Expedition Team

Ana was born in an island on the South of Brazil and moved to Australia at the age of 24 where she graduated in Tourism and Hospitality Management.
After 11 years working as a travel agent in the land Down Under, where making tailor-made travel itineraries was her expertise, she moved to the Maldives to work in Luxury Retail, an industry that gave her the opportunity to connect with people from different parts of the world, learn new cultures and
establish new friendships. Her deep passion for travelling to out of the beaten track destinations has taken her, as a solo female traveller, to countries such as Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkmenistan, Moldova, Kyrgyzstan and more.

She has been to 124 countries to date, across all 7 continents. After being a guest to Antarctica with Albatros Expeditions on two trips in 2021, she is now part of the team! When she is not helping people solidify the memories of a holiday in a gift in the Albatros’ Shop, you will find her exploring the world, as her ultimate dream is to visit all 195 countries this world has to offer. You can follow her travel adventures on IG: @anapaulakx

Andres is a mountain guide from El Chalten, in Patagonia, at the Los Glaciares National Park. He grew up in Buenos Aires and, before moving south, studied Geology at the University of Buenos Aires. He did his thesis fieldwork at Mount Fitz Roy, a fantastic landscape of mountains and icefields, where he has been living and guiding for many years. He is an enthusiastic rock climber as well as a geologist. A combination of restlessness, curiosity for history and love of nature has led him to become an Antarctic guide, either doing geological interpretation or driving zodiacs. When he is not guiding, or rock climbing, he loves to read literature and history!

Born in Germany, Annette studied Marine Biology and obtained a Masters in Marine Conservation in New Zealand. There, she had the once-in-a-lifetime chance to visit Antarctica as part of a postgraduate certificate offered by the University in Christchurch. Camping at the base of Mount Erebus – the same region used as base camp by early explorers such as Scott and Shackleton – Annette caught the “polar bug”. Returning from New Zealand, she conducted her PhD at the German Polar Research Institute. Here, she studied the habitat suitability of Antarctic whales and participated in several multi-week expeditions to the Southern Ocean on board the German research icebreaker RV Polarstern.

Annette has been working on various expedition cruises to Svalbard, Greenland, the North Pole, the Falklands, South Georgia and Antarctica. For Annette, visiting South Georgia is one of the very special moments in life, given its history of whaling and polar exploration. Annette speaks German and English and is looking forward to spending her Antarctic summer with you, sharing her passion for marine mammals day and night.

Anthonie is a passionate guide, surfer and a life-long ocean lover. He loves to travel and discover different places around the world. He enjoys the cultural and nature diversities of different countries, and he likes to meet and connect with the people he meets along the way.
Anthonie grew up in the southwestern part of The Netherlands. For his studies, he moved to Delft where he completed his master’s degree in Hydraulic Engineering at the Technical University of Delft. He has a coastal specialisation, which embraces a great interest in oceanography.
He sees the ocean as a diverse and unique place which feels like home. Out at sea on the ship he enjoys sharing this passion with everyone on board.
The polar regions are incredibly unique places in the world to visit. And Anthonie thinks it is a privilege for everyone to take these life-long memories home and to share the experiences with family and friends!

Born in New Jersey, USA, I grew up in the south and became a Virginia gentleman. Studied English literature with a minor in history, I took a master’s degree in magazine writing and editing, landing a job on the editorial staff of Defenders magazine, mouthpiece for a wildlifeconservation group in Washington, DC. In 1985, I moved to Germany, and my first book of photographs, The African Elephant: Twilight in Eden was published in 1991. Since then, numerous publications in books and magazines, mostly with conservation themes. Since 2000, I have worked as photographer aboard cruise ships, and have logged more than a million sea-miles. Since 2013 I have worked exclusively aboard expedition ships and have visited the Arctic and Antarctic at least 20 times each.

Barbara was born in Austria and has since her childhood days a sincere interest in nature and mountaineering. Therefore, the biology study in Innsbruck fitted perfectly to her interests. During her bachelor study program, she already worked for several scientific projects on cold ecosystems (Alpine region, Arctic) as well as the tropics.

During this time, she developed a strong passion for lives of animals, especially invertebrates.She finished her Master of Science/Zoology with writing a thesis about a water bear species, a tiny resilient multicellular animal, living on the surface of glaciers.

In 2012 the freshly graduated zoologist entered the world of tourism as a passionate nature guide and ever since joined many expedition cruises in cold regions (Arctic, Antarctica) and warmer climes (South America, Southeast Asia, Australasia, Oceania).

In 2007, Ben was overall winner of the “Wildlife Photographer of the Year” competition and won the “Creative Visions of Nature” category. His work was recognized by the Royal Photographic Society in 2008 through the award of an Honorary Fellowship.

