Staff

Born in the Netherlands and growing up in a small coastal town, Ab started bird watching at a very young age. Watching and counting birds while migrating along the Dutch coast is one of his favorite activities. Later he started to survey breeding birds in the dunes around his hometown Noordwijk, wrote several reports and advised landowners how to protect the breeding birds.

After graduating with a diploma in Nature and Landscaping, he worked for the Dutch Royal Family for over 15 years.  He got his International Tree Worker Certificate and started his own landscaping company. He also used his climbing skills to help with several research projects, ringing Barn Owls and Tawny Owls.

After travelling and bird watching all over Europe, Ab started to guide small private groups to good birding places in Europe, USA, parts of Africa and Asia, using local bird guides and staying in local places. In his hometown Noordwijk, Ab was a volunteer crew member on a lifeboat  with the Dutch KNRM (Royal Dutch Lifeboat Association) for over 10 years.  He did his training in the Netherlands, Scotland, with the Dutch Coastguard and the Dutch Navy.  He loved to be out on the North Sea in bad weather conditions during SAR operations and training days.
Since 2015, Ab works part-time as a bird guide on Expedition Ships and has made several trips in the Artic and Antarctica.

Aviaaja was born in Greenland and spent most of her childhood in the Arctic. She has a BA in Spanish Language and Culture, combined with Tourism and Marketing, from the University of Copenhagen. She speaks Danish (native), English (fluent), Spanish (fluent), and French (basic).

Her career in the tourist business started in Venezuela as an adventure guide, where she also taught Spanish on the side. Since 2014, she has spent the summer seasons in the Disco Bay area of West Greenland. Here she has been Manager at Glacier Lodge Eqi, guided travelers on various boat and hiking excursions, and worked onboard the cruise ship Ocean Diamond.

The dream of Antarctica came true when Aviaaja started working at the world’s southernmost tent hotel “Union Glacier Camp” at 80 degrees South. Here she spent a total of 5 months living in a small tent on the ice. Her work, among other things, consisted of looking after the 100 tents in the camp, maintaining camp facilities, helping out with the Ice Marathons, assisting the many guests, and shoveling never-ending amounts of snow. Aviaaja loves telling about the history, exploration, and culture of the Arctic and Antarctic regions.

Brian started his career as a Geologist searching for the source of alluvial diamonds in the Congo.  As an Oil Industry Specialist with IBM he worked with oil companies around the world selecting and installing IT systems to optimize the search and production of hydrocarbons. His expertise in project management took him into troubleshooting and delivering major projects.  He is a competent marksman and has handled weapons for over 30 years. His spare time is spent sailing, skiing and walking in the Scottish Highlands where he indulges his enjoyment of photography, and he is also a published author. Latterly, Brian has been working as an expedition team member on cruises in The Arctic, Central and South America and New Zealand, specifically as geologist and Zodiac driver.

Originally from Ottawa but moved out west to Whistler in 2001 and just recently moved to and now living in Nicaragua.
Chris is a big fan of traveling and loves anything outdoors especially being on the water.
He splits his time by guiding in the Arctic and Antarctica as well as a fishing guide on Vancouver Island

Daniel’s thirst to see the world lead him to be a seaman. He graduated from Taiwan Ocean University, with a major in merchant marine. Daniel has worked on ships since 2010. For four years Daniel worked on container ships, then another two years on well-known cruise lines as navigator, assistant safety and training officer. Now he is working as an Expedition Guide / Mandarin Interpreter in Antarctica and the Arctic.

Outside of work, he enjoys swimming, snorkeling, and driving luxury yachts near Taiwan’s coast line. Daniel also volunteers as a guide in a maritime museum, sharing the collection of historic vessels including steam-powered boats and warships with visitors. He recently started learning Spanish.

For over twenty years, David has been involved in the Arctic expedition and travel business. To date he has led, organized or participated in more than three hundred Arctic and Antarctic expeditions, trips and projects. In that time he has traveled thousands of miles by dog sled, ski, snowmobile, boat, kayak, ship, foot and most recently by mountain bike; the first person ever to cross Baffin Island by fat tire bike. He has completed nineteen successful expeditions through the famous Northwest Passage and guided over sixty trips to the polar bear capital of the world – Churchill, Manitoba. David has been recognized by the Explorers Club and was recently honored by becoming a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographic Society.

