Our Team

Hans has over three decades’ experience working as an Expedition Guide, Kayak Guide, Medic, Captain and Environmental Educator. He attributes being raised in Phoenix, a city in the in the middle of Arizona’s Sonoran Desert, to his fascination with water. It started with raising tropical fish as a child, then scuba diving as a teen, and has continued to strengthen throughout his life. After earning a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Biology, he worked as a scientist on research vessels in the North Atlantic and Caribbean, kayak guiding between stints in Mexico. He then attained his Captain’s License and captained research and small passenger vessels in Central California and Alaska, which he still counts as his favourite destination. Hans is addicted to exploring different ecosystems, and understanding the inter-relationships that exist. He maintains that the more he learns, the less he knows.

On expeditions, Hans has some sound advice for expeditioners: "Observe and be in the moment. Get rid of your pre-conceived ideas of how nature works and attempt to formulate for yourself a narrative of what you are observing and experiencing. Appreciate the little things, for they are the reason the big things exist."

Growing up near the Argentinian Andes, the magnificent volcanoes and landscapes surrounding Melina inspired her passion for nature from a young age. She went on to study Geological Sciences at the University of Buenos Aires, driven by a fascination in the development of these landscapes and their histories. Melina has participated in numerous field surveys and worked in research stations in some of the most remote places on earth. She believes that travelling to these pristine and fragile ecosystems is a unique and powerful means of spreading awareness about the importance of protecting them. Her favourite destinations are Antarctica and South Georgia, where you can witness nature at its best.

Onboard, Melina encourages expeditioners to be aware of where they are and, instead of taking pictures and filming, to take some time out to watch and listen to your surroundings. She thrives on sharing her passion for the natural world and her deep Antarctic knowledge with expeditioners.

Alasdair is a Sydney-based painter, writer and historian, who has enjoyed a love of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean spanning more than 30 years.

Alasdair’s contact with the region began on the 1983 Heard Island Expedition – his first big adventure – in which he played a supporting role in the second only ascent of 3000-metre Big Ben, the active volcano that dominates the island. Two voyages with the Australian Antarctic Division's Humanities Program followed in the next couple of years.

In the late 1990s, Alasdair was the artist and photographer for two Mawson’s Huts Foundation summer conservation expeditions to Cape Denison, then in 1999 Alasdair staged Mawson’s Antarctica: A view from the huts, a major exhibition of his Antarctic paintings and photographs. In 2000, Alasdair curated the Australian High Commission to Canada's photographic exhibition, '… that sweep of savage splendour': A Century of Australians in Antarctica.

Alasdair has published three books with Antarctic themes: Mawson’s Huts: An Antarctic Expedition Journal (1999); Antarctica: that sweep of savage splendour (collected writings – editor 2011); and a biography of the renowned polar photographer Frank Hurley: A photographer’s life (2004). His other books include Grand Obsessions: The life and work of Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin, winner of the 2011 National Biography Award.

Away from Antarctica, Alasdair writes regularly for Australian Geographic and his research and creative interests range over architecture and design, natural history, and the history of exploration.

Alasdair has worked as a lecturer on tourist voyages to Antarctica since 2005, and has been a keen member of AE Expeditions’ Antarctic expedition team since 2012.

Born and raised on Orust, an island off the Swedish west coast, Birgitta Mueck naturally gained a big passion for the ocean and its inhabitants. From a very young age the underwater life became an important part of her own life.

Her strong passion for nature and wilderness led Birgitta to an education in wilderness tourism and nature photography. Since graduating, she has spent the majority of her time in the field as an underwater camera operator working on natural history productions for national television.

Together with her father, Armin, and sister, Nanna, they run Crystal Water Film Production, a Swedish film company that produces underwater films in collaboration mainly with Swedish National Television (SVT) and Norwegian National Television (NRK). Birgitta is an experienced diver, a certified PADI Divemaster and PADI AmbassaDiver. She has been operating as an underwater camera operator in multiple television productions. To name a few, Birgitta’s most recently worked on “Winter Whales of Norway”, dedicated to orcas and humpbacks in Northern Norway and “Life Against All Odds”, highlighting the importance of protecting underwater areas, which includes footage from Scandinavia, Azores and the Mediterranean.

When Birgitta is not on an expedition, she lives on a sailing boat while capturing the marine life on film and still pictures, both in the warm tropical waters and in the cold Arctic.

Carol’s passion for archaeology began with rescue excavations of medieval English towns, ports, churches and castles. After receiving a Masters degree in Archaeology and History from the University of Glasgow, she continued this work with investigation of some of the great medieval abbeys, palaces and gardens of England. In 1988 she returned to her native Scotland, and since then has lived and worked amongst the windswept islands of the Outer Hebrides, with field researches focused on ‘the archaeology of survival’ - the study of remote communities and deserted places.

Until 2012, Carol also worked for the National Trust for Scotland as archaeologist for St Kilda, helping to understand and preserve the unique heritage of this World Heritage site.

She also travels worldwide and in the polar regions as a guide and lecturer on expedition ships, including to Svalbard, Greenland and extensively to Antarctica, where she has found a second home under canvas on the ice cap.

Chris grew up amongst the mountains, forests, rivers and coast of his beloved New Zealand; hiking, climbing and skiing in the Southern Alps and travelling around in boats. After studying protected area management in New Zealand and a post-graduate degree in Australia, Chris has taught natural resource management at a First Nation tertiary college in the Northern Territory. After returning to New Zealand, he had an ecological restoration business; worked for the New Zealand Department of Conservation; and for a decade was a manager and environmental advocate with a prominent New Zealand conservation NGO.

Chris has spent the last four years as a guide, lecturer and Zodiac driver in the Arctic (Russian Far East), New Zealand and Australian Subantarctic Islands, and in Antarctica. He loves sharing his passion for wildlife and wild places, botany, nature conservation and history.

When not on ships, Chris does remote field work with the New Zealand Department of Conservation and works as a hiking guide around the South Island. He has also worked as a volunteer in Nepal, Bangladesh and the Philippines.

Language: Portuguese (Native), English (Fluent), Spanish (Fluent), French (Limited)

What began as an 8-year-old with a love for whales and dolphins led Dani to dedicate her life to the research and conservation of marine life. Born and raised in Brazil, she graduated with a degree in Marine Biology and a Master's degree in Biological Oceanography before diving into whale research for the next 12 years. After specialising in the study of Humpback Whales’ migratory dynamics of between Antarctica and Brazil, Dani felt inspired go beyond her expectations and share her knowledge.

She began work as a full-time Expedition Guide and Naturalist on ships all over the world, journeying from the warm tropics to the icy polar regions. What she loves about expedition travel is how every voyage is unique and there is always a possibility of something remarkable happening anytime, day or night.

Languages: German (Native), English  (Fluent), French (Fluent)

Annette is a marine biologist who specialises in whales, penguins and open ocean ecosystems. She holds a PhD in behavioural ecology of king penguins at the Subantarctic islands of South Georgia, Kerguelen and Crozet, and has worked on protected areas for macaroni penguins with the British Antarctic Survey, BirdLife International and CNRS France.

