Alasdair Babber Shah
Alasdair Babber Shah is a bilingual and motivated individual currently pursuing a career in the maritime and yachting industry. As a deckhand on board a yacht in Lagos, Portugal, in 2023, Alasdair’s ability to stay calm and focused under pressure at sea stood him in good stead. In this role, his responsibilities included managing the onboard bar and dealing with client relationships, assisting with the preparation of the boat including loading supplies, and promoting and selling party cruise tickets.
Alasdair has a multitude of maritime-related certificates and licenses, including AEC 1, Competent Crew, RYA Dayskipper, Seafarer Medical Certificate and RYA Powerboat Level 2. The latter denotes that the holder is competent in self-sufficient powerboating at a basic level; the course covers elements including launching, mooring, anchoring and recovery, along with all the boat driving skills required.
Career and Education
Growing up in Uganda, Alasdair Shah has been going on safaris since a very young age, which sparked a lifelong interest in conservation. He particularly supports the work of the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and, via this organisation, recently adopted a young male orphaned elephant named Pardamat after reading his sad story. As part of its work to rescue and rehabilitate orphaned elephants, the trust patrols Kenya’s key habitats to protect wildlife and prevent poaching, undertakes a range of community outreach projects, runs a veterinary unit that treats sick and injured wildlife across Kenya, and much more.
Alasdair is a keen photographer, and a selection of his work can be viewed on his Instagram account. Since 2021 he has worked as a reservations assistant at The Far Horizons safari company. In this role he reports to the senior tour planner and is responsible for booking accommodation, park visits, flights, cars and boats for confirmed safaris and performing one- and three-month checks.
From 2015 to 2020 Alasdair attended Culford School in Suffolk, an independent boarding and day school set in 480 acres of parkland. During his time there he undertook two years of service in the Combined Cadet Force and was a house prefect for a year.
Hobbies and Interests
To relax, Alasdair enjoys a wide range of hobbies and interests including drumming and scuba diving, and he has played tennis for 12 years. He cites his favourite movie as Pulp Fiction and his favourite book as Playing the Enemy by John Carlin. He is a long-time supporter of the football team Arsenal FC and a fan of the band the Red Hot Chili Peppers.