With two zoology degrees, Ben initially worked as a scientist before switching to full-time photography. He spent 18 months working for the British Antarctic Survey on Bird Island (South Georgia) researching wandering albatrosses and monitoring major seabird and mammal populations. Two years later he spent 9 months on a yacht surveying wildlife on South Georgia and the Antarctic Peninsula. These experiences (and a career change) culminated with a 4-month commission from National Geographic magazine shooting images for a major feature about Antarctica.

Following a chance conversation on a sacred mountain in China, Ben became involved in the ground-breaking BBC series about Antarctica, “Life in the Freezer”. He shot editorial stills for the series book and photographed the presenter Sir David Attenborough on location. Since then Ben has worked regularly with BBC film crews, shooting publicity and editorial stills for major wildlife series including “Blue Planet” and “Planet Earth”.

It’s in the Alps that Ben discovered mountains, high altitudes, glaciers and the snowy environment. After completing his National Service with the mountain army , his taste for the great outdoors led him to obtain a diploma as a kayak and ski instructor. But his desire for adventure and exploration pushed him even further. And it was in Svalbard that he experienced his first polar lands ! He has since been guiding for over 25 years and feels equally at home on land, on snow, ice or at sea. Whether by sailboat, hiking or sea kayaking, he has been exploring Polar regions for the past 12 years, and since 2019 with a ship cruising company. Svalbard, Greenland, Antarctica, are favorite destinations He has also developed a solid knowledge of the tropics as he is based in Bali, and already guided expeditions in Papua and Seychelles. History is his favorite subject, which he puts into practice through each region he travels through. Passing on his love of nature and guiding people on adventure trips are dear to his heart.

Cherese grew up on an island in Washington, U.S.A. playing in tide pools and running amuck along the beaches. She now lives on a sailboat, cruising along the West Coast of the Americas.
Always a book worm with a taste for adventure, Cherese has educated and immersed herself into the wildernesses of the world for almost a decade, after all, experience is the best teacher.
Cherese has spent the last ten years at sea, following the humpback whales between Alaska and Hawaii, finding birds in the Central American jungles, and looking out for polar bears in Svalbard. She has volunteered her time taking care of Olive Ridley sea turtles in Mexico and teaching children the wonders of sailing on various tall ships in the Pacific and Atlantic. Her passion for birds is adaptable to any environment. On shore time, she loves taking care of her sailboat and cruising to the next destination. Reading, birding, yoga, hiking and kayaking fill in the remaining hours of the day.

Christiaan is a passionate starter in the medical field and a life-long ocean lover at the same time. He enjoys exploring the cultural and scenic diversities of different countries, as well as to connect with the people he meets along the way. He grew up in the southwestern coastal province of The Netherlands, Zeeland. For his studies, he moved to Amsterdam where he completed a three-year bachelor’s program in medicine at the Vrije Universiteit. During this program, he took park in several exchanges and conducted research about health care onboard expedition cruise ships. As a side project, he started learning the Spanish language at the same university. Besides a sufficient level of Spanish, Christiaan is fluent in Dutch and English and able to express himself in French as well. He was part of the medical team onboard another expedition cruise ship. During his time in the Antarctic, South Georgia, and the Falklands, he got interested and acquainted with becoming an expedition guide. As Christiaan would say: “I like to be challenged and am passionately hopeful to impact other people’s lives positively. Another source of inspiration that gives me energy is the sea. So, it might not be surprising that the work of an expedition guide in polar regions appears very interesting to me. To be part of this Antarctic expedition is a unique and much-appreciated opportunity in many ways!”

Claudia is a biologist with a degree from the University of São Paulo. She trained in Tropical Ecology at INPA and spent five years in the Amazon assisting research on lizards, alligators, turtles, amphibians, and birds. In 1989, she began guiding expedition cruises on the Amazon River, later leading eco-tours in Costa Rica, Panama, Venezuela, and beyond, including Southeast Asia and Australia. Her expertise also extends to both polar regions. Passionate about history and art, Claudia enjoys sharing her knowledge with travelers, believing that tourism fosters understanding and shifts perspectives through exposure to different cultures and environments.

Constantina was raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Since she was a child she felt really fond of nature and animals. She was lucky to start a journey when she was very young around South America that opened her world to different cultures and ways of life. After that journey she devoted to practice and teach meditation and breathing techniques. Since 2016 she has been living and working as a tour guide in Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego. Some of the tours include Tierra del Fuego National Park and the penguin colonies of Martillo Island. Due to the proximity of Ushuaia to the White Continent, the call to Antarctica was not long to come.