Annette has 15 years of experience as a whale watching guide and advisor for underwater film and photography teams in the Azores and Patagonia. As a guest lecturer for marine biology and sustainability with Heidelberg University in Germany, Annette now regularly takes students to the Azores for first-hand experience of the open ocean and to gain close experience with whales and dolphins, sharks, manta rays and seabirds.

Besides her work as a scientist and lecturer, Annette is collaborating with international education institutions to pass on her passion for the oceans and raise awareness of the fragility of the sea and its inhabitants.

Annette currently lives between Cambridge (UK), Heidelberg (Germany) and the Azores, where she works on sustainable fisheries, whale foraging behaviour and educating the next generation.

Avid historian and climber, Ben’s love of history began during his high school years. His passion for history led to an MA in Social and Industrial history and a PHD in Australian history. For many years, Ben was an academic specialising in polar, colonial and working class history in the History Department at the University of Wollongong, New South Wales.

An active researcher, Ben is published extensively in Australian and international historical journals. His book Class and Colonialism in Antarctic Exploration, 1750– 1920 (Pickering & Chatto, 2014) is a study of Antarctic exploration ‘from below’, focusing on the sailors, sealers, whalers, cooks, mechanics, engineers, stokers and radio operators, who were all necessary in bringing the upperclass 'hero explorers' to the continent and supporting their expeditions. He is currently writing A History of the Southern Ocean (forthcoming, Routledge 2018), gazing out on his subject matter from Bruny Island, Tasmania, where he lives.

When not writing, Ben engages in his other lifelong passions for exploring wild places. Ben has pioneered climbs in Tasmania, Victoria, NSW, Greenland and North Wales and he is currently developing new rock climbing routes in the Bruny Island area.

John has 53 years of professional experience and a lifelong passion in matters relating to the Antarctic. His career since leaving university in 1966 has been devoted to the frozen continent and he has been working as a historian/guide in Antarctica for the past 12 years.

John joined the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) in 1966 as a scientist and wintered at Faraday (now Vernadsky) Station on the Antarctic Peninsula in 1967 and 1968 (base commander in 1968), where he studied the upper layers of the Earth’s atmosphere (the ionosphere).  He then worked for BAS in a variety of roles: research scientist in the field of ionosphere/magnetosphere physics, research leader, science manager, head of a science division and finally (until retirement in early 2006), as deputy director.

John’s experience encompasses field work, science research, science leadership, logistics operations and crisis management, policy making and management at senior level, health & safety policy, international governance of the Antarctic and its political history.

John is a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, of the Royal Geographical Society and a member of the American Geophysical Union. He is also an individual member of the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee of the British Houses of Parliament.

John is very proud to be a recipient of the Polar Medal in 1976, awarded by Her Majesty the Queen, and clasp to the Polar Medal in 1995. In 2004 he was honoured by the award of an OBE for services to science.

It is a deep love of travel, the natural world and exploration that has kept John involved with polar and marine research for more than 30 years, studying animals ranging from microscopic crustaceans to whales, fish and dugongs.

John's career started in marine biology as part of the Australian Antarctic Division in the 1980s. He spent time at Davis Station and conducted a year-round under-ice SCUBA diving program to document the invertebrate fauna of the Antarctica sea floor as well as monitoring seal and penguin populations, in one project travelling across frozen seas for hundreds of kilometres to tag Weddell seals and record their new pups. John continued his research with Monash University completing a PhD on the ecology of zooplankton in the Antarctic fjord.

Back on the mainland, John is a highly respected lecturer, academic and mentor at Griffith University and has worked with fisheries scientists, in commercial diving and environmental management.

Whether in Antarctica or the Arctic, each time John travels with AE Expeditions he experiences something new and exciting, which makes him eagerly anticipate each and every voyage.

Part outdoor experiential educator and part field biologist, Joselyn began her global education and travel feats at the age of 13. Since then, she has studied field biology in Tanzania and Ecuador, monitored brown bears in Alaska, worked with endangered birds in the forests of Hawaii, taught rock climbing and backpacking in North Carolina, surveyed rare plants in Texas, been employed as a chef and boat driver in the Adirondacks of New York, worked as a biologist and interpretive ranger at a variety of U.S. National Parks, trained in helicopter operations over Maui and deployed as a wildland firefighter in the western United States.

After earning a Master’s degree in Botany, this eclectic background helped her land a job working in support of the US Antarctic Program at McMurdo Station. She went on to spend several seasons on the ice, including two winters at the South Pole where she for a time, the world’s most southerly farmer! After volunteering to give several local tours for both the station community as well as visiting expedition cruise ships, it was a natural step to join the ship-based expedition world as a way to merge her passion for education and desire to experience more of Antarctica - and really the rest of the globe.

When not somewhere far afield with expedition work, back in the U.S, Joselyn spends most of her time in the Big Bend region of far western Texas where she enjoys guiding, botanising, and watching and listening to life go by in the Chihuahuan Desert from the porch of her off-grid, fancy camping home.

Joselyn is passionate about learning more about the world around her, and sharing that passion with others-- hoping to inspire a broader appreciation for, and understanding of, the fascinating world we live in.

Laura grew up on Kangaroo Island, a remote island off the southern coast of Australia, well known for its wildlife and pristine beaches. This sparked Laura's love for the natural environment and remote places and she went on to study science at the University of Adelaide. Enthralled by stories of the subantarctic Macquarie Island, Laura decided she would do anything to visit this enchanting place and enrolled in a PhD in subantarctic invasive species Ecology and Management.

Laura spent four summer seasons on Macquarie Island studying the native and exotic plants where she fell head over heals for the subantarctic. Laura has spent the past few years working on boats in Tasmania and exploring the back country of New Zealand. Even now, when working as an ecologist in Canberra, Australia, she still finds time each summer to travel to her favourite part of the world and share its wonders with those lucky enough to also explore the Antarctic.

After an earlier working life in the Australian bush, Dr Pete Gill has been involved in whale research since 1983. For 13 years he assisted Dr Bill Dawbin, the “grandfather” of humpback whale research, before branching out into his own studies of humpback and blue whale migration, using small sailing vessels to explore for whale feeding and breeding grounds around New Caledonia and the Coral Sea, the Solomon Islands, in Antarctic waters and around Tasmania. He skippered most of the Oceanic Research Foundation’s In the Wake of Flinders circumnavigation of Australia under sail in 1989, along the way defining the extent of humpback breeding grounds off the Kimberley coast. Between 1990-91, he worked as a Marine Mammal Researcher for Greenpeace Australia, while continuing humpback whale research. During the mid-1990s, Pete also worked on a Sydney University research program on southern right whales at the Head of the Great Australian Bight.

