What Has Happened to Connie Arias Since Below Deck Season 3?
A lot has changed in the world since 2015, but the former deckhand is still loving a life filled with boats.
When Below Deck Season 3 premiered in 2015, viewers were introduced to the no-nonsense deckhand, Connie Arias, who had a passion for being on boats, hanging out in the water, and having fun.
Per her cast bio at the time, she had been living in Melbourne Beach, Florida, before she took a job working as a deckhand for Captain Lee Rosbach, on the M/Y Eros, where her work ethic shined.
In the nearly 10 years since then, a lot of change has happened in the world, but not too much seems to have changed in Connie's life. She's still living in Florida, loving being on the water, being surrounded by boats, and still having as much fun as possible, no matter the circumstance.
Read on to learn a little bit more about what Connie has been up to since leaving Below Deck Season 3.
Connie Arias appeared on Below Deck Galley Talk
In 2020, Connie made her return to Bravo to share her commentary on Below Deck Galley Talk, where fellow Below Deck alums returned to share their thoughts about certain Below Deck episodes.
Connie appeared on the show for eight episodes alongside former chief stew and close friend, Kate Chastain, where they reacted to some fun and steamy moments from previous seasons.
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Is Connie Arias married?
During Captain Lee's 100th episode celebration on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen in January 2020, Connie told The Daily Dish that she was engaged — and that she'd accepted her fiancé's proposal shortly after her time on the show.
"I am engaged to a lovely guy," she said. "We live together in Melbourne, and he's got a great family business, and I have my own business, which gives us a lot of freedom to do things. But he's probably out with Ellis, Amy [Johnson]'s boyfriend at the moment, probably drinking beer and having fun. See, I'm happy. I found a really great guy."
But, Connie is a very private person. While she shared that her fiancé's name was Scott, her Instagram feed is more full of photos with fish, rather than photos of her and her boo.
In 2020, Connie told The Daily Dish that she was taking it slow when it came time to planning her big day. "I don't have any set plans," she explained. "I'm not very traditional. I'm not into the white dress and the dance and the music and the cha-cha and all the other sh-t they do at a wedding. I'm sorry if anybody in here has done it; it's just not for me. It's not my thing."
What is Connie Arias doing for work now?
Once leaving M/Y Eros, Connie continued to be surrounded by boats at her day job. She's said she is the owner of a boat management company in Melbourne, Florida.
RELATED: Kate Chastain Teamed Up with Below Deck Alum Connie Arias For Her Latest Gig
In an interview with Talk Nerdy With Us in 2015, Connie opened up about what she wants to do with her future. "My dream job has always been to be a deckhand but when I'm ready to settle down and stay on land I'm looking forward to becoming a special needs/child development teacher," she said.
Connie's bent towards privacy means that she had not said precisely where she works or the name of her boating management company.
Connie Arias is really into sports
If there is anything obvious about Connie's life right now, judging from her Instagram account she absolutely loves fishing and spending a lot of time outdoors.
Connie is constantly sharing photos of her catches, from the hogfish and lobster she caught while free diving, to the massive red grouper and snapper that she caught in the ocean.
Connie is also very much into other sports, as well. Her Instagram feed is full of photos of her golfing, surfing, and even snowboarding.
She has been surfing since she was seven and once went pro, but if you don't believe her interest in surfing is fanatical, just take her own word for it.
"People think fishing is my thing...but surfing is my FAVORITE," she wrote in the caption of an Instagram post from October 2023. "I even smile when I'm on a wave and I'm also very good."
Connie Arias' Dog Shammy
When she isn't out on the water or up on a ski slope, Connie us hanging out with her dog — a golden retriever named Shammy. (Shammy also accompanies his mom out on boats, too.)
RELATED: Before She Went On Below Deck, Connie Arias Owned the Ocean as a Pro Surfer
In typical Connie fashion, her dog has a boat related name: A shammy, or chamois cloth, is the towel that you see every deckhand use on Below Deck when they are polishing the boat, cleaning up things, and getting it ready for the next charter.
"I'm obsessed," Connie wrote of Shammy in the caption of an August 2023 Instagram post celebrating his third birthday.
Connie Arias is still surrounded by boats
Connie might have left M/Y Eros in Below Deck Season 3 but she didn't leave the ocean behind.
"Connie's not really into yachting so much anymore, but she has her own boat, so she goes out on boats like, every weekend," close friend, Kate Chastain, told The Daily Dish in 2016. "She's in her hometown of Melbourne Beach doing Connie stuff: fishing, golfing, just getting up to no good sometimes in a really funny way."
