Viking Chief Engineer Dag Austad was born and raised in Tønsberg, Norway, a city whose rich history is inseparably tied to the sea. Having grown up in such an environment, it is no surprise that Dag decided to pursue a career at sea—and he got his start at the age of 17. While studying to be a maritime engineer, he began working on a car ferry that transported vehicles between Norway and Denmark, and he remained with the company for nearly two decades. He then moved on to an offshore vessel, where he worked for the next 18 years before joining Viking a year and a half ago. For Dag, the best part of his job is that no two days are the same. He never knows what is around the next corner, and he enjoys taking on the various challenges of working on board a cruise ship.