Below Deck Mediterranean season 8 star Lara Du Preez has been thriving since her appearance on the reality show. She was on the deck team and was promoted to Below Deck Med bosun Luka Brunton’s lead deckhand. Lara was an experienced deckhand who worked well with her bosun under the guidance of Captain Sandy Yawn. Despite not appearing on the show before, Lara became a Below Deck Med breakout star who offered the audience comedic relief during the eighth season. While the deck team got along well during the charter season, the same can’t be said about the interior.
Natalya Scudder and Tumi Mhlongo feuded throughout Below Deck Med season 8, leaving a negative cast on the rest of the crew. The stews couldn’t see eye to eye, thanks to Kyle Viljoen, who pitted them against each other. While they fought, Lara was busy doing an exceptional job as the lead deckhand. Notably, she is not a part of the Below Deck Med season 9 cast. While she should’ve returned, Lara has been busy since Below Deck Med season 8 ended.
Since exiting the series, Lara has continued working in yachting. Her Instagram account is filled with her travels and adventures on Below Deck Med and beyond the show. In a series of photos posted in April 2024 on Lara’s Instagram, she posed for pictures on a boat with a co-worker. On the picture, she tagged “@yachtarience,” another superyacht she seemingly was working on. “Not a bad gig,” Lara wrote in the caption of the Instagram pictures that were geotagged to the Bahamas.
Lara has been in a relationship for nearly four years with a woman named Arusha Marlene. On her Instagram, Lara posts pictures with her partner, showing their relationship to her 24,700 followers on Instagram. She met her partner in high school, where they became good friends. Lara said they found “love at first kiss,” and since sharing their first kiss, “there was no turning back.”
Lara was likely in an open relationship during Below Deck Med, as she did kiss Luka and other women during their crew nights out. The deckhand opened up about her coming out journey on Below Deck Med. Before she came out as lesbian during the COVID-19 pandemic, she identified as bisexual.
Lara had an exceptional journey in Below Deck Med season 8. The South African native was directly affected by Ruan Irving’s document issue during episode 1. After Captain Sandy promoted Luka to bosun, she naturally rose in the ranks on the deck team. Lara went into Below Deck Med season 8 with four years of yachting experience, which showed her ability to navigate conflict. She even opened up about her experience coming out as a lesbian during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was brave for her to share her story coming out on the show.
She and Luka had to deal with the boisterous behavior of Max Salvador, one of the deckhands. Lara was able to give Max tough love, improving his performance. Her ability to adapt to the demands of the Mustique impressed Luka, and he promoted her to lead deckhand. For Lara, getting the role of lead deckhand felt like her “dreams are literally just coming true.” Luka told Decider he “knew from the start” Lara was going to be his righthand woman and just needed “to see her work” before promoting her.
On Below Deck Med, Lara said it had always been her “dream” to become lead deckhand. She revealed she had experienced “a very rocky life” but gained more stability when she started yachting. From then, Lara continued to shine during Below Deck Med season 8. She had a great sense of humor and wasn’t afraid to get her hands dirty when working.
It would be silly if Captain Sandy did not hire Lara for another season of Below Deck Med in the future. While season 8 felt lackluster at times, the connection between Luke and Lara was undeniable. They worked together seamlessly and managed a successful deck team together. It’s confusing why the duo is not returning for Below Deck Med season 9. However, Lara has not said she won’t return to the show despite being a fan-favorite cast member.
Lara was an exceptional lead deckhand during Below Deck Med season 8. Since working under Captain Sandy, she has stayed in the yachting industry and continued to travel the world. It would be nice to see her reunite with Luka in a future season of Below Deck Med, but now, that seems unlikely.
Sources: Lara Du Preez/Instagram, Lara Du Preez/Instagram, Decider