He first discovered Antarctica on the Riquita private sailing expedition to the Ross Sea in 1986 and followed this up with two more sailing expeditions: the Mount Minto Expedition to the Ross Sea in 1988, and the Iniquity Antarctic Whale Project along the East Antarctic coast in 1993. Between 1995-98, Pete helped to inaugurate Antarctic whale ecological research programs aboard the Australian government icebreaker Aurora Australis, and since 1995 has worked from time to time as a lecturer, boat driver and guide on Antarctic tourist expeditions, mainly with AE Expeditions. For nearly two decades he worked as a home handyman to support his research and expedition activities.

In 1998, he founded the Blue Whale Study (BWS), a pioneering long-term not-for-profit research program on the ecology of pygmy blue whales in the Bonney Upwelling blue whale feeding area off south-east Australia, the longest-running blue whale research program in the Southern Hemisphere. This was a previously unknown aggregation area which has provided an important window into understanding the ecology and management of this iconic endangered species. BWS also conducts education and mentoring programs engaging local schools and communities.

Pete lives in the bush near Portland, Victoria with his wife Susie and son Felix. He is the author of three books on whales and whale watching and numerous scientific papers, book chapters and magazine articles. His photographs have appeared in many books and magazine articles, and he has lectured on whales, whaling, sailing and Antarctica.

Roger has been exploring polar regions for over 30 years. In 1984, he first travelled to Antarctica as a krill research assistant on an Australian Antarctic Division, marine science expedition. He caught the Antarctic bug and returned nine more times to study zooplankton, seals, penguins and albatross. Mostly he was based in remote field camps – such as in the northern Vestfold Hills, on a glaciated Heard Island, on rock stacks in Drake’s Passage, and he spent a year beside an emperor penguin colony 60 km from Mawson Station – he did his PhD on emperor penguin foraging ecology.

As a marine biologist, Roger has published over 100 research and public articles, and four books - two text books and two children’s books. Away from his polar research, he has held a range of research positions - a fisheries biologist for Tasmanian Sea Fisheries and CSIRO Fisheries, a wildlife manager for Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife, a senior researcher for Phillip Island Nature Parks (investigating seals and seabirds in Bass Strait), and a project team leader at Wageningen Marine Research (in the Netherlands - studying human impacts on marine mammals in the Wadden and North Seas). Currently he lives in Victoria, Australia (with wife Marjolein and kids Jay and Emily), where he works as a contract biologist.

Since 1999, Roger has been a Naturalist and Expedition Leader for AE Expeditions - usually in the Antarctic, but also in Scotland and the Arctic. Combined with his academic training and field experience, he holds a Coxswain’s boat-driving ticket and SCUBA experience. He loves his work and is always keen to share his extensive wildlife knowledge with our curious passengers.

Read some of Roger's articles here:

• Antarctica in March: Why I like Antarctic trips in March
• Clean Up Svalbard

Dr. Ulyana Horodyskyj is a glaciologist, geologist, astronomy enthusiast and visiting professor of environmental science at Colorado College in the United States.

Ulyana has always been drawn to adventure and science. Her PhD in geological sciences took her deep into the Nepali Himalaya, where she was the lead researcher for the Black Ice Project. She investigated contributions to ice mass loss on debris-covered glaciers, particularly in the Khumbu valley (Everest region). Ulyana went on to complete a post-doc at the National Snow and Ice Data Center, where she looked at how black carbon impacted snow and ice melt on Baffin Island in the Arctic.

Ulyana is especially passionate about science education and outreach. After completing her PhD, she launched an adventure and citizen science initiative called Science in the Wild, aimed at getting people outdoors, thinking like scientists and helping to collect scientific data while on expedition with her in the field. She has also worked with Girls on Ice, a program that takes teenage girls into the wilderness to do small scientific projects. Many of the participants have never set foot on a  mountain. Ulyana is also a member of a citizen science program called Project PoSSUM (polar suborbital science in the upper mesosphere), aimed at educating the public about the upper atmosphere, at the edge of space.

In 2016, Ulyana was chosen as mission commander for an on-the-ground deep space mission with NASA, and was chosen as one of 120 semifinalists (from a pool of 18,354 applicants) for NASA’s 2017 astronaut class.

Ulyana is a keen mountaineer and has climbed Kilimanjaro (Tanzania), Mont Blanc in the French Alps, Aconcagua (Argentina), Ojos del Salado (Chile), Lobuche East (Nepal) and peaks around Colorado. She also has experience working on an icebreaker in Antarctica and ice caving and climbing in Svalbard. Ulyana is excited to join the team and share the beauty of the geological and glacial landscapes we travel to!

Venturing out to sea as a Sea Cadet during her teens, Heidi then left home to work as a deckhand on a schooner on the west coast of her native Canada. Further travels to Bermuda and Canada’s west coast ignited a keen interest in the natural world.

Following her passion, Heidi worked on wilderness adventure boats to put herself through a Marine Biology degree at the University of Victoria in British Columbia. She has been enthusiastically interpreting the natural world ever since.

Heidi was a founding director of the Marine Education and Research Society and assisted with Humpback and Minke Whale research in British Columbia. She has also run a research vessel for Raincoast Conservation Society working on many projects including a large baseline study of marine mammals and sea birds.

Heidi now lives in Tasmania where she spends her free time hiking in the wild and remote regions and volunteering with the Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service.

Jack’s passion for the wilderness was sparked during an AE Expeditions Scotland voyage, which explored the Hebrides and Orkney and Shetland Islands. Further travels through the spectacular fjords of Norway, Svalbard in the High Arctic, and to the ecological wonder of the Galápagos Islands only reaffirmed his passion for the ocean and wild places. A keen outdoor enthusiast, Jack trekked to Nepal’s Everest Base Camp at 14. In addition to trekking, he also counts competing in ocean swims, surfing, stand-up paddle-boarding and backcountry skiing among his hobbies.

Jack has worked alongside our Product Team since 2013, helping with the onboard development of new vessels, while spending as much time as he can at sea as part of our experienced Expedition Team. Jack is always eager to explore, experience new adventures and share his love of remote places. During an expedition, Jack loves being at the mercy of Mother Nature, and never knowing what the next moment will bring or when the next wildlife encounter will be. The ice may come in or wind may pick up, forcing the team to adapt to ‘Plan B’, ‘Plan C’ or even ‘Plan D’ on a single morning, so you never know what incredible experience is in store.

On expeditions, he encourages expeditioners to look up from their cameras and take in special moments to develop a connection to these places and make the memories of them all the more special.

Robert Headland is a senior associate of the Scott Polar Research Institute at the University of Cambridge. His principal interests are historical geography and associated subjects. Specifically, this work concerns human effects on polar regions, especially navigation and the smaller islands and archipelagos. Examination of archives and other historical records, from the earliest expeditions to recent events, has allowed him to provide data for studies of long periods of climatic variation, with glaciological and biological changes. An advisor to several expeditionary organizations and departments of government, he is also a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and a member of the Institute for Historical Research of the University of London.  As well as public lecturing, he contributes to several academic courses.  In 1984 he was decorated with the Polar Medal and is a member of the Arctic Club and the Antarctic Club. In 1977 his research began with the British Antarctic Survey and extended to the Arctic with expeditions of the Scott Polar Research Institute.  Aboard passenger vessels he has lectured during austral and boreal summers for many years to travellers on the history of exploration of the Arctic and Antarctic.  Much of this has been aboard icebreakers able to visit many of the remoter regions.  During this time, he has been associated with the conservation of historical huts and related sites.  In the Arctic he has made several transits of the Northwest Passage, the Northeast Passage, voyaged to the North Pole, visited most Eurasian Arctic archipelagos, Greenland and the North American Arctic.