David has traveled on many ship-based expeditions to Antarctica working as part of an expedition team providing interpretive guiding, zodiac driving (licensed) kayak guiding and general expedition experience. In addition to Antarctic expedition ship experience, he has guided on more than twenty five Arctic ship expeditions. Responsibilities have included being in charge of the firearms on board, driving zodiacs, leading shore excursions, lecturing and general expedition team duties and responsibilities.

After living in Arctic Canada for more than twenty years, David is now based near Ottawa in Canada.

Diego is an active birder, naturalist guide and professional photographer. He grew up in Buenos Aires, and as an enthusiastic member of Aves Argentinas (BirdLife in Argentina), he spends many days in assorted trips in search of birds all over Argentina and other destinations.

After traveling through Latin America, North America and Europe, getting to know the diverse cultures and landscapes, he finally chose Patagonia as the place to develop his interests in constant touch with nature.

Naturalist Guide, licensed Trekking Guide and certified First Responder, he has worked for more than four years as a resident staff of Los Glaciares National Park, Patagonia. He has developed and participated in many conservation projects in Santa Cruz

Province and in local schools and communities. He teaches birdwatching courses all along South Patagonia and does volunteer work for the NGOs that seeks to protect the environment and educate young generations on a sustainable way of life in southern Patagonia.

Since 1998 Diego has based in El Chaltén at the foot of Mt. Fitz Roy, and leads trekking, birding, and photographic trips in Patagonia, Antarctica and the Arctic.

Emma (Emmarentia) Hansen was born and raised in the stunning Lowveld area of Mpumalanga, South Africa, adjacent to Kruger National Park.

Growing up on a farm, wildlife, animals and nature have always played an integral part in her life. After a chance cruise in 1998, she switched careers and literally ran away to sea. Moving to Durban, where she

completed her commercial skipper’s ticket, she joined the large cruise liners operating in the Indian Ocean, as a Zodiac driver. In 2007, her move to ‘Small Ship Cruising’ as an Assistant Expedition Leader greatly

enlarged her geographical knowledge base and she is now a veteran of the globe, including the polar regions. “No matter how many times you visit, the polar trips knock you out. The fabulous scale of the Norwegian

landscape and the 24-hour daylight are like another world. In the Antarctic you see this amazing contrast between the bumbling behaviour of seals and penguins on land, versus their sheer grace in the water. You are surrounded by a landscape made entirely of water in liquid and solid forms and you are amazed at how beautiful that can be.”

“People often ask, ‘What’s your favourite destination?’ and that’s difficult. My answer is that there are three “g’s” - and then a fourth. There’s the gang (of staff), the guests and the geography. It’s my job to create the chemistry so all three coalesce, and when that happens then wherever we are, is great.”

Originally from the Northeastern United States, Gaby is a guide and outdoor educator with a passion for introducing people to the world’s most beautiful and unique places. She is a keen hiker, climber, paddler, and skier and has travelled extensively in search of the next great adventure.

Gaby has a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and environmental studies from Hamilton College and is currently completing a master’s degree in outdoor education at the University of Edinburgh. Her academic interests are in phenomenology, existentialism, meteorology, glaciology, education, and the history of mountaineering and exploration. Gaby speaks English and American Sign Language, conversational Spanish, and broken Danish.

When not with Albatros Expeditions, you can find Gaby guiding on glaciers in Alaska, freelance writing, travelling, or in the backcountry learning alongside her students on remote wilderness expeditions.

Gregers has 25 years of experience as an airline pilot, including a year stationed at Thule Airbase, located on Greenland’s northwest coastline. He is fluent in Danish and English.  He shares a deep fascination for the Arctic region’s people, spectacular nature, wildlife and the old polar explorers.

In 2014, Gregers was funded by the Danish Ministry of Education to write a book for Danish schoolchildren about Greenland and the Arctic. These interests and his desire to better understand the Arctic and Antarctic, inspired Gregers to open a polar school for Danish schoolchildren. Through this program, he travels Denmark, visiting schools and sharing his innovative education about our polar regions. Gregers has traversed Greenland on skis and together with his friend, they were the first Danes to walk on skis to the South Pole.