Dany grew up in the Delta of Tigre, Argentina where there are no roads, just a large network of rivers, the perfect place for developing a passion for water sports and the environment. This love for nature and adventure led him, from an early age, to explore class V whitewater rivers in kayak, in America, Africa and Europe. For eighteen years he lived in Ushuaia, where he worked guiding sea kayaking trips and expeditions on the Beagle Channel. He has also been doing several sea kayaking expeditions to the Chilean Fiords of Patagonia, Darwin Mountain Range and Cape Horn. Since 2013 he has been working in Antarctica, as a sea kayaker guide, Kayak Master and Zodiac driver. For the last ten years he has been living in Bariloche, which, in his own words is ‘one of the best places on earth for living’. When he is not in Antarctica, he works as a Captain on a sail boat on the Nahuel Huapi Lake in Bariloche, and also enjoys the outdoors doing what he loves most: kayaking, kite surfing, mountain biking, splitboarding and mountaineering with his friends and family.

In 2003 Danny grew tired of earning a living building databases and living in central London and since then he’s worked as a photographer, diver, travel writer and Expedition Leader in some of the most undeveloped and remote parts of the world. He’s driven Zodiacs in all the oceans on the planet, radio-tracked Spectacled Bears in the Ecuadorian Andes, surveyed horse-mussel beds off the Llyn peninsula in north Wales and updated the Bradt Guides to Mozambique and Spitsbergen.

Danny spent 16 months living south of the Antarctic Circle, working as the Boating Officer at Rothera, the British Antarctic Survey base down on the Antarctic Peninsula, and has a further twelve seasons experience working on ships in the Southern Ocean. He is a BSAC Diving Instructor and has worked in East Africa, Wales, Gibraltar, the Isles of Scilly and Antarctica on marine monitoring projects. He is based in Shropshire in the UK, a place he loves because of its lack of a coastline.

He is proud to have one scientific paper to his name, a 5-page note on the presence of Seagrass beds in the waters of Gibraltar which can be summed up in one short sentence: “There are none.”

Daria, the adventurous outdoor enthusiast, has woven her life around the elements of nature. Her qualifications span diverse terrains: she is a certified wilderness and nature guide, a sea kayak guide, RIB-boat guide and a medical wilderness first responder. In 2017, she embarked on her guiding journey in her home country, Finland, leading snowmobile and cross-country ski trips beyond the polar circle. Daria has worked as a guide on the Norwegian glaciers and fjords, on expedition ships in Antarctica, Svalbard and the Chilean fjords. Her passion for wildlife drives her to encourage everyone to connect with nature and cherish its wonders. Nowadays, she migrates between the Arctic and Antarctic, sharing her knowledge and expertise with travelers. Gazing upon the icy tales of penguins and polar bears from her childhood, Daria knows that her dream job—being a polar guide—has become a remarkable reality.

Dave is an avid explorer of remote places and a wildlife ecologist with a great respect for the polar regions and the wildlife who call the cold their home. With a Master’s degree in landscape ecology, Dave works for Parks Canada as a human-wildlife conflict specialist, managing the complex interface between visitor experience and wildlife populations and finding research based solutions to wicked ecological problems. Based in Banff in the western mounYes: X No: Page 6 of 7 tain region of Canada, he has decades of experience capturing, researching and managing grizzly and black bears, wolves, wolverines, cougars, elk, bison and moose. Dave also works as a polar bear interpretive guide each fall in Churchill, an avalanche forecaster in the Canadian Rockies during the winters and a ship based expedition guide in the Canadian Arctic, Greenland and Antarctica. He is a member of the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides and Canadian Avalanche Association. When not working or guiding, Dave has a visceral draw to wild spaces and has completed more than twenty-five self-propelled ski touring, mountaineering, and paddling expeditions throughout the world. He is a Royal Canadian Geographic Society grantee in 2022 and 2024 for expeditions to Ellesmere and Baffin Island in the Canadian Arctic.

David MacDonald has had a varied career as a geologist in some of the remotest parts of the world. He grew up on the edge of the Scottish Highlands, leaving him with a lifelong love of wild places and a serious interest in rock. He graduated from Glasgow University and joined the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) as a geologist, working on the island of South Georgia for two long field seasons, gaining a PhD from Cambridge for his research. Over the next four years he worked on projects in Sabah and the New Guinea highlands. David rejoined BAS as a team leader, doing five more Antarctic expeditions and reaching the South Pole, courtesy of the US Navy (but not by ship).

He was awarded a Polar Medal in 1987. In the 1990s he was Chief Geologist of an Arctic research organisation based in Cambridge University. He managed frontier projects across the globe, undertaking personal expeditions to Spitsbergen, East Siberia, Sakhalin, Patagonia, and the Falklands. In 1999 he took up a post at Aberdeen University, working on projects in Russia, California and Brazil, becoming Emeritus Professor in 2018. In his spare time he hikes, dances, tries to learn Russian, and makes and restores furniture.

