Where is Anastasia Surmava from Below Deck now? Former cast member is a new mom

The Below Deck franchise has been airing for more than 10 years and has seen several spin-offs. The show consists of a rotational cast that often overlaps and appears in different series of the Bravo show.

Since its inception, the show has often seen cast members who have left a mark, and one such person is Anastasia Surmava. The third stew and chef were part of Below Deck Mediterranean season 4. She relocated to Vermont in 2021 and is currently the co-owner of Ocean International Training Academy, along with former co-star and close friend Hannah Ferrier.

Since her time on the show, Anastasia Surmava got married to model Will Higginson and is a new mother to 8-month-old Arabelle A. Higginson, who often makes appearances on her Instagram.

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Below Deck alum Anastasia quit her job in the medical field to join yachting

Before Below Deck and a life at sea, Anastasia Surmava worked as a nuclear medicine technologist. However, a vacation to Greece with her boyfriend at the time changed her entire life. She fell in love with the sea, quit her job, and started working as a yacht chef.

According to The Superyacht Chef, the former Below Deck cast member specializes in vegan and vegetarian cooking. She describes her cooking style as "very off the cuff" and enjoys drawing inspiration from ingredients she finds in her fridge or at the grocery store.

"Sometimes I don't even know what I am going to make halfway through cooking. I love to be spontaneous and bold with flavour. I also love South East Asian, Mediterranean, Georgian, and Italian," she said.

She further spoke about her time on the Bravo show and noted that she loved her experience because of her close relationships with her cast members. Anastasia added that since the show ended, she was offered many jobs, several of which she had to turn down because of her business in Sri Lanka.

Her Bravo bio reads that Anastasia was born in Georgia to a pastry chef mother. When she was two years old, her mother remarried and moved to America.

"Anastasia immediately took to a life on water when she met and began dating a young captain who introduced her to the industry."

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Anastasia and Hannah Ferrier are still very close

Since the show ended, Anastasia and Hannah Ferrier have kept in touch. The two first met on the superyacht while filming season 4 of the Bravo show. They are now business partners and co-founders of OITA.

However, their relationship extends beyond the professional realm. In August 2023, the two went on a holiday together to Paris, France. Hannah took to social media to express her gratitude and appreciation for Anastasia.

She wrote on Instagram that while the alum started as her third stew, she has "grown to be one of the loves" of her life. She added that she wouldn't believe that they were in Paris together with her "angel" and that she loves her more than she will ever know.

Below Deck Mediterranean is currently airing season 8 and releases new episodes weekly on Monday on Bravo.