Heidi started her career in the travel industry a decade ago as a safari guide in Finnish Lapland where she studied her bachelor degree in business and tourism research. She has since lived in the English countryside, spend seven months exploring Australia and studied international project management in Italy and South East Asian studies in Indonesia. She fell in love with the Scottish Highlands through books when she was a teenager and finally moved to Scotland 2013 where she studied master degree in International Marketing and worked the next five years for Scottish and Irish tour operators exploring both countries to her heart’s content.
She has always loved adventures and seeing the world so when she was offered an opportunity to work as a Base Leader in the historical British base Port Lockroy in Antarctic Peninsula for four months she didn’t hesitate to take it. Heidi lived on an island the size of a football pitch with four other people and 1500 Gentoo penguins for the Antarctic summer 2018-19.

I was born in Kyushu, Japan. I majored in the Faculty of Geo Environmental Science at university. Natural geography major course (meteorology, topography, astronomy, Geology, Glaciology, Seismology, Regional Geography, Hydrology, Vegetation Geology). I went to research fields in Japan and fields around the world.

In Iceland, I did research on volcanic topography and glacier topography. In Greenland, I did research on glacier topography & geology and settlement geography.

I need mountain climbing technology to investigate mountain glaciers, so I belonged to the Tokyo Mountains Alliance to learn about mountain climbing technology. I climbed Mont Blanc, Kilimanjaro, McKinley and Aconcagua, the highest peaks of the five major continents.

Taking advantage of the above experience and knowledge, I have been a tour agent for travel agents as a mountain nature guide for around 25

years through the four seasons.

In addition, I am currently a part-time lecturer at three universities and elementary and junior high schools.

I listen to the message from nature and lecture that it coexists with nature. I will use the experience and knowledge to the participating customers, we will do the best hospitality to get the impression and satisfaction.

Professor James Floyd is a professional geologist and spent most of his career with the British Geological Survey (BGS) in Edinburgh, where he was the District Geologist for the South of Scotland (Borders and Dumfries & Galloway). He retired from the BGS in 2008 and has since worked as a geological consultant and freelance science and maritime history lecturer on cruise and expedition ships.

A graduate of Glasgow (BSc), Heriot-Watt (MSc) and St Andrews (PhD) Universities, James has wide experience of the geology of many parts of the world, including the Arctic and Antarctic.

In 2007 he was awarded an honorary professorship in the School of the Built Environment at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, for his research on architectural conservation, includingwork in Valletta with Heritage Malta.

As an earth scientist, James is particularly fascinated with the way in which geology and the environment has influenced the history and development of human cultures, settlements and societies. In addition to communicating popular science, expedition cruising allows him to share his other passions of modern naval, maritime and polar exploration history and travel.

Jes has more than 40 years of experience as a Naturalist, Meteorologist and Specialist in bird studies and also has an education as an Atmospheric and Space Science Assistant. He has worked with Denmark’s Ministry of Environment and the Danish Ornithological Society; studied various species of sea birds, sea animals and whales in the North Atlantic; and conducted a 3-month study of migratory birds of prey and storks in Egypt in order to investigate the relationship between wind patterns and migration.

Jes is fluent in Danish and English and is a trained meteorological weather observer, who worked for 11 years with the Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI), operating radiosondes to measure meteorological data for air traffic in Greenland. Following a number of encounters with polar bears and walruses, while on Zodiac boating trips and dog sledding expeditions across thousands of miles in Greenland, he became hooked on the Arctic. Inspired by these experiences, he studied walruses in Dove Bay for the Greenland Fisheries Research Institute. Jes has travelled much of the world, especially in Africa, Northern Europe and South America. He has been fortunate to spend time in Antarctica, including landings at six different stations and Half Moon Island.

Jordan was born and raised in a small lakeside town north of Toronto, Canada. From an early age he spent most of his time traveling coastal countries and developed an avid passion for the oceanic environment. Jordan has been working in  the outdoor industry for over six years now with some of his more memorable pursuits including  working in the Canadian Sub-Arctic in the polar bear capital of the world and of course kayaking in the polar regions.  When Jordan is not on a ship, you can find him warming up on the beaches of the west coast of Australia where the waves are pumping and the sun is shining.

Kim wanted to be a marine biologist since she was six growing up in North Carolina. She moved to Alaska for graduate school, and after obtaining her Masters degree, realized she had fallen in love with polar regions and never left. She has worked many seasons up in the Arctic Ocean as a marine biologist on research ships, where she studied the invertebrate communities in the Chukchi Sea. She has also worked as a cold water diver around Alaska, studying underwater organisms in the Gulf of Alaska and along the Aleutian Island chain.                                                                 

Currently, Kim works as a marine biologist  in Homer, AK where she studies paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) and how it affects shellfish, forage fish, and predator fish.                                                                                              

Outside of the ocean, Kim enjoys back country skiing, hiking, exploring, and traveling with her husband Martin.