Graeme was working in electronic engineering and IT when he landed a job at the Australian Antarctic Station and fell in love with the great white continent. After 20 years of service, he sought a chance to explore beyond the Australian sector on Antarctic expeditions. With 30 years' experience living and working in the polar regions, including guiding on over 100 expeditions, Graeme has a unique blend of knowledge and experience that is hard to match. His favourite destination is Greenland, for its immense scale and the fact that it is so far from the usual tourist trail.

Graeme loves life at sea as there is always the chance of something unexpected happening and thrives on passing on all he’s learnt from fellow researchers. He believes that the more you understand an environment, the more you can appreciate it. On expeditions, he encourages expeditioners to sit quietly and take the time to watch everything going on around them, so they can remember the experience that much better.

Whether he’s on white-water rafting adventures in the American West or skiing the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, guiding outdoors has always felt natural to Jeff. He maintains the highest level of safety in the Arctic as a Firearms Master for polar bears. Jeff thrives off the demand for constant vigilance and counts his binoculars as being a more important tool than even his rifle. He is honoured to take expeditioners right to the heart of nature in the polar regions, to help them gain a truly new perspective. After a lifetime of work in different outdoor industries, he still loves learning from and exploring with fellow Expedition Team members.

His favourite destination  is Svalbard, specifically a fjord named Hornsund. This fjord has everything from bird cliffs to magnificent glaciers to towering mountain peaks and is a hot spot for polar bear sightings in southern Svalbard.

On expeditions, Jeff likes to offer this advice: "Get out on deck! I know it’s a lovely ship but get outside! The scenery, the wildlife, what you came here for is outside of those doors."

A professional adventure guide and intermittent resident of the Blue Mountains, Nina has been drawn to the polar regions since her first otherworldly experience of the midnight sun in 2002. Since then she has spent time in far northern Canada, the Himalayas, the Alps and deserts in America and Australia, always seeking out quiet, wild corners to explore. These experiences have instilled in her a deep respect for the balance of systems in the natural world.

Nina spent four years at university studying everything from literature and politics to science, Chinese medicine, psychology and French before graduating with a BA and an appreciation for good storytelling. She also trained as an outdoor guide, getting most excited about roped adventures, rescues and wilderness first aid.

Nina has worked as a canyoning guide and climbing instructor in the Blue Mountains, first aider and volunteer manager on events in the Simpson Desert, and as a guide and lecturer in Antarctica. She feels immensely privileged to travel to these places and shares her passions for the natural world, human stories and adventure with all the wonderful people she meets.

Nina is the author of Antarctica, published by Australian Geographic in September 2020.

Read some of Nina's articles here:

• Are There Polar Bears in Antarctica? No - find out why.
• 10 Fun Facts About Antarctica
• How Cold is Antarctica?
• Is Antarctica a desert? YES. Find out why
• Do People Live in Antarctica?
• Why Are There No Penguins in The Arctic?
• How To Get To Antarctica?
• What Animals Live in Antarctica?
• Who Owns Antarctica?

Languages: Polish (Native), English (Fluent)

Sergey is a highly qualified sea Zodiac driver and expedition specialist from the cold lands of Russia. He is also a boatswain with 16 years' experience. For the last 14 years, Sergei has been training and guiding in Zodiacs in both Antarctica and the Arctic.

“We are all sailors in our family. A whole dynasty. Therefore, I fell in love with the sea in my early childhood. And I always dreamt about travelling," says Sergey.

To follow his dream, Sergey enrolled to serve in the Navy where he underwent thorough training. After graduating from the Marine College, he began work in the Navy. He also graduated from the institute, where he received the highest level of education in management.

“In 2004, I was lucky to get a job at AE Expeditions. The same year I met Greg Mortimer. I was amazed at his achievements, his courage, and for the first time I saw a man who conquered Everest. Then I told many of my friends about our meeting. My first trip to the Arctic will always remain in my memory. It’s so beautiful and you will love it forever”.

Sergey enjoyed all the impressions that the Arctic had to offer and meeting wonderful people along the way, many of whom still work with AE Expeditions today.

Sergey’s first trip to Antarctica left him with even more impressions. Icebergs, penguins, whales, killer whales, and making more new friends.

“I have always liked working with Aurora and it’s nice when passengers are satisfied with our work," remarks Sergey.

Sergei was born in a small village on the shores of the Gulf of Finland. He spent almost all his life on the water. At eight years old he got his first motor boat. As he got older, he went kayaking on the northern seas of Russia, the rivers of the Kola Peninsula and the lakes of Karelia. He has always loved the North, enthusiastically reading books about the Arctic and Antarctic explorers.

Sergei participated in ski marathons for 70 km and went more than once to the mountains of the Caucasus. He worked as a professional diver and a few years on tugboats. Sergei also took part in commissioning and testing of new Arctic ice breakers. In 1998, he came to Svalbard for the first time and worked there for two years non-stop.

“Fabulous Svalbard has changed my life. I believed that someday I'd return there”, says Sergei. And in 2008, he came back to work as a sailor and then as a boatswain on the Polar Pioneer, Aurora’s old vessel, where he met a wonderful team from AE Expeditions. “And then, for almost ten years together, I had a magical time of new discoveries, meeting new friends and fulfilling my dreams”.

This Antarctic season, Sergei joins us on our new ship, continuing to find new friendships and making his dreams come true.

Tamsin has spent her life working in the most wild and remote places on earth – surrounded by clouds in mountain ranges, in remote floating lodges on the coast, and on islands in vast lake systems. She feels privileged to work as a polar Expedition Guide, spending time in awe-inspiring environments that only the most adventurous travellers get to experience. Tamsin thrives on the fast pace of the expedition cruises, waking up in a different destination every day, and working with a world-class and dynamic Expedition Team that is always helping her grow skills and knowledge.

Onboard, Tamsin encourages expeditioners to get outside on the outer decks as much as possible and make every minute count! She firmly believes that Antarctica is the most rare, wild and unspoilt place on the planet, and loves helping expeditioners get the most out of their time there.

Meet Piotr, a fearless adventurer who has been exploring the world since the age of 18. His love for raw Arctic landscapes, rich personal histories and unique wildlife led him to venture to the Arctic Circle in 2014, where he worked as a musher in Svalbard, caring for 100 polar dogs and guiding people around the archipelago. Living remotely without running water, he developed a unique skill set to guide, tell stories and share his knowledge about the Arctic. Piotr is now working between Iceland and Greenland, studying a Masters in Arctic Tourism and leading dog sledding, kayaking, and hiking trips. 

