yachting after Below Deck Mediterranean

When Malia joined the hit-yachting show, she was unsure what to do with her life. Malia joined the show because of her dive experience and desire to work outdoors.

After a rocky season on Below Deck Med, Malia wasn’t sure she wanted to pursue a career in yachting or simply walk away from the industry. On her podcast, Total Ship Show, Malia opened up about her choice to stay in yachting and credited Captain Sandy for helping her.

“So, my very first boat was the one I filmed on my first season. And from there, I gave being a deckhand a try, and I remember telling Captain Sandy, I’m probably gonna just go back to teaching scuba diving. And she was like, ‘No. You’ve got this,'” Malia recalled. “And I was like, you know what? I may give it a go.”

Looking back on that conversation with Captain Sandy, Malia admitted if it had never happened, she isn’t sure she would still be in the industry.

“That was my intro into yachting. I’ve said this before. I don’t know if I would have stayed in yachting had I not had a female captain, to begin with. So, I was very lucky that my intro into yachting was definitely not the norm,” the bosun spilled.

Will Malia be on Below Deck Med Season 7?

Although Bravo has yet to spill any details about Below Deck Mediterranean Season 7, social med sleuths discover she didn’t appear to be filming the show last summer. Courtney Veale, Mzi “Zee” Dempers, and Captain Sandy were all spotted, with a new chief stew and bosun.

There could be a couple of reasons Malia chose not to return. One is Malia has been focused on getting her captain’s license.

The other is she was involved in a scooter accident in June 2021, and her recovery process was lengthy. Malia may not have been cleared in time for filming.

Malia White has credited Captain Sandy Yawn for her staying in yachting as she continues to build her career in the industry.

Below Deck Mediterranean is currently on hiatus on Bravo.

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