Born and raised in Greenland, Laali left for college to study service and tourism at Cold College in Odense, Denmark. She has worked in the tourism industry for 10 years, in Greenland during summer seasons as an Arctic guide and spends much of her winter months traveling abroad for work and pleasure.

She has worked as a lead guide, as a coordinator for over 20 guides and manages boat and helicopter logistics. Laali has both worked on land as the responsible for coordinating shoreside activities for cruise ships, and on board of three different cruise ships sailing in East, South and West Greenland and have been through Northwest passage.

Laali enjoys exploring the world and spends much of her free time traveling and working internationally, often as a guide/translator in South Africa as well as in Greece. As sports and fitness have always been a big part of Laali´s life, she is also a certificated fitness instructor, personal trainer and nutritionist.

Li Ye was born and raised in China. She loves to travel and experience new things. Hence, she has seen the world and broadened her horizon by working on ships. In addition to a passion for jewelry, Li is a good Tea Specialist as well. When she is not working on-board, she likes learning a new skill, such as calligraphy. Recently she has been improving and learnining to do handicraft.

Born in Beijing, China, Luyang moved to Chile with his parents when he was still a teenager. He studied Cultural Tourism in the University and then got a MBA, but he discovered his true passions when he started working as a freelance translator and guide, showing people the amazing polar regions. Lu is really passionate about history of both Arctic and Antarctic. Luyang is fluent in English, Spanish and Mandarin Chinese, and he prefers to be called “Lu”.

Marc has over 4 years of experience working at sea. After finishing his master’s degree in International Business & Foreign Cultures he spend a year in China studying this fascinating ancient culture while traveling all around China & Asia. 
Marc fell in love with the sea when he did a research expedition on a small wooden boat sailing through the Amazon river helping researchers observe the “pink river dolphin”. Soon after that he started his adventure managing the hotel part on-board floating luxury liners sailing the seven seas. When not on board ships Marc divides his work as a wildlife guide & outdoor educator in Antarctica, Iceland, Alaska and Canada. 
 

Mariam is a conservator of Cultural Heritage and originally from the coast of Ushuaia, Argentina. She has a Masters in Preservation of Artifacts from Nautical Archeology and a prolific background in History of exploration and preservation of the historical sites. A multitude of opportunities have allowed her to pursue her passion for exploring the wilderness herself, as well as working as scientist on the field. Growing in Ushuaia, surrounded by mountains and great nature, Mariam has developed a deep love for the mountains and nowadays also works as Mountaineering Instructor for Guide Trainees. 
She is fluent in Spanish and English, understands French, and has worked as an expedition guide in the Patagonian Andes,  and Chilean Fjords.   Other expeditions have led her to the Alps, Central America Andes as well as working in logistics for adventure film crew in UK and Spain. During her spare time, Mariam is also an avid skiier and sports climber.

Martin is a fisheries biologist from Homer, Alaska. He studies recreational fisheries in Alaska, including the world famous Pacific Halibut fishery in Homer. Before beginning his career with the Department of Fish and Game in Alaska he spent four seasons working for the United States Antarctic Program as a SCUBA diver, logging many dives under the ice of the Ross Sea near McMurdo station. Martin has a Master's degree in Marine Biology from the University of Alaska in Fairbanks. In his spare time he enjoys traveling, hiking and mountain climbing.

Originally from Korpo, in the southwestern Archipelago of Finland, Mikaela inherited her love and respect of nature and sea, from a long line of seafarers in her family. She started her career graduating as Radio Officer from Mariehamn Maritime Institute, working on merchant ships,  followed by ship´s purser on passenger ships . Slowly she gained seamiles and experience to follow her real dream:To become a professional yachtswoman on sailing yachts!

These yachts have taken her around the world several times, participating in races like the Volvo Ocean Race, Jacques Vabre and Jules Verne. Having spent so many miles and years on fast, extreme yachts, both in the Northern and Southern Hempishere, she now enjoyes being part of similar expeditions , although on somewhat slower ships.

