Magic at Sea: My Year on the Pacific Explorer
Well... what a ride.
From February 2024 to January 2025, I had the absolute privilege of being the resident magician aboard P&O Australia’s Pacific Explorer, performing in the wildly fun, beautifully bonkers magic show “The Purple Rabbit”—created by the mad geniuses Dom Chambers, Simon Coronel and the team at Strut & Fret.
Over the course of 10 months, I performed the show more than 85 times to thousands of audience members across countless cruises. That’s a lot of sparkle, sleight-of-hand, and slightly sweaty costume changes. But every show was a joy, packed with laughs, gasps, the genuine unexpected (usually from audience members!) and just the right amount of chaos.
🌍 Life at Sea
I sailed around Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Vanuatu, Fiji and more - and honestly, if there was a dock, in any of those countries we probably rocked up there at some point.
When I wasn’t on stage working my magic, I was exploring the incredible destinations we visited or figuring out how to live on a floating city. Life on board is weird and wonderful: you quickly learn the difference between “sea days” and “port days,” where to find the best late-night snacks (enter - the noodle man), and which corridor shortcuts get you home fastest!
Learning how a cruise ship works and operates from the insider perspective as a member of the crew is truly fascinating!
🐊🐉🧗♂️ Adventures Beyond the Stage
The job was amazing—but so were the off-stage moments. Some of the personal highlights from my year of magic, mischief and mayhem:
Bungee jumping off Auckland Bridge (definitely screamed, would do again)
Meeting Komodo Dragons on Komodo Island (massive. majestic. mildly terrifying)
“Pints in ports” and brunch dates with the amazing friends I made onboard
Celebrating my 30th birthday in the crew bar, surrounded by legends
Going on a jumping crocodile tour in Darwin (they really jump)
Climbing an active volcano in Rabaul, PNG (casual, right?)
Taking part in a full-blown Cabin Crawl, where we explored everyone’s cabins and judged the effort put into their themes with a beer in hand
It was equal parts wild and wonderful—like a floating adult summer camp, complete with late-night rehearsals, shared dressing room chaos, and endless inside jokes.
🎭 The Purple Rabbit
“The Purple Rabbit” was a nightly explosion of magic, comedy, and the kind of ridiculous joy that makes cruise guests go “wait... did that actually just happen?” I shared the stage with some of the most talented, performers I’ve ever met.
❤️ Cabin 5201
And finally, a shoutout to my little floating sanctuary: Cabin 5201 (don’t bring your teeth). My tiny, slightly creaky, impossibly comforting home at sea. That cabin saw disasters, rehearsals, post-show snack binges, and more late-night movie marathons than I care to admit. I genuinely loved that space.
So here’s to a year of sea air, standing ovations, strange wildlife, and magic on the move.
Thanks to everyone—on land and sea—who made this experience unforgettable. I’ll be processing this one for a while.
🪄
— Cameron Gibson
Nameless Magician