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.
- Ali Liddle
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nationality: British
Ali Liddle grew up in the north of England where, after leaving school, she qualified as a primary school teacher.
- Marcel Paul
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nationality: Dutch
Marcel has been a passionate traveler since his teens and has led hiking groups in Austria, Switzerland, England, Wales, and Scotland.
- Chris Long
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nationality: New Zealander
- Christian Engelke
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nationality: German
- Adam Turner
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nationality: British
- Hans Verdaat
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nationality: Dutch
- Florence Kuyper
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nationality: Dutch
- Eduardo Rubio
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nationality: Guatemalan
- Sara Jenner
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nationality: British
- Rinie van Meurs
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nationality: Dutch
- Philipp Schaudy
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nationality: Austrian
- Pippa Low
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nationality: British
- George Kennedy
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nationality: Australian
- Jan Belgers
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nationality: Dutch
- Claudio Ghiglione
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nationality: Italian
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.
- Ernesto Barria
- Function: Captain
- Nationality: Chilean
Ernesto Barria was born in Santiago, Chile, into a family with strong bonds to the sea: His father, grandfather, and several uncles all share a love of the ocean.
- Per Andersson
- Function: Captain
- Nationality: Swedish
Assuming the role of Captain with Oceanwide Expeditions in 2021, captain Per orchestrates expeditions through the Arctic and Antarctic aboard M/V Ortelius.
- Remmert Koster
- Function: Captain
- Nationality: Dutch
- Joachim Schiel
- Function: Captain
- Nationality: German
Office
- Dorine van Boekhout
- Function: Reservations
- Nationality: Dutch
- Bas Jumelet
- Function: Assistant Hotel Operations Manager
- Nationality: Dutch
- Majanda Fens
- Function: Reservations Manager
- Nationality: Dutch
- Gabi Merten
- Function: Reservations for the German speaking market
- Nationality: German
- Michael Frauendorfer
- Function: Hotel Operations Manager
- Nationality: Austrian
- Helen de Jong
- Function: Sales Account Manager
- Nationality: Dutch
- Kees Matthes
- Function: Nautical Superintendent
- Nationality: Dutch
- Marissa Medrano
- Function: Accounting
- Nationality: American
- Franklin Braeckman
- Function: Antarctic Program Manager
- Nationality: Belgian
- Nyrée Siereveld-Verstraete
- Function: Account Assistant
- Nationality: Dutch
- Adam Turner
- Function: CXO - Head of Expedition Operations
- Nationality: British
- Marie Rose Porreca
- Function: Reservations, North-America
- Nationality: American
- Grace Vidal
- Function: Reservations, North-America
- Nationality: American
- Jornt de Meurichy
- Function: E-commerce officer
- Nationality: Dutch
- Sasha Rachkova
- Function: Online Marketeer
- Nationality: Russian
- Karin Toornstra
- Function: Reservations
- Nationality: Dutch
- Maria del Pilar Fernandez
- Function: International Sales Manager
- Nationality: Chilean
- Sebastiaan Schijf
- Function: CFO
- Nationality: Dutch
- Piet Vink
- Function: Managing Director
- Nationality: Dutch
- Femke Wolfert
- Function: Staffing Manager
- Nationality: Dutch
- Arjan Gunnink
- Function: Senior Polar Diving Advisor
- Nationality: Dutch
- Rémi Bouysset
- Function: CEO
- Nationality: French
- Marina Joglar
- Function: Reservations, North-America
- Nationality: American
- Sytze Posthumus
- Function: Financial Controller
- Nationality: Dutch
- Elza Back
- Function: Account Assistant
- Nationality: Dutch
- Alexandra den Dikken
- Function: Senior Graphic Designer
- Nationality: Dutch
- Loraine van Huizen
- Function: Online Marketeer
- Nationality: Dutch
- Danique van Burken
- Function: Senior Marketing Manager
- Nationality: Dutch
- George Janes
- Function: Senior Copywriter
- Nationality: British
- Ko de Korte
- Function: Consultant
- Nationality: Dutch
- Stefan Pruimboom
- Function: Staffing and Operations Advisor
- Nationality: Dutch
- Florian J. Piper
- Function: Director Sales | Arctic program
- Nationality: German
- Michel van Gessel
- Function: Director
- Nationality: Dutch
- John Yeh
- Function: Sales Representative China & South Asia & Oceania
- Nationality: Chinese
- Teun van ‘t Verlaat
- Function: Technical Manager
- Nationality: Dutch
- Toto Vermue
- Function: USA and Canada Sales Manager
- Nationality: Dutch