Since 2009 she has been working as a tour guide, mainly in Europe and Africa, as well as zodiac driver in Svalbard and Greenland. When not enjoying her two favourite areas, the North and the South Pole, Mikaela enjoyes being at home on her small farm in Portugal, riding her horse or hiking in the Alentejo countryside.

Natalie Gillis has been a professional wilderness guide for the last decade; she enjoys the freedom and challenges of leading extended sea kayaking, whitewater canoeing, hiking and floe edge expeditions in the Canadian High Arctic, East Greenland and the Antarctic Peninsu-la. She specializes in leading small, self-supported expeditions with a focus on pioneering pre-viously unexplored routes in the High Arctic. Outside of her professional work, Natalie has pursued her own extended wilderness travel experiences, including kayaking most of Cana-da’s west coast and hiking across Central America from the Pacific Ocean to the Caribbean Sea; over the past decade she has logged over 1000 days in the field across 6 continents.

Natalie’s academic background includes a Bachelor of Arts degree with a double major in Environmental Governance and Political Science from the University of Guelph in Canada. She is working towards her Masters degree pursuing research focused on political ecology in the Eastern Arctic.  Specifically, she is interested in how language shapes the understanding and management of wilderness landscapes in the Canadian Eastern Arctic.  She also holds a post-graduate diploma in contemporary poetry from the Humber School for Writers.

When not out exploring, Natalie can be found relaxing at her home on a quiet lake north of Toronto; she is also a commercial float plane pilot and freelance photographer with works published in Canadian Geographic, Photo Life, Up Here and Above and Beyond Magazines.  

Originally from Guangzhou, China and have been residing in US since she was 16 years old, Qi speaks English, Mandarin and Cantonese fluently. She holds a master’s degree from University of Pennsylvania in Instructional Technologies. She also earned a bachelor’s degree from University of Rochester with double majors in Business and Film.  
 Qi used to work in a film mastering and distribution company in Hollywood, California. Qi is also an avid snowboarder who spends 8 months a year snowboarding and the other 4 months longboarding as an alternative. Moreover, she is a pianist with over 20 years of practicing.  
 After having travelled to 40 countries and both polar regions, Qi discovered her passion in the high latitude world and decided to become an expedition guide. She appreciates every moment among the rarely discovered wild. 

Originally from Alghero, Sardinia, Renato now calls the grey skies of London his home, but often heads to cooler places to pursue his passion: Nature Photography.
Specializing in wildlife and Nature Photography, Renato has visited over 70 countries and been commissioned for newspapers, magazines, tour operators and tourist boards… even leading specialist photographic tours to a number of destinations around the planet.

Award-winning photographer and regular contributor to the BBC, Renato has been featured in a number of international contests, such as the National Geographic Traveller Grand Prize winner 2018, International Nature and Bird Contest winner 2017 and 2018, GDT - European Photographer of the Year 2017, Top LATA Published Photographer of the Year 2016 and 2017, Wanderlust Photographer of the Year in 2017, Bird Photographer of the Year 2015 and 2018 among others. 

Originally from Wuhan, China, Rose Li Graduated from Wuhan college with a major in Interior Design. During her spare time, Li continued developing her passion for traveling and trying new activities, such as dancing, drawing, singing, skiing, hosting, swimming and creating new activities as a guide.

Rose Li has been to more than 30 countries and is often aiming for new destinations. She has worked on well-known cruise ships since 2014 as an Expedition Guide and in Asia as a VIP Services Shift Leader.

Sandra is originally from the middle part of Germany. She worked eight years in a pharmaceutical business as the chief assistant from the director. She always loved to spent her time in nature, especially in Northern Norway and Spitsbergen. Already after the first visit north of the polar circle she got bitten by the arctic beetle and from that point there is no way back. She decided to quit her previous life and to leave Germany. After a year of preparations, she arrived in September 2016 on Spitsbergen. For almost three years she is working as a guide on different expedition ships. During the winter/dark period on Spitsbergen you can find her on skis, snowmobiles or travelling around the world.

Sara is a Danish geologist who’s rappelled down into an active volcano in Vanuatu and hiked to the very top of Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. She’s been nose to snout with a polar bear during her mineral exploration activities in Greenland and been far down underground digging for crystals in Slovenia.

Most of the year she spends exploring the world of rocks under the microscope discovering sources of building materials used for ancient castles and churches. In her spare time, you can find her in the forest on the mountain bike, doing walking tours around Copenhagenshowing rocks used for facades and pathways, or out somewhere on a mountain on foot or snowboard.