After completing her BSc in Biological Sciences and M.Eng. in Biological Medicine Engineering, Zhenhuan is currently reading for DPhil Zoology at Edward Grey Institute for Ornithology, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford. She studies Ethno-Ornithology, mainly focusing on the relationship between human culture and bird diversity.

Zhenhuan likes bird watching and all kinds of activities related to wildlife protection. She has been to Antarctica twice and loves this frozen land deeply. “Antarctica is a world isolated from all other continents where humans live and it has the power to transform itself”.

This is the first season working with AE Expeditions and Zhenhuan joins our new vessel as an experienced Mandarin Speaking Expedition Guide.

Haining hails from China but has grown up in many places. He loves outdoor activities such as hiking and kayaking, and enjoys reading adventure stories since childhood.

He joined Chinese Antarctica Research Expedition (CHINARE) in 2004 and stayed at Zhongshan station (69°22’S) for one winter season and two summer seasons doing science research. His science projects include Upper Atmosphere Research, Geomagnetic and Sea Ice research. During the Antarctic winter days, he enjoyed observing emperor penguins, Weddell seals and skuas as well as camping and hiking in Larsemann Hills. He then got E.E. Master’s degree and joined multinational companies to pursue a business career.

He is a world traveller and particularly loves glaciers and the aurora borealis. Since 2016, Haining began to work part-time as a polar guide in Antarctica and Arctic regions. Haining has a publishing workshop focusing on polar books translation and publishing. He also provides consulting services to local tour agencies.

Haining is joining AE Expeditions' new ship, M/V Greg Mortimer during its maiden season in Antarctica in a role of a cultural guide to assist our Mandarin speaking guests in discovering the wonders of the Frozen Continent.

王海宁，探险队员。海宁来自中国大陆，在多个城市生活。从小喜爱各类户外活动包括徒步，皮划艇以及阅读探险故事。2004年加入中国南极考察队，在南纬69度的中山站连度过一个冬季两个夏季进行科学考察，独立负责高空大气物理观测，并参与地磁观测和海冰观测。在南极冬天的日子里，海宁的业余爱好是观察帝企鹅，威德尔海豹和贼鸥，并热衷于在拉斯曼丘陵地带进行露营和徒步探险。在取得电子工程硕士之后，他加入国际公司追寻商业职业发展。海宁一直热爱环球旅行，尤其热爱冰川和极光。从2016年起，他开始成为南极和北极的极地向导。2018年初海宁拥有自己的专注极地书籍引进与翻译的图书工作室，并为国内的旅行公司提供极地咨询顾问。

Bettina first worked as a guide in South Greenland back in 1999. Little did she know how much of a profound influence this would have on her life! Over the next 11 years, she explored a land rich in polar exploration and Inuit tribe history, Danish colonialism and the foreign military presence of modern times. In 2017, Bettina joined the Civil Military Cooperation section of Joint Arctic Command in Nuuk, which is the operative division of the Danish Defence in the Arctic. She feels most connected to the Greenlandic way of life when sailing, visiting traditional settlements and pristine landscapes rich with endemic wildlife. She loves how Aurora's Expedition Team strive to make every voyage unforgettable, and have the ability to turn a group of like-minded strangers into a family.

On expeditions, she encourages expeditioners to use all of their senses: "The eyes will never disappoint you because the vistas are so spectacular in the destinations we visit, but just as intriguing is the smell of herbs in tundra, the taste of a mountain sorrel or the feel of a piece of glacier ice smoothened by the sea".

Join Bettina on Northern Lights Explorer (NLE001G), departing 1 September 2023.

Lelia was born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina. After obtaining her Bachelor’s degree in Tourism, she earned a scholarship at Eichstätt University in Germany to continue her specialisation in Geography. She then became a guide of Los Glaciares National Park and recently she finished an MBA in Hotel Management in Buenos Aires.

Lelia has worked and lived for 10 years in front of the breathtaking view of the Perito Moreno Glacier, in Southern Patagonia. There she is dedicated to high quality tourism, providing guests with a unique experience in close contact with nature. She loves sharing her wide knowledge and love of the National Park and surrounding areas with passion.

She takes great delight in working outdoors and helping others to enjoy and discover nature, especially if it is about South America! Lelia will make you feel and live the culture of any place she visits, tasting new flavours, admiring landscape and nature. At the same time she will provide you with cultural tips and information that will make all the difference in your trip. She will definitely guide you to make the most out of your destination.

Graeme was working in electronic engineering and IT when he landed a job at the Australian Antarctic Station and fell in love with the great white continent. After 20 years of service, he sought a chance to explore beyond the Australian sector on Antarctic expeditions. With 30 years' experience living and working in the polar regions, including guiding on over 100 expeditions, Graeme has a unique blend of knowledge and experience that is hard to match. His favourite destination is Greenland, for its immense scale and the fact that it is so far from the usual tourist trail.

Graeme loves life at sea as there is always the chance of something unexpected happening and thrives on passing on all he’s learnt from fellow researchers. He believes that the more you understand an environment, the more you can appreciate it. On expeditions, he encourages expeditioners to sit quietly and take the time to watch everything going on around them, so they can remember the experience that much better.

Whether he’s on white-water rafting adventures in the American West or skiing the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, guiding outdoors has always felt natural to Jeff. He maintains the highest level of safety in the Arctic as a Firearms Master for polar bears. Jeff thrives off the demand for constant vigilance and counts his binoculars as being a more important tool than even his rifle. He is honoured to take expeditioners right to the heart of nature in the polar regions, to help them gain a truly new perspective. After a lifetime of work in different outdoor industries, he still loves learning from and exploring with fellow Expedition Team members.

His favourite destination  is Svalbard, specifically a fjord named Hornsund. This fjord has everything from bird cliffs to magnificent glaciers to towering mountain peaks and is a hot spot for polar bear sightings in southern Svalbard.

On expeditions, Jeff likes to offer this advice: "Get out on deck! I know it’s a lovely ship but get outside! The scenery, the wildlife, what you came here for is outside of those doors."

Peng (James) is one of our experienced Mandarin speaking expedition guides at AE Expeditions. He works as a naturalist, expedition guide and simultaneous interpreter in Chinese, English and Spanish. For the past 11 years, James has lived in the capital city of Argentina, Buenos Aires. While on shore, he works as a tour guide and photographer during his spare time.

His footprints have covered almost all of South America. James also been a designated interperter for many business affairs, events and conferences by the Chinese Embassy in Argentina and combines his interpreting duties with his tour guide professional life until today.