For over twenty five years, David has been involved in the Arctic expedition and travel business. Since moving from Scotland to the Arctic, he has led, organized or participated in more than three hundred Arctic and Antarctic expeditions, trips and projects. In that time he has travelled thousands of miles by dog sled, ski, snowmobile, boat, kayak, ship, foot and most recently became the first person to cross Baffin Island by fat tire bike. He has completed eighteen successful expeditions through the Northwest Passage and guided over seventy trips to Churchill, Manitoba. He was recently honoured by Canada Goose by becoming a “Goose Person” (one of only 50 people chosen across Canada) and share in the 50th anniversary of this great Canadian company.

Diego Punta Fernandez is an Expedition Leader, avid birder, and general naturalist with more than a decade working in the polar regions. Living in Patagonia since the late 90’s, he’s been guiding groups to the most isolated and unique places in the world like El Chaltén, Ushuaia, Antarctica, the British Isles, Norwegian fjords, Svalbard, Greenland and Iceland. Passionate about birds and polar environments, Diego owns and runs a publishing company 49Southphoto, and has published several guides of flora and fauna of Patagonia, Antarctica and the Arctic regions (www.49southphoto.com) Diego has developed and participated in many conservation projects in South Patagonia.

Echo graduated from University of Chinese Academy of Sciences in the major of Restoration Ecology. From 2005, she has been focusing on and engaged in researches related to the restoration ecology, animal behaviors and environmental education in different eco-environments.

She has written many popular science books, such as Hulun Buir Grassland Food Chain and Natural History of Palace Museum: Children’s Hai Cuo Tu (marine animals), translated books, such as BBC: Life on Earth, and published a lot of popular science books as an editor.

Over the past decade, she conducted a series of environmental education activities and citizen science projects. She hopes to share the science with the public by interesting and effective ways helping them understand our environment and discover the impact they can have on their world and their communities.

Born in Argentina, based in Canada, with a Polish passport and a Swiss name, an energetic and dynamic person with a passion for the ocean, I am a scuba diving instructor committed to raising awareness to protect the ocean principally Antarctica. Since starting in the polar regions in 2022, I have fallen in love with their beauty. I love hiking, sailing, and constantly seeking new adventures in nature and the outdoors. With a wealth of experience working with people, I take pride in my strong interpersonal skills that allow me to easily connect with others. I’m always eager to help and learn from those around me. My goal is to share my passion for the ocean and inspire others to join in its preservation.

Growing up in Texas, Elena has always been interested in what life has had to offer beyond the traditional college to work lifestyle. As an online student with Arizona State University, she takes advantage of her flexibility by traveling the world. Having travelled to 20 countries as a student, she draws inspiration from the places she visits in order to offer a new perspective to her work. She’s done everything from scuba diving with schools of 50 hammerhead sharks to falling asleep to the roar of jaguars in the Amazon rainforest. After visiting Antarctica and South Georgia with her University last year, she promised herself that this would not be the last time in these remarkable places. Elena has helped found a nonprofit that would help bring more students to these isolated and vulnerable environments.

Eva is a polar scientist, with a particular passion for marine mammals. Her love for whales led to her graduating at the top of her class with a Masters in Polar Science from the Scott Polar Research Institute at the University of Cambridge. Her thesis, in collaboration with the British Antarctic Survey, was awarded multiple Brain Roberts Research Grants, allowing her to travel to the Smithsonian Museum in DC and the Natural History Museum in London to collect ancient whale bone samples. ‘Hope’, the blue whale skeleton hanging from the ceiling of the NHM in London is part of her thesis! Eva has a particular interest in scientific communication and making research accessible to our community. Her research has gained notable awards at several international conferences and her most recent publication was picked up by National Geographic, IFL Science and LiveScience to name a few. For the last ten years, Eva has been an active member on-board expedition ships, research boats, whale watching vessels and various others in between (including a submarine!). She has travelled extensively across all seven continents, with particular focus as of late in the polar regions and Africa. Pre-pandemic Eva lived and worked in China as the Chief Operating Officer of an international education company but now has found home in Iceland.

As Captain Scott’s only grandson and the son of Sir Peter Scott, well-known wildlife conservationist, founder of the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, and co-founder of the WWF, Falcon was brought up at the Slimbridge Wildfowl Trust with his two sisters. As a child, he traveled widely with his parents during holidays, including expeditions to Africa and to the Arctic.

As a young man, Falcon took up a career in civil engineering. Later a passion for architecture and art took him into building unusual and creative projects in the domestic sector, and building many unique houses, a vocation he still loves to indulge in. He built his own stone house in Argyll, Scotland where he now lives with his wife and family, and
runs a self-catering holiday business renting luxury log cabins which he also built himself. Falcon has always loved being outdoors and exploring wild places, and between building things has traveled to many places. He especially loves the remote parts of Scotland near his home, and has explored the mountains and sea lochs over many years using his own small motor boat, sailing with friends, and on foot climbing most of the mountains.

