Nuestro Equipo
Expedition staff
- Marcel Paul
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nacionalidad: Dutch
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.
- Christian Engelke
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nacionalidad: German
Since his first vacation to Norway in 1996, Christian Engelke has suffered from “Scandinavia fever.” Since then he has been exploring Norway, Sweden, and Greenland by foot, skis, and kayak.
- Adam Turner
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nacionalidad: British
Since Adam was young, he dreamed of working in the Antarctic like his uncle, who had worked there in the late 1980s.
- Jan Belgers
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nacionalidad: Dutch
- Philipp Schaudy
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nacionalidad: Austrian
- Florence Kuyper
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nacionalidad: Dutch
- Claudio Ghiglione
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nacionalidad: Italian
- Eduardo Rubio
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nacionalidad: Guatemalan
- Rinie van Meurs
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nacionalidad: Dutch
- Sara Jenner
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nacionalidad: British
- Ali Liddle
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nacionalidad: British
- Hans Verdaat
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nacionalidad: Dutch
- Pippa Low
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nacionalidad: British
Activity staff
- Michael Green
- Function: Dive Team Leader and Advisor
- Nacionalidad: British
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.
- Henrik Enckell
- Function: Dive Team Leader & Advisor
- Nacionalidad: Swedish
Henrik is an experienced dive leader, rebreather instructor trainer, and one of the first dive masters to bring tourists diving in Antarctica.
Captains
- Joachim Schiel
- Function: Captain
- Nacionalidad: 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.
After finishing school, serving in the military, and working a few different jobs, he started an apprenticeship in boat building. It was not long, however, before he realized he would rather work on vessels at sea than in the shipyard.
So in 1998, he started his sailing career on tall ships. Over the following years, he sailed during the summer and attended nautical college in Enkhuizen during the winter. This led to sailing on many different vessels all over the world before he became a captain in 2006.
He first sailed to Svalbard in 2009 and instantly fell in love with the Arctic, preferring to sail in the far north ever since. He has been on Rembrandt van Rijn since 2017, making voyages in Northern Norway, Svalbard, and East Greenland.
When Joachim is not sailing the polar regions, he likes to go hiking and diving in the warmer areas of the world.
- Toni Salo
- Function: Captain
- Nacionalidad: Finnish
Born and raised in Turku, Finland, Toni grew up in a city with ancient seagoing traditions. He has loved sailing since he was a child, when he regularly went out with his grandfather to experience life on the high seas.
- Remmert Koster
- Function: Captain
- Nacionalidad: Dutch
Remmert Koster was born in the Netherlands, and from a young age he was convinced he would become a captain.
- Arthur Yakovlev
- Function: Captain
- Nacionalidad: Russian
- Ernesto Barria
- Function: Captain
- Nacionalidad: Chilean
- Evgeny Levakov
- Function: Captain
- Nacionalidad: Russian
Office
- Sebastiaan Schijf
- Function: Financial Controller
- Nacionalidad: Dutch
- Andreas Diesing
- Function: Key Account Manager for the German speaking countries
- Nacionalidad: German
- Nyrée Siereveld-Verstraete
- Function: Account Assistant
- Nacionalidad: Dutch
- Iris van Zalinge
- Function: Sales Accountmanager
- Nacionalidad: Dutch
- Marie Rose Porreca
- Function: Reservations, North-America
- Nacionalidad: American
- Matt Cutts
- Function: Content Writer
- Nacionalidad: American
- Piet Vink
- Function: Managing Director
- Nacionalidad: Dutch
- Marina Joglar
- Function: Reservations, North-America
- Nacionalidad: American
- Gabi Merten
- Function: Reservations for the German speaking market
- Nacionalidad: German
- Elza Back
- Function: Account Assistant
- Nacionalidad: Dutch
- Dorine van Boekhout
- Function: Reservations
- Nacionalidad: Dutch
- Erik Hageman
- Function: CFO
- Nacionalidad: Dutch
- Maria del Pilar Fernandez
- Function: International Sales Manager
- Nacionalidad: Chilean
- Loraine van Huizen
- Function: Online Marketeer
- Nacionalidad: Dutch
- Majanda Fens
- Function: Reservations Manager
- Nacionalidad: Dutch
- Karin Toornstra
- Function: Reservations
- Nacionalidad: Dutch
- Florian J. Piper
- Function: Director Sales | Arctic program
- Nacionalidad: German
- Grace Vidal
- Function: Reservations, North-America
- Nacionalidad: American
- Toto Vermue
- Function: Sales Accountmanager
- Nacionalidad: Dutch
- Ko de Korte
- Function: Consultant
- Nacionalidad: Dutch
- Stefan Pruimboom
- Function: Staffing and Operations Advisor
- Nacionalidad: Dutch
- Danique van Burken
- Function: Senior Marketing Manager
- Nacionalidad: Dutch
- Franklin Braeckman
- Function: Antarctic Program Manager
- Nacionalidad: Belgian
- Michel van Gessel
- Function: Director
- Nacionalidad: Dutch
- Femke Wolfert
- Function: Staffing Manager
- Nacionalidad: Dutch
- Jeroen Blanken
- Function: Hotel Operations Manager
- Nacionalidad: Dutch
- Adam Turner
- Function: CXO - Head of Expedition Operations
- Nacionalidad: British
- Teun van ‘t Verlaat
- Function: Technical Superintendent
- Nacionalidad: Dutch
- Alexandra den Dikken
- Function: Senior Graphic Designer
- Nacionalidad: Dutch