Our staff

Oceanwide staff

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.

Expedition staff

  • Hans Verdaat
  • Function: Expedition leader
  • Nationality: Dutch

Hans his fascination for nature and traveling has been present all of his life. From a young age on he has been a birder and fascination with the polar regions caught him during one of his birding travels to the North of Norway.

After his study Coastal Zone Management he started working on the Dutch island Texel as a field researcher for the marine research institute of Wageningen University. In his research he specialises in seabirds and marine mammals.

Since 2004 he has participated in scientific research projects in the Antarctica, Caribbean, West-Africa, Spitsbergen and European waters. He has always been fascinated with the polar regions and has participated in several scientific expeditions both to the Arctic and Antarctic.

In 1999 he started working as a (birding) guide. The last years he has combined his research job with guiding & expedition leading for Oceanwide Expeditions.

In his free time Hans is a keen nature photographer and an active member of the team supporting the international development of the citizens science platform Observation.org

  • Claudio Ghiglione
  • Function: Expedition leader
  • Nationality: Italian

Claudio was born in Italy in 1983. He is a nature photographer, expedition guide, and marine ecologist specializing in the polar regions.

  • Philipp Schaudy
  • Function: Expedition leader
  • Nationality: Austrian

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.

Read an interview here >
  • George Kennedy
  • Function: Expedition leader
  • Nationality: Australian
  • Sara Jenner
  • Function: Expedition leader
  • Nationality: British
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  • Florence Kuyper
  • Function: Expedition leader
  • Nationality: Dutch
  • Jan Belgers
  • Function: Expedition leader
  • Nationality: Dutch
  • Pippa Low
  • Function: Expedition leader
  • Nationality: British
  • Ali Liddle
  • Function: Expedition leader
  • Nationality: British
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  • Marcel Paul
  • Function: Expedition leader
  • Nationality: Dutch
  • Adam Turner
  • Function: Expedition leader
  • Nationality: British
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  • Eduardo Rubio
  • Function: Expedition leader
  • Nationality: Guatemalan
  • Rinie van Meurs
  • Function: Expedition leader
  • Nationality: Dutch
  • Chris Long
  • Function: Expedition leader
  • Nationality: New Zealander
  • Adam Burke
  • Function: Expedition leader
  • Nationality: British
  • Christian Engelke
  • Function: Expedition leader
  • Nationality: German

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.

  • 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.

  • 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
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Office

Head Office:
Fax: +31 (0)118 410 417
USA & Canada reservations:
Fax: +1 (0)281 749 8220
  • George Janes
  • Function: Senior Copywriter
  • Nationality: British
  • Michel van Gessel
  • Function: Director
  • Nationality: Dutch
  • Loraine van Huizen
  • Function: Online Marketeer
  • Nationality: Dutch
  • Majanda Fens
  • Function: Reservations Manager
  • Nationality: Dutch
  • Danique van Burken
  • Function: Senior Marketing Manager
  • Nationality: Dutch
  • Dorine van Boekhout
  • Function: Reservations
  • Nationality: Dutch
  • Sebastiaan Schijf
  • Function: CFO
  • Nationality: Dutch
  • Teun van ‘t Verlaat
  • Function: Technical Manager
  • Nationality: Dutch
  • Alexandra den Dikken
  • Function: Senior Graphic Designer
  • Nationality: Dutch
  • Bas Jumelet
  • Function: Assistant Hotel Operations Manager
  • Nationality: Dutch
  • Helen de Jong
  • Function: Sales Account Manager
  • Nationality: Dutch
  • Arjan Gunnink
  • Function: Senior Polar Diving Advisor
  • Nationality: Dutch
  • Jornt de Meurichy
  • Function: E-commerce officer
  • Nationality: Dutch
  • Marina Joglar
  • Function: Reservations, North-America
  • Nationality: American
  • Grace Vidal
  • Function: Reservations, North-America
  • Nationality: American
  • Sytze Posthumus
  • Function: Financial Controller
  • Nationality: Dutch
  • Toto Vermue
  • Function: USA and Canada Sales Manager
  • Nationality: Dutch
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  • Karin Toornstra
  • Function: Reservations
  • Nationality: Dutch
  • Florian J. Piper
  • Function: Director Sales | Arctic program
  • Nationality: German
  • Femke Wolfert
  • Function: Staffing Manager
  • Nationality: Dutch
  • Marie Rose Porreca
  • Function: Reservations, North-America
  • Nationality: American
  • Adam Turner
  • Function: CXO - Head of Expedition Operations
  • Nationality: British
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  • Sasha Rachkova
  • Function: Online Marketeer
  • Nationality: Russian
  • Michael Frauendorfer
  • Function: Hotel Operations Manager
  • Nationality: Austrian
  • Piet Vink
  • Function: Managing Director
  • Nationality: Dutch
  • Marissa Medrano
  • Function: Accounting
  • Nationality: American
  • Kees Matthes
  • Function: Nautical Superintendent
  • Nationality: Dutch
  • John Yeh
  • Function: Sales Representative China & South Asia & Oceania
  • Nationality: Chinese
  • Stefan Pruimboom
  • Function: Staffing and Operations Advisor
  • Nationality: Dutch
  • Franklin Braeckman
  • Function: Antarctic Program Manager
  • Nationality: Belgian
  • Nyrée Siereveld-Verstraete
  • Function: Account Assistant
  • Nationality: Dutch
  • Elza Back
  • Function: Account Assistant
  • Nationality: Dutch
  • Gabi Merten
  • Function: Reservations for the German speaking market
  • Nationality: German
  • Rémi Bouysset
  • Function: CEO
  • Nationality: French
  • Ko de Korte
  • Function: Consultant
  • Nationality: Dutch
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  • Maria del Pilar Fernandez
  • Function: International Sales Manager
  • Nationality: Chilean
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