The full complement is 13 people. The crew consists of the captain and the cook and three crew members. The usual makeup of a trip is four surfers, one marine biologist, a stills photographer and a cinematographer. Sometimes a writer is on board.

The Crossing route is determined by a small management group, including the captain of the Indies Trader, Martin Daly, project director Bruce Raymond. They take into account weather forecasts, marine charts and the distance between island chains.

The Indies Trader is a 75-foot diving and survey vessel constructed of steel with an aluminum wheelhouse. It weighs 95 tonnes and has a cruising speed of eight knots. It was originally built in Brisbane, Australia, in 1972 and was rebuilt in Singapore in 1992. In 1999 it was specifically customized for the Crossing and has been painted with a Polynesian tattoo design. The boat has a range of 5,000 nautical miles and can stay at sea comfortably for a month.

More than 360 people have joined the boat since March 1999. They have discovered and surfed 91 new world-class waves. The boat has traveled more than 70,000 nautical miles since leaving Cairns (the distance around the Equator is 21,638 nautical miles).