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
- Pippa Low
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nationality: British
Pippa has worked as a marine guide and skipper for 10 years, primarily in Scotland, Australia, New Zealand, and the polar regions.
A marine scientist specialising in marine mammal research and conservation, she splits her time between the hemispheres and loves showing the public the marine world and all it has to offer.
Growing up on the coast of the incredible Moray Firth sparked in Pippa a love for the marine world and its inhabitants. She spent every spare minute in, on, or under the water, and her professional life reflected this love from a young age. She became an instructor in various marine disciplines, studying marine biology at universities in Scotland and Australia.
Upon completion of her degree, Pippa worked as a marine mammal observer, scientific diver, and research assistant on various research projects. She has worked in photo ID, migration, distribution, and behavioural studies on a range of marine mammals, developing a keen interest in marine mammal conservation through outreach and research.
After working in the Ross Sea region of Antarctica as a research assistant, she fell in love with Antarctica. Pippa now works as a full-time guide and assistant expedition leader in the Arctic and Antarctica. Between seasons, she still finds time to work on research projects.
- Eduardo Rubio
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nationality: Guatemalan
Eduardo is an astronomer with a passion for sharing nature with others.
- Adam Turner
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nationality: British
Since Adam was young, he dreamed of working in the Antarctic like his uncle, who had worked there in the late 1980s.
- Claudio Ghiglione
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nationality: Italian
- Rinie van Meurs
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nationality: Dutch
- Ali Liddle
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nationality: British
- Adam Burke
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nationality: British
- Florence Kuyper
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nationality: Dutch
- George Kennedy
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nationality: Australian
- Sara Jenner
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nationality: British
- Christian Engelke
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nationality: German
- Chris Long
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nationality: New Zealander
- Marcel Paul
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nationality: Dutch
- Jan Belgers
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nationality: Dutch
- Hans Verdaat
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nationality: Dutch
- Philipp Schaudy
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nationality: Austrian
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.
- Michael Green
- Function: Dive Team Leader and Advisor
- Nationality: British
Michael began diving in 1980, training with the Royal Navy in Portsmouth Harbour.
- 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.
Captains
- 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.
After completing nautical college, he sailed general cargo ships for several years before switching to heavy-lift ships, transporting such loads as offshore platforms, Dutch Royal Navy vessels, submarines, parts for petrochemical plants, dredgers, cranes, and other such items.
Since 2016 he has captained passenger vessels, starting with two mega-yachts and later becoming a captain with Oceanwide Expeditions on its Polar Class 6 vessel, Hondius.
Remmert is married and lives with his wife and her daughter in an old farmhouse in north Holland. When he’s not busy renovating the house, he likes to cook, travel, and spend time with his family and friends.
- 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.
- 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.
- Per Andersson
- Function: Captain
- Nationality: Swedish
- Ernesto Barria
- Function: Captain
- Nationality: Chilean
Office
- Grace Vidal
- Function: Reservations, North-America
- Nationality: American
- Marie Rose Porreca
- Function: Reservations, North-America
- Nationality: American
- Sebastiaan Schijf
- Function: CFO
- Nationality: Dutch
- Kees Matthes
- Function: Nautical Superintendent
- Nationality: Dutch
- Danique van Burken
- Function: Senior Marketing Manager
- Nationality: Dutch
- Femke Wolfert
- Function: Staffing Manager
- Nationality: Dutch
- Sytze Posthumus
- Function: Financial Controller
- Nationality: Dutch
- Elza Back
- Function: Account Assistant
- Nationality: Dutch
- Gabi Merten
- Function: Reservations for the German speaking market
- Nationality: German
- Florian J. Piper
- Function: Director Sales | Arctic program
- Nationality: German
- Piet Vink
- Function: Managing Director
- Nationality: Dutch
- Marina Joglar
- Function: Reservations, North-America
- Nationality: American
- Stefan Pruimboom
- Function: Staffing and Operations Advisor
- Nationality: Dutch
- Maria del Pilar Fernandez
- Function: International Sales Manager
- Nationality: Chilean
- George Janes
- Function: Senior Copywriter
- Nationality: British
- Sasha Rachkova
- Function: Online Marketeer
- Nationality: Russian
- John Yeh
- Function: Sales Representative China & South Asia & Oceania
- Nationality: Chinese
- Majanda Fens
- Function: Reservations Manager
- Nationality: Dutch
- Marissa Medrano
- Function: Accounting
- Nationality: American
- Toto Vermue
- Function: USA and Canada Sales Manager
- Nationality: Dutch
- Adam Turner
- Function: CXO - Head of Expedition Operations
- Nationality: British
- Bas Jumelet
- Function: Assistant Hotel Operations Manager
- Nationality: Dutch
- Rémi Bouysset
- Function: CEO
- Nationality: French
- Alexandra den Dikken
- Function: Senior Graphic Designer
- Nationality: Dutch
- Loraine van Huizen
- Function: Online Marketeer
- Nationality: Dutch
- Michael Frauendorfer
- Function: Hotel Operations Manager
- Nationality: Austrian
- Arjan Gunnink
- Function: Senior Polar Diving Advisor
- Nationality: Dutch
- Franklin Braeckman
- Function: Antarctic Program Manager
- Nationality: Belgian
- Jornt de Meurichy
- Function: E-commerce officer
- Nationality: Dutch
- Michel van Gessel
- Function: Director
- Nationality: Dutch
- Teun van ‘t Verlaat
- Function: Technical Manager
- Nationality: Dutch
- Nyrée Siereveld-Verstraete
- Function: Account Assistant
- Nationality: Dutch
- Helen de Jong
- Function: Sales Account Manager
- Nationality: Dutch
- Dorine van Boekhout
- Function: Reservations
- Nationality: Dutch
- Ko de Korte
- Function: Consultant
- Nationality: Dutch
- Karin Schutte
- Function: Reservations
- Nationality: Dutch