Sergey has been working for 6 years for the largest Russian National Park “Russian Arctic” on the remote islands of Franz Josef Land and Novaya Zemlya. He worked as a guide and bear guard on board various expedition ships and nuclear icebreaker. After, he moved to work and to live in a small russian settlement on Svalbard - Barentsburg. Aside his main job he is voluntarily serving as the vice-chair of the World Commission of Protected Areas in the North Eurasia region. 
Sergey’s main background is in history, with master degree in tourist studies from the Arctic University of Norway from 2015 and ecotourism training program from the US Department of State from 2013.

Shayne McGuire was born in Missouri, and now lives in Southern California with her husband and 2 Belgian draft horses that are rescues. Shayne has had a camera in her hand for as long as she can remember. For many years she exhibited and sold her photographic work at high-end art festivals. All her work was shot on film and hand developed in the darkroom. She taught at an accredited photography school from 2003-2017 and holds a teaching credential in commercial photography. She has led photographic tours and workshops for over a decade and owns her own company.

Most of Shayne’s tour work, led her to work on boats, spending much time out on the water, which has become her passion. After taking an expedition cruise in the Arctic, she was hooked and came back to work on the same ship as the photographer in residence.  She has worked on expedition ships in the Artic for 5 seasons and Antarctica for 3 seasons helping people on the photo zodiacs and photo walks as well as lectures.  She is drawn to the light and wild beauty of both the Arctic and Antarctica.

Originally from Sergiev-Posad, in Russia, Slava studied in the Moscow University of Sports as a teacher of physical education, swimming teacher, rehabilitation, management of sports. Many of Slava’s shoes have been worn out in paths in Russia, Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Australia, the Arctic and Antarctica, with 15 years of experience traveling the World as a photographer, writer, guide and translator. However, it was 2013 that defined his starting point in the cruise industry, when Slava had the opportunity to visit Antarctica on a sailboat. He then worked as an expedition guide in the Arctic and Antarctic Waters, peaking his interest for Polar History.

Known as photographer, travel writer, guide and translator in Russia, Slava often give lectures: How to travel the World, Under sails to Antarctic, Tierra del Fuego: journey on foot with a backpack, Wild life in Patagonia, How to survive in wild, Backpacker's life around the World, among other subjects.

Steve joined the Royal New Zealand Navy when he was  16 years old, and has spent most of his life on, in or around water, hence his nickname – Scuba Steve.  Steve is a PADI Master Instructor in recreational diving, a technical deep diving and gas blending instructor, a construction diver, commercial skipper, a first aid and oxygen provider instructor. He also holds an Advanced Trade Certificate, which he achieved while working for NZ's largest marine outfitter.  His accreditations include a title as Weapons & Electrical Mechanic, Royal NZ Navy, Boat Master, Royal NZ Coastguard, Skipper Restricted Limits, Maritime NZ, a Diploma in Recreational SCUBA Instruction, PADI Master Instructor and Certificate in Occupational Diving – Advanced Underwater Work to 50m.

After training as a Ski Instructor, he became the Health & Safety Coordinator for one of NZ’s largest ski resorts and has lived in the stunning alpine village of Wanaka since 2002. For many years, Steve co-organized the annual ice diving event in New Zealand, where many divers go to gain the cold water experience required for Antarctica.   

In 2012, Steve began planning and leading diving expeditions throughout the Pacific and Indian Ocean regions. An avid outdoorsman, naturalist and experienced Zodiac driver, Steve also lectures on a variety of topics, plus guides sustainable hunting, fishing and camping trips to remote locations. Professional videographers regularly rely on him to provide underwater footage for their productions. His exploits have been featured in adventure magazine articles, and his work has contributed to several blockbuster movies, television shows and commercials. 

Thomas is an Australian of Bavarian origin. He is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, London and also a Fellow of The International Centre of Excellence in Tourism & Hospitality Education. He has audited hotel and tourism schools in Austria, China, Dubai, Fiji, Holland, the Philippines and Thailand. His Ph.D. thesis dissertation investigated commercial tourism in Antarctica (1991-1998). Later, it was published as a book entitled, Tourism in the Antarctic: Opportunities, Constraints and Future Prospects. Thomas also filmed and produced, Voyage to Antarctica.

