The polar regions are what we do. From our expert expedition guides to our impeccable crew to our diversely skilled office staff, the OEX team is all about giving you the utmost experience of the Arctic, Antarctica, and the sub-Antarctic. Seasoned passengers of our own epic voyages, we bring to the table not only a love of the exotic polar world but also a combined wealth of expertise unrivaled by any other polar tour operator. Join us on one of our adventurous voyages, and let us share with you all there is to see, do, and explore in Earth’s most remote frontiers.
Our staff
Expedition staff
- Adam Burke
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nationality: British
Adam has always had a love of the outdoors and adventure, from an early age he dreamt of visiting exotic places and immersing himself in other cultures.
This love of the outdoors led him to work teaching adventurous activities and for over fifteen years this pursuit has given him the opportunity to live and work all over the globe. He has taught sailing in Australia, paddle sports on Europe’s rivers and led expeditions in Africa.
After spending five years teaching white water safety & rescue and boat handling techniques to the fire brigade, he moved on to providing marine science support in Antarctica. He has spent over five years living between the Antarctic continent and the island of South Georgia, including overwintering twice.
Whilst providing science support he spent his time in Antarctica managing boating operations and helming RIBs for diving operations. This covered understanding environmental changes and its effects, wildlife monitoring and counting as well as water sampling for a long-term data collection.
Adam enjoys travelling with his partner who shares the same values and love of the outdoors. This has taken them from deserts to rain forests and ultramarathons in the mountains.
- Chris Long
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nationality: New Zealander
Chris grew up as a part of New Zealand’s remotest family two long days hike from the nearest road at a place called Gorge River.
- George Kennedy
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nationality: Australian
George has been guiding in Antarctica and the Arctic since 2019, sharing stories of its incredible wildlife, landscapes and, of course, its unique politics!
- Jan Belgers
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nationality: Dutch
- Claudio Ghiglione
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nationality: Italian
- Florence Kuyper
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nationality: Dutch
- Philipp Schaudy
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nationality: Austrian
- Eduardo Rubio
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nationality: Guatemalan
- Adam Turner
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nationality: British
- Ali Liddle
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nationality: British
- Rinie van Meurs
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nationality: Dutch
- Hans Verdaat
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nationality: Dutch
- Sara Jenner
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nationality: British
- Christian Engelke
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nationality: German
- Marcel Paul
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nationality: Dutch
- Pippa Low
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nationality: British
Activity staff
- Henrik Enckell
- Function: Dive Team Leader & Advisor
- Nationality: Swedish
Henrik is an experienced dive leader, rebreather instructor trainer, and one of the first dive masters to bring tourists diving in Antarctica.
Henrik has been diving for over 25 years and teaches all levels of recreational and technical diving up to Advanced Trimix CCR.
He runs the IART (International Association of Rebreather Trainers) Regional Office for Northern Europe and is a member of the IART Board of Advisors.
Henrik is a keen wreck diver and has been involved in deep-wreck expeditions all over the world. Some of the interesting wrecks he has visited are the WW2 disasters General von Steuben and Wilhelm Gustloff in the Baltic as well as the HMS Victoria ("the vertical wreck") at 145 meters (475 feet) off the Lebanese coast.
His interest in both the ocean and space has engaged him in projects with the European Space Agency (Mars500 Project) and SeaSpace Exploration and Research Society (Project Poseidon), among others.
He has a military background, having served in peace keeping and enforcing missions in the Middle East and former Yugoslavia.
He has been leading dive expeditions in Antarctica and the Arctic for almost 20 years in remote and challenging waters, many of which have never been dived before.
Henrik holds an M.Sc. Degree in Electrical Engineering and works in the automotive industry when not traveling the polar regions.
He has lived and worked in Tokyo for two years but currently lives in India with his wife, three teenage daughters, and five-year-old son.
- Jonny Baird
- Function: Mountain Leader and Advisor
- Nationality: British
Since 2017, Jonny has worked regularly as a mountaineering guide and as Lead Mountain Guide on the Antarctic Peninsula.
- Michael Green
- Function: Dive Team Leader and Advisor
- Nationality: British
Michael began diving in 1980, training with the Royal Navy in Portsmouth Harbour.
Captains
- Arthur Yakovlev
- Function: Captain
- Nationality: Russian
Arthur Yakovlev was born in Petrozavodsk, the capital and largest city of the Republic of Karelia, in northwestern Russia.