In 2012 Falcon joined the international team to work as a Heritage Carpenter on the conservation of his Grandfather’s iconic Terra Nova Hut at Cape Evans for the NZ Antarctic Heritage Trust. The experience was deeply moving for him, and re-vitalized his interest in the family connection to Antarctica. The beauty of Antarctica has inspired him to develop his artistic flair and he now loves to paint the wildlife and landscapes.

Federico Perez Campanelli was born in Argentina 34 years ago. He is a Mountain Guide since 2010 and has been guiding expeditions up Mt Aconcagua 22,841ft – 6962m in the south American Andes. He has been working in the expedition cruise ships since 2019 mainly in polar regions. He is also a Kayak Guide, Lifeguard and Rescue Swimmer and has volunteered his professional services at humanitarian rescue organizations working in the open sea(openarms.org). He holds a technical degree in Civil Protection and Emergencies and is working towards a Master degree. Expeditionary, Traveler and music lover, Federico is always happy to meet new people and learn from them.

Gaby is an experienced outdoor educator and polar expedition guide with a passion for introducing people to the world’s most beautiful and unique places. She is a hiker, climber, paddler, and skier and has travelled extensively in search of the next great adventure. Gaby has a master’s degree in outdoor education from the University of Edinburgh, a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and environmental studies from Hamilton College, and a professional certificate in weather forecasting from Penn State University. Her academic interests are primarily in glaciology, geology, meteorology, and history, but she is a super nerd and is always eager to learn more about any topic—especially if it concerns the Polar Regions.

Polymath best describes Afrikaner Gert. Ever since a young age he displayed great curiosity towards the natural world, especially the intricate relationships between biota. After graduating from the oldest technical high school in South Africa, he pursued his dreams of working with wildlife and by age 20 he was managing his first Game Reserve. Here life entailed combining two great passions of his, namely exposing people to the wonders nature has to offer and the safekeeping thereof. In 2018 he traded Land Cruisers for Zodiacs and to date he has sailed from pole to pole and crisscrossed most places in between. When not on board, abroad or outdoors Gert enjoys combating idle hands by doing restorations and honing his marksmanship.

Hannah has a particular love of birdlife and marine mammals and has been sharing her thrill for the natural world working aboard Expedition Ships in remote regions since 1999.
A zoology student at the University of Liverpool, England, Hannah changed direction after graduation and worked as a wildlife artist and mural painter in Africa for several years. On her return to the UK she gained a Masters in Natural History Illustration from the Royal College of Art in London. During her student years she spent her time doing practical conservation projects as a leader with British Trust for Conservation Volunteers.

She is now able to divide her time between doing artwork from her studio in England and working as a wildlife guide, zodiac driver and expedition leader. She visits the Antarctic peninsula and South Georgia annually in the Austral summer and then heads north to cruise the shoreline of the UK, Norway and the Arctic, swapping penguin sightings for polar bears, and sketching, photographing and learning about the lives of the creatures she sees along the way.

Jeannine grew up running wild in a small town on the west coast of British Columbia, Canada.

She spent much of her  childhood on boats of various kinds and feels most at home on or near the ocean, especially on grey drizzly days.

After completing a degree in wildlife biology, she started working in environmental education, teaching everyone from toddlers to tourists about the natural world. That eventually led to a career in wildlife guiding where she combines all of her skills and interests in one job.

During the northern summers, she works as a skipper and a guide showing guests the grizzly bears, orca, humpback whales and plethora of bird life that call northern Vancouver Island home.

She loves sharing her passion for wildlife and wild places – so much so that she’s been known to deliver impromptu naturalist talks about sea lions in pubs, and about barn owls on busy city streets to unwitting passers-by. At home on her tiny island off the coast of British Columbia, she enjoys watercolour painting, sewing, and visiting with the resident humpbacks.

It’s fair to say that Kalle’s life has been a wild and colorful journey so far, considering it all started in grey and dying mining town in Germany’s industrial heartland, where he was born back in the summer of ’69.

After 2 years in the Armed Forces he completed an apprenticeship as a journalist and photographer in 1990 and then set off to report about untold wars and unique cultures across Central / South America, Africa, New Guinea, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.  Five years later he went to study filmmaking in the UK & US. Upon completion, Kalle took up a job with the BBC as one of the few guys and gals who where on stand-by 24/7, shooting films literally all over the world.  In 2002 Moscow became his base for many years covering the entire former Soviet Union, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq.