贺鹏（James）是奥罗拉探险公司经验丰富的中国探险队员之一，同时也是极地自然向导和中西英语同传员。过去的11年里他一直生活在阿根廷首都布宜诺斯艾利斯，业余时间任南美旅行向导和摄影师，足迹近乎覆盖整个南美洲，他还曾担任过中国驻阿根廷大使馆的很多商务、政务会议和活动的指定译员至今。

Climbing since 1985, Phil is an extremely experienced senior UIAGM / IFMGA certified climbing guide. Having guided through a number of different countries, including Peru, Canada, Alaska and his native New Zealand, he holds a wealth of climbing knowledge.

Although some may say Phil’s personality is much like his hair – irreverent and hard to suppress – he is actually incredibly modest about his long list of achievements. Phil’s holds a long list of alpine and ice ascent 'firsts' to his name, including an ascent of the Cassin Ridge on Denali (Alaska), a traverse of Mount Cook National Park to, traverse and ski descents in the Mount Aspiring National Park, and a traverse of the Darrans mountains.

When not on the side of a mountain Phil’s often found at another of his other passions: paragliding or sailing his yacht around New Zealand’s Nelson and the Marlborough Sounds – “where the scallops live!”.

Stephen was born and raised mostly in Australia, but his fascination for travel and other cultures came after spending a few years in Fiji at a young age. A degree in surveying took him to the south east China Sea before extensive worldwide travels led him to settle in Canada. Having grown up in and around boats he later made a lifestyle change into marine wilderness tourism which has satisfied his fascination for wildlife and enjoyment of sharing it with others.

Since 1996, Stephen has operated a wide variety of vessels from 92' schooners on multi day wilderness tours and extensive research trips in a small ferry doing short mountain lake cruises. He has spent many seasons in Antarctica and the Arctic occupying various roles, always sharing his knowledge and love for the environment with expeditioners and the Expedition Team alike.

Sailing is Stephen's lifelong passion and pastime, and he and his wife have completed two Pacific Ocean crossings. On their return journey to Australia, they had the chance to explore many of the Pacific's marine mammals and endemic shorebirds. Stephen and his wife settled in Tasmania and are enjoying exploring the island state's rich wilderness by foot, kayak and bicycle. They also spend time care-taking remote properties for the National Park Service.

Adrian is a world-renowned action and adventure photographer who specialises in photographing the wildlife and landscapes of the polar regions while being immersed in the planet’s most precious and provocative environments. His commercial work has been used by a host of travel, sport, lifestyle and expedition publications across the globe, and he has consistently worked with the athletes on the World Surf Tour and UCI World Cycling events.

Adrian is committed to assisting others develop the confidence to succeed at their passions through his high-performance strategy consulting company. He is currently working on a book that will explores the inner journey to fulfilling your full potential.

When not working, you can find Adrian watching a Liverpool Football Club match, sailing a yacht to an undisclosed destination, swimming laps or trying to discover which tequila accompanies the world’s best fish taco.   

A lifelong passion for understanding natural world drove Max to study Biology at university. After completing his studies, he started his global education, spending four years doing field work in the most remote places he could find.

During his travels, he always had his camera within reach to capture the beautiful places he found himself in, and striving to develop his photography skills. After becoming a National Geographic Certified photo instructor, this became his main vocation, and he began guiding photography trips around the world.

Max brings a positive attitude to every expedition, and relishes making people smile as much as he loves capturing these happy moments. What he loves most about working on expedition ships is being surrounded by a world-class Expedition Team that is always helping him grow and learn.  

Renato is a former Economist who embarked on a transformative journey in 2014, leaving behind his office life to pursue a nature-oriented lifestyle. Since then, he has blossomed into a renowned wildlife and travel photographer, capturing captivating moments across all seven continents. Renato's expertise has led him to guide photography workshops, specialising in the polar regions.

With over a decade of experience in wildlife photography, Renato cherishes the opportunity to immerse himself in unique environments to capture unforgettable encounters. For him, photography is more than just a visual medium; it's a means to explore the unknown and gain a deeper understanding of familiar places.

Onboard, Renato eagerly embraces the opportunity to continuously learn from and be inspired by fellow expeditioners and help foster an atmosphere of exploration and discovery. 

As a child growing up in the 80s, Pia was fascinated by film and the power of images. Today, she still loves the role photography can play in creating awareness and inspiring social change. She asked for her first camera at age 9, started taking photography classes in high school and went on to study a degree in Audio-Visual Production and Photography. After graduating, Pia started her global education, travelling everywhere from Patagonia to Sri Lanka to the polar regions, working as a portrait and documentary photographer.

She has spent the last decade sharing the technical and creative photographic tips she has learned with travellers. For the past five years, she has tilted her practice to more collaborative and sustainable projects in areas of human rights issues, working for NGOs like UNICEF. 

Growing up in Moscow with adventure-loving parents, Ivan was kayaking and hiking by age six! He accompanied his parents on all kinds of outdoor adventures, from kayaking through the wild Kamchatka peninsula to hiking in Nepal and Turkey. After studying hospitality management for several years, he finally decided to follow his true passion and has been working as a Kayak Guide for the last five years in some of the most wild and remote places on earth.

Ivan's extensive experience kayaking, along with his contagious energy and enthusiasm, combine to make him a huge asset to our Expedition Team who relishes helping expeditioners develop their skills while having unforgettable experiences in the beautiful destinations we visit. He believes that the polar regions attract special people, and relishes helping expeditioners test their limits!

With a passion for exploring the world and capturing its beauty through his lens, Jamie is a talented Writer and Photographer hailing from Scotland. He has visited all seven continents and over 50 countries, and earned the 2020 Consumer Travel Writer of the Year award. Jamie’s work has been featured in prestigious publications including the New York Times, Sunday Times, Guardian, National Geographic Traveller, Outside and Financial Times. He has journeyed to Antarctica eight times, spent a week in Svalbard while a horror film was being shot, and has stories to tell from just about everywhere in between. His favourite destination so far is South Georgia for its extraordinary history and unpredictable nature.

Always funny and invariably poignant, make time hear some of Jamie’s tales on your expedition, and learn a trick or two on capturing your best photos in his photography lectures.

Ania became fascinated by the idea of travelling when she saw her first Lonely Planet episode on the Discovery Channel as a teenager. She has dreamt about combining her passion for travelling with an inspiring job ever since.

The urge to explore the world prompted her to study foreign languages, specialising in Spanish and English linguistics at university. She has lived in Poland, Spain and Canada, working as a translator, language teacher, city guide and tour leader in her home town of Krakow, Poland.

After leading a semi-nomadic life for several years, which included road trips through the Rocky Mountains, West Coast of the United States and the Australian Outback, she decided to settle in Sydney, trading her beloved Polish mountains for the Australian sun and Pacific Ocean.

She decided to pursue the job opportunity at AE Expeditions after she found out that it was founded by Greg Mortimer, the first Australian to climb Mount Everest. The spirit of adventure Aurora was founded on resonated with her own need for adventure.

After working in our Sydney office as the Expedition Team Coordinator for over six years, Ania joined the Expedition Team as a Snorkel Guide. Whether onboard or in the office, she loves working with like-minded people, whose personal achievements and inspiring lifestyles are living proof that dreams can come true.

