Onze vriendelijke en behulpzame collega's zijn u graag van dienst. Ze kunnen alle relevante vragen over onze reizen, de bestemmingen en de schepen van Oceanwide Expeditions beantwoorden. Ze werken allemaal reeds vele jaren met veel enthousiasme voor Oceanwide Expeditions en hebben ook allemaal één of meerdere expeditie reizen naar het Noordpoolgebied en Antarctica meegemaakt, waardoor ze de poolgebieden uit eerste hand kennen.
Rinie van Meurs has been an expedition leader since 1989, leading hundreds of expeditions all over the polar regions. The Arctic island of Spitsbergen, the largest in the Svalbard archipelago, is as familiar to him as his own back yard.
After he finished his education in forestry management and nature conservation, Rinie traveled the world to photograph and study wildlife, living for almost a year in the Falklands.
Many of his photographs have been published in magazines and photography books.
Rinie has also written several books about the polar regions, including a coffee table book about areas that are off the beaten track.
Birgit loves being out and away – that is why her life has changed from award-winning writer to Arctic-addicted adventurer.
Philipp Schaudy holds a Master’s Degree in Physical Geography and has studied in Austria, Iceland, and Svalbard. A restless traveler, adventurer, and alpinist, he’s always loved the outdoors.
Paul was born and brought up in the valleys of South Wales.
He began kayaking and climbing at the age of 14, thanks to opportunities in school.
By the age of 19, Paul was managing and delivering an outdoor program for Sport Wales, which was the catalyst for carving out a career in adventure activities.
Paul studied sports science at the Cardiff Institute of Higher Education before taking up a lecturing post to train future adventure activity instructors.
As a teacher, lecturer, and outdoor activity coach, Paul has over 35 years of experience working with public, private, and voluntary organizations.
He provides rewarding opportunities for personal and social development in the UK and throughout the world.
Paul’s expertise as a paddler and mountaineer has enabled him to explore many of the rivers, seas, and mountains of the seven continents.
He also runs his own business for outdoor activity coaching, technical consulting, trekking, mountaineering, and kayaking. In addition,
Paul has been a freelance inspector for the Adventurous Activities Licensing Service (AALS).
Currently he is a freelance inspector for Adventuremark and Learning Outside the Classroom, a quality assurance officer and internal verifier for Canoe Wales, project manager for AdventureSmart.UK, and chair of the Wales Adventure Tourism Organisation (WATO) and the Outdoor Alliance in Wales.
Michael began diving in 1980, training with the Royal Navy in Portsmouth Harbour.
Henrik is an experienced dive leader, rebreather instructor trainer, and one of the first dive masters to bring tourists diving in Antarctica.
Evgeny Levakov was born in a small village not far from Nerekhta, an ancient Russian town in the Kostroma region. The closest water to his village was a 15,000 square-meter pond.
His family had no relationship with the sea, but when his third grade teacher asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up, Evgeny’s answer was clear: “A sailor.”
The teacher replied that this profession did not exist in their area, but young Evgeny was unconvinced. After his mandatory time in the army, he enrolled in Murmansk’s Highest Engineering Marine School to start his naval career.
Evgeny went to sea after graduating, starting in 1984 as third officer on a fleet of fishing vessels in the city of Murmansk. During that time he sailed the waters of Antarctica, South Georgia, the Southern Orkneys, and Elephant Island.
From 1994 to 2000 he worked as chief officer on m/v Professor Molchanov for expedition cruise companies like Quark, Aurora, and Oceanwide. He was promoted to captain soon after.
In the fall of 2010, Evgeny started on m/v Plancius. His main navigational areas are the Arctic and Antarctica, including the Ross Sea and Dumont d’Urville Sea. He’s also sailed the islands of Papua New Guinea and the Amazon River between Belem and Iquitos.
Evgeny has been married since 1978 and considers this the best decision he’s ever made. He has two sons and is the proud grandfather of four grandchildren.
Arthur Yakovlev was born in Petrozavodsk, the capital and largest city of the Republic of Karelia, in northwestern Russia.
Born in Rybinsk, Russia, Yury Marin began sailing on small sporting yachts at the age of nine. By age 16, he was already preparing for a life of sailing the world's rivers and seas.
