Colin Macy-O’Toole had his “Below Deck” journey began with heartbreak. Like many cast members, Macy-O’Toole applied to be on the Bravo reality show as a joke. He never thought he’d be chosen. However, the producers wanted him, but his girlfriend at the time told him she didn’t want him to do the show. So he said no — until she broke up with him shortly thereafter. “That following summer, I was like, man, I really wish I did the show,” he said. “I emailed [the producers] back: ‘Hey, I’m single. I know my shot is probably ruined.’ And, they’re like, no, let’s get this thing going again. So, yeah, I was very lucky that they gave me, in a sense, a second chance.” Macy-O’Toole joined the show with seamanship in his blood. Growing up in Sayville, New York, Macy-O’Toole was immersed in a town driven by the maritime industry where “everyone” at some point works for the ferry system, which services four beaches, including Fire Island. From age 15, he worked for the Sayville Ferry Service, initially as a deckhand and then ultimately a captain. The son of teachers, Macy-O’Toole says many educators in town would pick up ferry shifts during their summers. “My parents’ coworker used to be a captain. And he would stop over after work once in a while and, when I was a child he was like, ‘Once you’re 15, you’re mine.’” This prediction rang true because Macy-O’Toole joined the ferry system as a deckhand when he was a teen — a gig he described as highly desirable to other kids in town. He eventually moved up to senior deckhand and got his 100-ton license when he turned 19. A few years later, he was a ferry port captain and still toggles between port and regular captain. When he was casted on season three of “Below Deck Med,” Macy-O’Toole thinks producers believed they had hired a seasoned maritime crewmember, whereas he insists he was truly the “green deckhand” he portrayed on the show. “I definitely was [green to the superyachting industry],” he said while joking that Bosun Conrad Empson and Deckhands Jamie Jason and Joao Franco “ripped me apart but in good fun.” “Everything that I do at the ferries doesn’t relate to what we were doing on the show,” he explained. “We don’t deal with knots, everything’s basically tied up already, so we just throw a loop on a pole. We don’t deal with towing a tender or serving guests.” The dreaded water slide was also new for Macy-O’Toole. “It was a huge learning curve and that’s why I was the guy, basically, in the background — I was there to learn,” he said. Thankfully, Macy-O’Toole was a quick study and not only grew on deck, but also became one of the franchise’s most beloved cast members. He returned for season four of “Below Deck Med” and continues to be on call for Bravo shows like “Galley Talk.” While a big highlight of adventuring into the superyacht industry is the opportunity to travel, the amazing tips, and meeting yachties from different backgrounds, being on “Below Deck” and working on a superyacht didn’t inspire Macy-O’Toole to continue in the job off camera. “[Back home] I have a queen-size bed to myself. No offense to [bunkmate] Joao. I love Joao. He’s one of my best buddies. But I don’t want to be sleeping four inches below him,” he laughs. “When I work at the ferries, my schedule is 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. At 3:05 p.m., I’m going to shower and be in my sweatpants in my own house after work.” After wrapping “Below Deck Med,” Macy-O’Toole pursued ideas in television production and made some appearances, but a few years after the pandemic hit, he returned to running the ferry, a gig he describes as something he can tap into for life. Despite being off the show for the past few years, he continues to be recognized. Macy-O’Toole will often have coworkers playfully rib him and joke to the guests on the ferry, “Here comes Colin Macy-O’Toole from ‘Below Deck!’” “But it’s all in good fun,” he said. “There are a lot of Bravo fans, so passengers will come up to me and take pictures, and we’ll talk about the show, which is really nice.” Macy-O’Toole says one aspect that translates across industries are the guests. He enjoyed meeting many of the guests on “Below Deck Med” and has fun with those on his ferry. Many are repeat customers who will bring the ferry crew donuts or coffee. “They take care of us, so we make sure we go the extra effort,” he said. Fresh off a busy summer, Macy-O’Toole says the shoulder season still means steady work, but the ferry makes fewer trips during winter. He teased that a show he pitched a few years ago gained new interest, which may allow him to pivot back to television. While there may be a chance he returns to television, he loves that he will always have a job with the ferries. The company is family-run, and Macy-O’Toole is always welcomed back. “I’m going to be one of those guys — I’ll work there forever,” he said. “It may not be full-time, but it’s just one of those things that, if I can do a day here and there until I’m at retirement age, just to get on to drive a boat once in a while, that’d be great.”