Outside work, Ania lives and breathes the great outdoors. She’s a certified SCUBA Divemaster, a keen snowboarder and runner. She enjoys MTB riding in the Snowy Mountains and hiking the infinite national park trails around Australia. She also writes a Polish blog about Australia.

Jane is an IFMGA qualified mountain and ski guide based in the South Island of New Zealand. She began trawling around the mountains during her time at Otago University, where mountain huts were an excellent substitute for lecture theatres.

Prior to guiding full time she worked a number of years in outdoor related industries including ski patrolling in NZ and the USA; as an outdoor instructor in Scotland and for Outward Bound NZ, and as part of the Aoraki Rescue Team based in Mount Cook Village, New Zealand.

During a 5 year nomadic work-travel stint around the globe she spent three months in a tent living at Patriot Hills, in the Antarctic Interior. Her memory numbed by the cold, she went back for a second season, and visited the South Pole with a crew of astronauts.

She speaks Japanese, has a side line interest in Plant Based Nutrition, and finds the simplicity and awe of life in the mountains a very fulfilling and humbling place to be.

Edwin is an avid outdoor enthusiast with a passion for all activities based on, in and under water.

He’s an Australian currently living in Arizona, USA.

Edwin is an experienced polar ice diver, he holds many diving certifications with several agencies, including: Divemaster, Master Scuba Diver, deep diver and extended range river, rescue diver, gas blender, Trimix, DPV, and emergency oxygen provider. Edwin has been a certified diver since 1986 and has dived in the polar regions with AE Expeditions aboard the Polar Pioneer, where his love affair with the polar regions started.

Outside his passion for water activities, Edwin is also a helicopter pilot and an entrepreneur. He has successfully started and managed several start-up companies from inception to multinational status. Edwin has a Master’s degree in Management from Macquarie University in Sydney and has worked in the commercial lighting industry for over 30 years.

Alex was born and raised in Northern California, an area wilder and closer to nature (and colder!) than most imagine. Since he could hold his head up, he was seated in a kayak, eventually beginning to lead tours off the rough and rocky Santa Cruz coastline after graduating from the University of California.

Spending his entire youth climbing and skiing the Sierra’s, surfing, kayaking and boating off the coast, and travelling the world with his parents led him comfortably into a life of guiding. His education in earth sciences at the university inspired an environmentalist attitude, as well as a research-based approach to science and learning. Working among scientists and leading experts has allowed him to make friends with and learn from some of the brightest and enthusiastic members of the industry since the start, and inspired a passion for the birdlife and lichen ecology of the polar regions.

After beginning work with a world-class surf kayaker in Santa Cruz, Alex has travelled the world, continuously challenging himself in and out of a kayak. Guiding month long kayak trips in the Patagonian Fiords, paddling the deceivingly tricky and frigid waters of the Pacific Northwest, and providing hands-on logistical support for whole-season scientific field trips in the High Arctic, among others have provided lessons and experience in leadership and wilderness conduct.

Although these skills are useful for guiding work in polar regions, they also transfer well to Alex’s personal life. When not guiding, he can be found climbing, paddling, skiing and fishing around the Lofoten Islands which he calls home.

Bronwen is an NZMGA assistant ski guide and lives on the South Island of New Zealand. A trip to Nepal in her teen years created a lifelong love of mountains and the art of travelling through them.

She began her pathway into the winter guiding profession through years of ski patrolling in New Zealand, Canada and Norway. She now spends time in both hemisphere's winters, ski guiding and teaching avalanche courses in New Zealand and Japan.

When not on her skis, Bronwen works as a trekking guide. She has guided in Nepal, Mongolia, Bhutan, and on Mt Kilimanjaro. She has also completed a traverse of the New Zealand Southern Alps over three months.

Currently Bronwen's favourite place to go on holiday is…New Zealand! With many skiing, climbing and tramping trips constantly on the plan…as well as running the hills close to her home.

As a Korean adoptee growing up in rural NSW, Matt has always been fascinated with the mountains and remote destinations featured in his parents' National Geographic magazines. Following university, he set off on multiple trekking expeditions across South America. Armed with a small point and shoot camera, Matt fell in love with exploring and photographing the natural world. Shortly after returning home, he then set off on a 3.5-year journey around the world, working across various vocations, all the while taking more and more photos.

In 2017, Matt embarked on a project for Olympus Australia across Central Asia and has been since working closely alongside them as an Official Ambassador. What he loves most about photography is the incredible locations you get to document and the amazing people you meet along the way. Sharing in those 'Wow' moments amplifies the experience in a way no other vocation can compare

Daniel is an experienced Expedition Guide, Kayak Guide and Naturalist from the Blue Mountains in Australia. He has always been drawn to the beauty of wild places, the extremes of cold and light, and the abundance of life that can be found there. A curiosity for engaging in landscapes both physical and human led him to earn a Bachelor of Arts in History and gain additional qualifications in outdoor recreation, including an Australian national certification in training and assessment. 

Daniel has guided people through the wilderness in Australia, Greenland, Svalbard, Fiji, the UK, Norway, and Antarctica. He possesses technical skills and experience in extended trip planning, wilderness first aid and expedition medicine, search and rescue, rock climbing and abseiling instruction, and expedition sea kayaking. He is passionate about the natural world and wildlife and has a remarkable capacity to teach and train others. Daniel’s extensive knowledge and friendly demeanor make him a valuable asset to the expeditions he joins.

Languages: English (Native), Spanish (Fluent)

Liz has been an explorer since before she can remember. Whether in the mountains, on the water, in the city or just her backyard her curiosity constantly led her off the beaten path and into great adventures. Coming from a long line of seafarers and pirates she has always been naturally drawn to the ocean. She has explored the world’s most remote corners and coastlines by sea kayak.

A professional guide since 2003, Liz works in expedition development, instruction and programs for expedition ships, schools and organisations. She can’t wait to get out amongst the polar waters with our expeditioners in 2022.

Growing up in Canada, Lisa developed an early love for outdoor life, especially spending time on the water. Canoeing since she was a child, she fell in love with sea kayaking and has developed into a dedicated kayaker, coach, and guide.

She is an American Canoe Association (ACA) Level 3 Coastal Kayak Instructor and holds ACA Level 4 Open Water Coastal Kayaking Skills as well as British Canoe Union (BCU) Four Star Sea Kayak and BCU Three Star Canoe awards. She is comfortable in sea and surf kayaks, canoes, and stand-up paddleboards.

Lisa has spent many years exploring the waters and guiding trips in the Everglades and Florida Keys and has guided, paddled, and camped around the world including Wales, Greenland, Iceland, Alaska, Canada, the Great Lakes, and Central America.

Now drawn to colder climates, Lisa especially enjoys the opportunity to share wildlife sightings and explore remote vistas with others. She is also proficient in fly fishing and spends time each fall in the Yellowstone area chasing trout. Prior to full-time instructing and guiding on the water, Lisa, who holds two doctoral degrees, was Dean of the Nova Southeastern University College of Pharmacy. She now considers northern Michigan her home, where she has taken up cross-country skiing in the winter, photography, and foraging for local foods.