As a result Kalle has over the past 28 years seen more than 140 countries. In between he has taught filmmaking at his former University in England and scuba diving as a hobby. Kayaking, scuba, skydiving and sailing are his favorite past-times.  Filming in Greenland for several weeks and sailing from Tromsø to and around Spitzbergen in a wee 30’ Optima 101, scraping past the 80th latitude, whilst shooting an environmental adventure documentary, really whet his appetite for the icy fringes of our planet. He now calls Canada’s West Coast his home away from his German home in Hamburg.

The ocean had always been part of Laura’s life. She started spending time on sailboats when she was a baby, and she sailed around the world crossing several oceans when she was between 12 and 14 years old. That trip increased her passion for the ocean because she discovered its vastness and its importance on the earth’s dynamics. Laura had the chance to start traveling very young and has been all over the world alone, with her backpack, family, or friends. These trips gave her the opportunity to develop an open mind and an intellectual curiosity about the climate phenomena that govern our planet.

Born in France, she grew up in the French part of Canada, where she did her bachelor’s degree in Geological Engineering. During her bachelor’s degree, she became fascinated by the polar regions and wanted to continue her studies in that field. That is why, at the end of her degree, she left Canada for Tasmania, Australia, to do her Master in Marine and Antarctic Science. During that degree, she deeply studied this fascinating continent with a specialization in geophysics and glaciology. Since 2018, she has been guiding in polar regions in both Antarctica and the Arctic. For Laura, Antarctica is her first polar love, and, like every beginning of the season, she can’t wait to have her first glimpse of the white continent.

Lisa grew up in Michigan and Ohio, spending summers on and around the Great Lakes. Influenced by an upbringing immersed in woods and water, she completed a BS degree in Biology at the University of Michigan in 2001. Since then, she has lived, worked, and travelled on all seven continents, finding special connection with Antarctica.

In 2013, Lisa began working on board ships, first as a naturalist guide on a dive boat in the Dominican Republic, then later as captain in southeast Alaska and southern California. She has also spent considerable time on expedition teams, from Iceland to Madagascar, and throughout the polar regions. Thousands of days at sea have nourished a passion for the marine environment, and a love for sharing it with others. She currently holds a USCG 200 ton license.

In addition to lecturing and serving as a naturalist, Lisa is a professional photographer and photography instructor, and leads photographic workshops to destinations around the world. When not working, Lisa can generally be found in the backcountry, exploring wild places from her Southern California home.

Lori Gross loves the diversity of her work, which allows her to split her time between photography, guest speaking, and guiding on small expedition ships. Having worked on all seven continents in both the tropics and poles, Lori is particularly inspired by Antarctica.

With over two decades working in sustainable tourism and education, with a focus on marine and environmental science, Lori’s accomplishments include securing over $25 million in grant funding for magnet schools, working with over 500 teachers to help them write and implement engaging curricula, designing over $1 million worth of interactive interpretive exhibits for nature centers and museums, developing international field study trips for teens, and being recognized multiple times by the Lucie Foundation and the International Photography Awards for her nature, wildlife, and pet photography.

Changed by spending over a decade on the ice, Lori founded The Antarctic Experience so that like-minded travelers can connect, share their stories, support conservation, and seek out ways to live every day inspired by Antarctica.

Her passion for the outdoors and mountains have taken her around the world personally and professionally for the past 30 years. Originally from the maritime province of Newfoundland, Maria has a degree in Geology from the University of Calgary, and is a member of the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides.

Safety is top priority for Maria, and she has picked up many skills, qualifications and experiences from her professional outdoor background and personal endeavors. In 2012, she welcomed the opportunity to combine her guiding skills and geology background to begin working in the polar expedition industry as a guide and geology lecturer in Antarctica and the Arctic. She truly enjoys sharing her enthusiasm for the outdoors and her fascination with natural history.

Marty was born and raised in New Brunswick, Canada where he fell in love with the ocean at a very young age. Working with the Canadian Armed Forces for 7 years brought him to the Comox Valley on Vancouver Island, where he decided to take a different path and pursue a career that would allow him to be one with the ocean. Since 2019, Marty has taken great pleasure in showing clients from all corners of the world the beauty of various regions of the Pacific Northwest near Vancouver Island. Always looking to broaden his horizons, Marty is excited to embark on his second season to the Antarctic Region as a sea kayak guide with Polar Latitudes.

Besides ensuring guests have a remarkable and safe experience on the water, Marty is deeply passionate about educating people on the impacts of climate change and how our everyday choices affect the environment around us.

He is looking forward to seeing you on the water on your next adventure!

For the past few years he has been immersed in the polar world.  He makes his annual migration between Antarctica and the Arctic, following the arctic terns around the world every year.  Having done nearly 100 trips (and still counting) in the Polar Regions, he is always grateful to be discovering the last vast wildernesses left on this planet and is passionate to share the experience with you.  He is enthusiastic about all sorts of wildlife, though is convinced that he has close relatives that are whales, and his third cousin happens to be in the auk family.