Thomas has travelled extensively in some 75 countries and on all continents. Since his first voyage in 1994, he has visited Antarctica on 35 occasions as a guide, historian, naturalist, presenter, researcher, photographer, and Zodiac driver.  In the 90s, Thomas was lecturer, senior lecturer and Associate Professor in tourism at Victoria University in Melbourne. From 1999 to 2012, he was Assistant Professor of tourism in the School of Hotel and Tourism Management at Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Today, he is an Adjunct Professor in Sustainable Tourism at Central Queensland University.

Thomas and his wife, Lina, are the owners of a large rainforest property in tropical Mission Beach, Far North Queensland, Australia where they have established the Mission Beach Butterfly Garden.

Born and raised in Northern Jutland in Denmark, Thomas now resides in Copenhagen, living on his sailing boat between travels.
He trained as a carpenter, but started travelling the world in 2011, and hasn’t stopped since. Thomas also works for a Danish travelling school, and has taken young Danes on more than 20 trips to USA, Canada, US Virgin Islands (Caribbean), India, Nepal, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam among other.
On these travels Thomas has been responsible for 15-30 people for up to 3 months, incl. everything from the daily schedule, logistics, daily teachings, everyday wellbeing of students and volunteer projects with local NGO’s and cultural programs. 
Trained as an outdoor instructor, with skills in canoeing, telemark- and backcountry skiing, winter mountaineering, MTB, climbing, advanced PADI diver, hiking and basic bushcraft, Thomas is a man of many skills, which also includes being a well-trained kayak guide and instructor in both Copenhagen and Ilulissat in Greenland - and on Ocean Atlantic. 

Ursula grew up in Switzerland where she enjoyed the outdoors and developed a strong interest in nature, animals and conservation. She has an MSc in Marine Mammal Science, from the University of St. Antdrews, Scotland. Ursula speaks fluent English, Swiss German and German as well as French (proficient). After obtaining her teacher’s degree for craftwork she travelled to Canada where her dream of her childhood came true and changed her life; she met whales and dolphins in the wild. She then joined the research organisation ORES and dedicated the next 20 years to the study of baleen whales and, just as importantly, to share the knowledge gained with people of all ages.

Her focus became the little known but highly fascinating common minke whale. The research focused on the habitat use, behaviours, feeding strategies and photo-identification. During thousands of hours in her zodiac she was able to unfold unique in-depth insights into their lives, their tricks to outsmart the prey as well as their individuality and curiosity. She loves to share her fascination and enthusiasm on-site and during lectures to raise environmental awareness and action. Ursula has worked as a tourist guide, lecturer and zodiac driver in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Antarctica.
During cruises she will be on the lookout for marine wildlife and always happy to talk and explain. When at home she produces life-sized animals for schools and environmental education.

A former in-house interpreter working in high-tech industry, Weixi holds a Master of Interpreting and Translating from University of Bath in England. Although most of his life was spent in China,  he always has an adventurous spirit at the bottom of his heart, which is exactly why he decided to embark on this expedition journey.
Weixi can speak both Mandarin and English and has a smattering of Spanish. In his spare time, he is a medieval Europe history lover as much as an avid basketball fan. Travelling is his lifelong hobby and he is ready and willing to explore and learn more about the world with his guests.

Yuri Choufour is a Canadian nature & travel photographer, who’s been fascinated with the natural world since early childhood. He didn’t pick up his first camera until age twenty, but quickly got hooked on photographing wildlife, landscapes, and his outdoor adventures, which eventually inspired him to pursue it professionally.

After obtaining a diploma in professional photography, and an award for photojournalism, he completed an internship with the Calgary Herald. In 2010 he sought out assisting opportunities with Art Wolfe Inc. & found world travel and teaching photography to be some of his true callings.

Choufour is most driven to create images that cultivate a greater appreciation for the natural world. His photos are sold to galleries, tourism companies, as fine art prints, and cards/calendars. His first book projects are in the works. He also shoots a diverse array of video assignments for various clients.

Yuri travels for a large part of the year, teaching photography in the polar regions, and across North America. He has taught at over fifty photo workshops to date, & though a Nikon shooter himself, is also very adept with Canon DSLR’s, and an expert with Adobe Lightroom Classic CC. Yuri feels very lucky to call British Columbia home, and loves to hike, snowboard & mountain bike in his own backyard when time allows.