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

  • 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.

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

Hans’s fascination for nature and traveling has been present throughout his life. From a young age, he has been an active birder traveling across Europe, studying coastal zone management in the Netherlands and in Norway.

  • 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!

  • Pippa Low
  • Function: Expedition leader
  • Nationality: British
  • Sara Jenner
  • Function: Expedition leader
  • Nationality: British
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  • Rinie van Meurs
  • Function: Expedition leader
  • Nationality: Dutch
  • Christian Engelke
  • Function: Expedition leader
  • Nationality: German
  • Chris Long
  • Function: Expedition leader
  • Nationality: New Zealander
  • Eduardo Rubio
  • Function: Expedition leader
  • Nationality: Guatemalan
  • Claudio Ghiglione
  • Function: Expedition leader
  • Nationality: Italian
  • Philipp Schaudy
  • Function: Expedition leader
  • Nationality: Austrian
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  • Adam Turner
  • Function: Expedition leader
  • Nationality: British
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  • Jan Belgers
  • Function: Expedition leader
  • Nationality: Dutch
  • Marcel Paul
  • Function: Expedition leader
  • Nationality: Dutch
  • Ali Liddle
  • Function: Expedition leader
  • Nationality: British
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  • Florence Kuyper
  • Function: Expedition leader
  • Nationality: Dutch

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

  • 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.

A beach guard by the age of 16, Ernesto’s favorite sport when he was young was swimming. When he finished high school, he moved to Puerto Montt, one of the most important ports in Chile. There he started his studies to become a merchant marine officer.

By his graduation in 1991, he’d already begun to sail on different vessels around Puerto Montt.

Ernesto became first officer of Antarctic Dream in 2005, beginning by navigating in Antarctica and later the Arctic. In 2011 he obtained the rank of captain, and in 2015 he was chosen as the best officer of the Chilean merchant navy.

Ernesto became a captain for Oceanwide Expeditions on Ortelius in 2013.

When he’s not working, Ernesto loves to travel around Chile with his family. He enjoys scuba diving, swimming, cycling, and photography, which has become his favorite hobby.

Read an interview here >
  • 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.

  • Arthur Yakovlev
  • Function: Captain
  • Nationality: Russian

Office

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