When he’s not gallivanting near the poles, you will probably find him wandering the warmer climes of the planet (15 Celsius being plenty warm), seeking out more adventures and playing with light in photography.

Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Nicole has always had a deep love for the outdoors, nature and a huge interest of the environment.  This explains her passions – rock climbing, mountaineering, kayaking and travel.

She has a bachelor’s degree in tourism and hospitality from the University of Salvador in Buenos Aires.
Having started her outdoor career in Patagonia as a kayak guide and tour leader in hiking trips, she was drawn to the Canadian Pacific West Coast where she trained as a kayak guide with the Sea Kayak Guide Alliance from British Columbia.

Nicole also works for a mountaineering non-profit organization as an outdoor educator in Patagonia; running climbing courses, kids’ climbing classes and organizing bouldering competitions for the southern Patagonia region with Argentine ski and Mountaineering federation (FASA).

In 2018 the Antarctic Peninsula called her and she has been returning year after year.

Paul has a wide and varied background that usually involves adventures – something that culminated in writing about adventure travel for the Telegraph newspaper.

Paul is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and regularly travels on expeditions that have an exploration and scientific basis. In 2012, Paul led a small team on the first crossing of the Antarctic Peninsula by man-haul to conduct cutting edge science. This project was in commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of his boyhood hero and fellow naval officer, Captain Robert Falcon Scott reaching the South Pole. This project drew on Paul’s original science degree in Oceanography, Meteorology and Geology, gained at Plymouth University. Paul’s extensive travels have alerted him to the issue surrounding global climate change and the 2012 project was focused on providing evidence to reveal the reasons why the Antarctic Peninsula is the fastest warming part of the planet.

During childhood, Randy learned how to play various instruments and how to conduct orchestras. At Brno University he studied engineering but quickly discovered music was the only thing he was interested in.

As a One Man Band, Randy worked in German, Swiss and Austrian Spa Hotels & Alpine Ski resorts. During his off time, he developed a passion for skiing and became a certified ski instructor.

Since 2006 Randy has been working aboard the finest European River Cruise vessels on Rhine, Main and Danube, entertaining his passengers with a wide repertoire of Jazz, Rock & Roll, Blues, Oldies and the Best of the Top Charts.

Ruth is a wildlife film maker, who has spent more than 13 years working on documentaries for the BBC’s Natural History Unit, PBS, National Geographic and Discovery, as well as personal projects focusing on birds and conservation issues. Her portfolio includes Planet Earth II, Life in the Air and Natural World, and her work has taken her all over the world, filming a whole variety of wildlife.

In 2013-14, Ruth spent five months filming the penguin colony at Port Lockroy where she was able to combine her love of cold remote adventure with penguins to produce an hour-long documentary, Penguin Post Office, for the BBC and PBS. Her adventure began by sailing the Drake Passage in a 54ft yacht in 67 knot winds, arriving at the Peninsula ahead of any other vessel that season. As well as witnessing the entire breeding season of gentoo penguins, she travelled to other sites around the Peninsula and explored different locations, landings and wildlife.

Ruth has just back from a month sailing around the South Sandwich Islands filming for a new project called Expedition Penguin. She looks forward to sharing tales of this adventure on board ship!

She studied zoology and science communication and is a passionate bird watcher. She was awarded Birdwatch Magazine’s Conservation Hero of the Year in December 2017.

Santiago is very passionate about his work, which is guiding and teaching in the outdoors. He has been a professional guide since 2003, when he was certified by the Argentina Mountain Guides Association, and later on, as a sea kayaking guide by the American Canoe Association.

His work has taken him not only to the Antarctic but to Nepal, Brazil, Peru, the United States and Patagonia in both Chile and Argentina. Santiago holds a degree (B.Sc.) in Biology from the University of Buenos Aires, where he worked extensively in wildlife ecology, researching from the tropics to the Antarctic for more than a decade.

In his academic capacity, he was professor of the University of Córdoba, where he trained Argentina Mountain Guides Association professional guides; he instructed guides of the Argentina Kayaking Guides and Instructors Association; and he also led courses in wilderness emergency care to local National Park Service Rangers.

He is fluent in English, Portuguese and Spanish (his mother tongue). When not on ships he lives in a cosy cottage in the delta of the Parana River, surrounded by wildlife and pristine nature.

Over the last fifteen years, Seb has worked at the sharp end of maritime aviation with previous jobs spanning half the globe. The Royal Navy exposed him to some of the most inhospitable regions of the world. In 2009, Seb landed on the shores of South Georgia for the first time and stood before the grave of his personal hero: Sir Ernest Shackleton.

