Our staff

Marcel has been a passionate traveler since his teens and has led hiking groups in Austria, Switzerland, England, Wales, and Scotland. His travels have brought him to over 65 countries on all seven continents.

Due to his interest in ice, cartography, exploration, history, and photography, the polar regions have always fascinated him. Starting with his first trip to Svalbard in 2011, he felt connected with the area’s nature and remoteness. It was then that he first became interested in being a polar expedition guide.

Marcel joined the SEES expedition to Edgeøya in 2015, participating in various research there. In 2016 he worked as a field assistant at Ny Ålesund, and since 2017 he has been working as a polar guide in the Arctic. He began guiding in Antarctica the following year.

Spending half the year as an Oceanwide guide, Marcel devotes the rest of his year to traveling with his wife and their dog. He lives in the Netherlands and Slovakia.

Michael began diving in 1980, training with the Royal Navy in Portsmouth Harbour.

After leaving the Navy, he continued to dive mainly around the UK, diving wrecks and always looking for a new story.

He is qualified as a dive instructor with BSAC and PADI and is certified to operate Drager Dolphin and Buddy Inspiration rebreathers.

Michael has worked for Oceanwide Expeditions for five years and enjoys giving divers a safe and exploratory experience in the polar regions.

Michael’s biggest tip for polar divers is to slow down, look around, and enjoy the environment.

He looks forward to enjoying it with you.

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.