At the age of 15, he started training at the Maritime College in Petrozavodsk, where he graduated in 1999. At 18 he began his career as a seaman on a dry cargo vessel.
One year later, he was promoted as third officer on the same type of vessel, and later as second officer, working on various cargo vessels until 2007.
That same year, Arthur began work as a second officer on the passenger vessel Marina Cvetaeva, now Ortelius. As of 2008 he has worked for Oceanwide Expeditions, and in 2019 became a captain on Plancius.
Arthur never dreamed that most of his career would be spent in the polar waters, but he considers this his destiny and would not have it any other way.
He is married and has a son, and during vacation he enjoys spending most of his time with his family, while also traveling and enjoying nature.
- Remmert Koster
- Function: Captain
- Nationality: Dutch
Remmert Koster was born in the Netherlands, and from a young age he was convinced he would become a captain.
- Joachim Schiel
- Function: Captain
- Nationality: German
Born near the German city of Cologne, Joachim Schiel grew up some distance from the coast. His first contact with vessels came from the yearly sailing trips he made with a youth group on the Baltic.
- Ernesto Barria
- Function: Captain
- Nationality: Chilean
Office
- Marie Rose Porreca
- Function: Reservations, North-America
- Nationality: American
- Loraine van Huizen
- Function: Online Marketeer
- Nationality: Dutch
- Toto Vermue
- Function: USA and Canada Sales Manager
- Nationality: Dutch
- Jornt de Meurichy
- Function: E-commerce officer
- Nationality: Dutch
- Maria del Pilar Fernandez
- Function: International Sales Manager
- Nationality: Chilean
- Grace Vidal
- Function: Reservations, North-America
- Nationality: American
- Adam Turner
- Function: CXO - Head of Expedition Operations
- Nationality: British
- George Janes
- Function: Senior Copywriter
- Nationality: British
- Sytze Posthumus
- Function: Financial Controller
- Nationality: Dutch
- Rémi Bouysset
- Function: CEO
- Nationality: French
- Danique van Burken
- Function: Senior Marketing Manager
- Nationality: Dutch
- Stefan Pruimboom
- Function: Staffing and Operations Advisor
- Nationality: Dutch
- Teun van ‘t Verlaat
- Function: Technical Manager
- Nationality: Dutch
- Gabi Merten
- Function: Reservations for the German speaking market
- Nationality: German
- Michel van Gessel
- Function: Director
- Nationality: Dutch
- John Yeh
- Function: Sales Representative China & South Asia & Oceania
- Nationality: Chinese
- Piet Vink
- Function: Managing Director
- Nationality: Dutch
- Florian J. Piper
- Function: Director Sales | Arctic program
- Nationality: German
- Karin Toornstra
- Function: Reservations
- Nationality: Dutch
- Franklin Braeckman
- Function: Antarctic Program Manager
- Nationality: Belgian
- Femke Wolfert
- Function: Staffing Manager
- Nationality: Dutch
- Marina Joglar
- Function: Reservations, North-America
- Nationality: American
- Sasha Rachkova
- Function: Online Marketeer
- Nationality: Russian
- Nyrée Siereveld-Verstraete
- Function: Account Assistant
- Nationality: Dutch
- Kees Matthes
- Function: Nautical Superintendent
- Nationality: Dutch
- Helen de Jong
- Function: Sales Account Manager
- Nationality: Dutch
- Ko de Korte
- Function: Consultant
- Nationality: Dutch
- Bas Jumelet
- Function: Assistant Hotel Operations Manager
- Nationality: Dutch
- Sebastiaan Schijf
- Function: CFO
- Nationality: Dutch
- Michael Frauendorfer
- Function: Hotel Operations Manager
- Nationality: Austrian
- Dorine van Boekhout
- Function: Reservations
- Nationality: Dutch
- Alexandra den Dikken
- Function: Senior Graphic Designer
- Nationality: Dutch
- Marissa Medrano
- Function: Accounting
- Nationality: American
- Majanda Fens
- Function: Reservations Manager
- Nationality: Dutch
- Elza Back
- Function: Account Assistant
- Nationality: Dutch
- Arjan Gunnink
- Function: Senior Polar Diving Advisor
- Nationality: Dutch