In January 2013, he joined the ‘Shackleton Epic’ team, which became the first expedition in history to faithfully recreate Sir Ernest Shackleton’s small boat voyage across the Southern Ocean – with precisely the same equipment as Shackleton himself. From the clothing to the boat, the sextant, the reindeer skin blankets, and of course the starvation diet.

When he is not onboard ship lecturing, or climbing a mountain, he can be found in Scotland with his wife and children sailing the world’s most faithful seaworthy replica of Shackleton’s lifeboat. The boat was built with the sole purpose of keeping the great polar explorers legacy alive though adventure sailing excursions.

Seb is an accomplished aeronautical engineer, Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, former GB Chapter Chair for The Explorers Club, joint recipient of the Royal Institute of Navigation Certificate of Achievement, and a joint Royal Yachting Association and Union Internationale Motonautique  powerboat world record holder.

Thérèse discovered her passion for marine mammals when she first came to Svalbard in 2010. Born and raised in Switzerland, she was until then rather more familiar with mountains than ocean. She acquired a master degree in media and communication, and when she was studying at university, she started to travel to Scandinavia. She then visited Svalbard and – caught by the polar bug – changed direction. The following summer she returned and worked as a trekking guide and lived three months in tents. 2012 she left Switzerland and moved to Longyearbyen where she studied to become an Arctic Nature Guide. Since then she works all-year-round as a Wildlife Guide, Lecturer and Zodiac driver on expedition cruise boats in Antarctica, the Falklands, South Georgia, Svalbard, Greenland and Iceland. She also spent a winter as a Snowmobile Guide in Swedish Lapland where she took her guests out on Northern Light Safaris.

Thérèse loves all kind of outdoor activities from Via Ferrata, Hiking, Snowboarding – and working on expedition cruises. She always has a happy smile on her face and is looking forward to sharing her knowledge and passion for the marine wildlife with you.

Tracy is deeply passionate about learning, teaching, and educational travel. He believes that isolated, hostile, and largely uninhabited Antarctica is central to understanding how the world works and our impact upon it.

A Professor of Environmental Science and Physical Geography at the State University of New York, College at Oneonta, Tracy’s research interests are focused on rivers, lakes, glaciers, geomorphology, and environmental change. His love for cold climates grew out of investigation and exploration in Arctic and mountain environments. He has spent summers working and teaching on the Bering Glacier in Alaska and has canoed thousands of miles on Arctic rivers.

Synonymous with education, adventure travel is a means to achieve personal and professional growth. From an early age, Tracy would strike out from the Blue Ridge of Virginia to discover nature, mountains, and, eventually, other countries. Since then, he has backpacked throughout nearly all countries on Earth – from Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania to Mount Everest in Tibet and Nepal and from Machu Picchu in Peru to Pagan in Myanmar. At each location, he explores natural processes and human/environment relations. Tracy travels simply, with backpack, tent, and sleeping bag. When asked about his wanderlust, various intellectual motivations surface, but the deep-seated reality is that he has an adventurous spirit.

A current graduate professor in photography, Will has been teaching and showing professionally for over 15 years. He is excited to bring his love of nature, adventure, and photography to Antarctica.

His photography career has taken him to numerous places around the world including Hiroshima, Columbia, Taiwan, Paris and Antwerp. His work has been exhibited in museums and galleries internationally. He currently shows with galleries in San Francisco and Tokyo, and lives on a boat in the San Francisco Bay with his wife and two daughters.

Will has walked slacklines over the Grand Canyon, trad climbed around the High Sierras, and backpacked extensively with his family around the Western US.

For the last 15 years Zack has worked all over the world as an outdoor wilderness guide and experiential education instructor. Zack is very passionate about sea kayaking, sailing and mountaineering.

Since graduating from Lakehead University with an Honors Bachelor degree in Outdoor Recreation, Parks and Tourism he sought out amazing job opportunities and experiences in the farthest corners of the world. He lived on a sailboat traveling the remote islands in the central and south pacific for over a year, then lived in Australia, worked as a free-lance outdoor educator and completed a big road trip with his folding kayak paddling and exploring some of the more hostile and hard to get to places. Soon enough he missed the snow and ice of his home country of Canada. Upon his return Zack was out on Lake Superior year round paddling amongst the ice, wind, sun, snow and rain enjoying every minute of it! He has now started his own paddling business (Such A Nice Day Adventures) operating seasonally along the Canadian north shore of Lake Superior near Thunder Bay Ontario.

Zack is a certified Paddle Canada Instructor and experienced sea kayak Guide. He is an accomplished writer, photographer and expedition leader. He is over the moon excited to bring his plethora of experience to the team at Polar Latitudes in Antarctica.