Growing up on the South Coast of NSW, the coastline and its beaches were always a second home to Eamon. He would explore the coastline either kayaking, snorkelling, or surfing during ocean swim events. Eamon bought his first kayak with a friend at the age of 13 years old and has had more than one type or another ever since.

The canyons and cliffs of the Blue Mountains soon called to him and a long love of climbing and bushwalking followed. The amazing people he met in the mountains would shape what he wanted to do and become in life.

Eamon transferred from electronics tech industry to outdoor guiding in 1994, and he has been involved in outdoor education, guiding, training, instructing and assessing people in a variety of adventurous pursuits and first aid courses ever since.

He is truly rewarded seeing people enjoy new activities, experience different cultures, and be affected by beautiful natural environments. For years Eamon has lead student teams to Peru, India, Vietnam, Cambodia, NZ, Fiji and Nepal. These expeditions encourage the students to grow in independence, resilience and awareness.

For the last 10 years, he has also been working as a sea kayaking guide in Fiji and beyond. Back at home he continues to guide, teach and share his love of the outdoors with adult and student groups.

His passion for languages, travel and adventure has made for a wealth of great memories and stories.

Frank’s passion and love for the outdoors was first sparked when he left his homeland of Germany in 2006 to travel and live in numerous countries around the world. Making a more permanent move to Canada and starting out as a dogsledding guide opened the doors to becoming an outdoor leader and kayak guide. The west coast of Vancouver Island has been his home for 9 years now.

While being out by the coast, he spends his time as a contract sea kayak guide for multi-day expedition style tours and outdoor educational programs for schools. Frank also works to restore wild salmon habitat for a nonprofit organisation in his home town, Ucluelet.

Frank holds a Level 3 Kayak Guide certificate issued by the Sea Kayak Guides Alliance of British Columbia and is working towards becoming a guide trainer.

One of Frank’s favourite quotes that inspires him and influences him in many ways is: ‘You often feel tired, not because you’ve done too much, but because you’ve done too little of what sparks a light in you’.

Hilary has an extensive background in the New Zealand adventure industry, primarily in glacier and ski guiding. She spent many years living on the remote West Coast of New Zealand’s South Island – exploring the rugged wilderness on her doorstep. From 2000 – 2004 Hilary spent her summer seasons working as a field instructor and guide at Scott Base – New Zealand’s Antarctic base.

More recently she has been working in a training and development company – facilitating a variety of programmes including: adventure leadership, team building and outdoor pre-hospital emergency care courses.

Hilary stays active – mountain biking and paddling waka ama (outrigger) canoe are some of her favourite activities when not working in the field.

This Antarctic season Hilary joins us as a part of our experienced mountaineering Expedition Team.

Ian has worked as a wildlife filmmaker for over 30 years, mostly for the BBC Natural History Unit based in Bristol. In that time, he’s filmed on many of the big David Attenborough series such as Life In The Freezer, Planet Earth, Blue Planet and Frozen Planet and have won a BAFTA for Life In The Freezer and two prime time EMMYs for Blue Planet and Human Planet.

During that time, Ian has lived, worked and camped for long periods in remote wildernesses, from northern and eastern Greenland, Ellesmere Island, the Antarctic Peninsula, Siberia and the Subantarctic islands of South Georgia and Marion Island.

He’s swum with huge brown bears in British Columbia and been chased by a musk ox in Greenland. He has howled with wolves in Montana, snorkelled with thousands of sockeye salmon in the icy rivers of Alaska and walked through a mine field in Afghanistan.

Ten years ago Ian moved to Cornwall with his wife Anne and opened The Wild Studio, Cornwall where they exhibit and sell Ian’s panoramic wildlife pictures.

“I try to capture the sense of space and grandeur in a landscape and yet bring a feeling of intimacy with the wild creatures that I photograph. My films and photographs come from a lifelong love affair with the natural world. But as the wild places come under increasing threat, I’m constantly reminded how fragile nature is, and with that comes a new wonder for its ephemeral beauty which I do my best to bring to my images“.

Kevin is an IFMGA certified mountain guide and experienced outdoor educator. He has spent his working life in the outdoors guiding and instructing in the Southern Alps of New Zealand in both summer and winter.

Kevin has had several trips to Antarctica, primarily based at Scott Base with the New Zealand Antarctic Programme teaching survival skills and assisting scientists in the field. In 2005 he sailed with friends from the Falkland Islands to South Georgia, where they spent several weeks circumnavigating the island and exploring inland on foot and skis.

As his body gets older more of his guiding work has been on skis both touring in the Southern Alps and heliskiing in the Indian Himalaya.

When at home in Christchurch, Kevin is an avid rock climber and cyclist. He especially enjoys exploring the remote South Island backcountry tracks on his mountain bike.

Rosie has managed to combine her passion for nature with a successful career in the health industry. A lifelong fascination with the ocean led her to study Biological Sciences with Honours in Marine Ecology. She then studied Physiotherapy and spent 15 years rehabilitating people from serious illnesses. During this time, she kept her passion for the ocean alive by working on weekends as a divemaster, organising diving trips and educating people about the marine environment. When Australia was ravaged by bushfires in 2020, she retrained as a wildlife carer, rehabilitating native animals.

In her spare time she enjoys diving and underwater photography – hobbies that have taken her all over the world. She considers her favourite destination to be Scotland, because of its puffins and seabird colonies, enchanting scenery, fascinating history and because it feels so remote despite still being in the UK.

Onboard, Rosie relishes helping expeditioners explore new places and connect with nature. Her caring nature shines through everything she does, making her a huge asset to your expedition. She encourages expeditioners to embrace the expertise onboard – go to lectures, get involved with citizen science. You’ll take home so much more knowledge, the more you involve yourself.

Wes’ life was transformed by adventure and the outdoors when he was 17 when, feeling lost, he decided to sign up for a month-long Outward Bound ski mountaineering course in the Colorado Rockies. The transformation was so profound that he dedicated his life to helping others have similar experiences through adventure. He became an instructor and immersed himself in every outdoor discipline available. Now with over 40 years’ experience, he has guided in ice, alpine and rock climbing, backcountry and skate skiing, as well as backpacking, desert trekking, white-water rafting, sea kayaking and more. He has logged paddling miles that are equal to circling the equator and is an incredible storyteller.

Michael is a Freelance Travel Photographer and was born on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, where his love for photography and the environment was ignited at an early age. Michael has worked with a number of global clients, with his images being used in various forms of media.

Michael's love of travelling has seen him explore seven continents and over 50 countries, naturally with a camera in hand. He specialises in landscape and wildlife photography with a particular interest in photographing the Polar Regions.

Michael believes that there is no greater travel experience than exploring the remote Polar Regions, and loves getting off the beaten track with a small group of like-minded passengers aboard the Polar Pioneer. He especially enjoys sharing his passion for photography and assisting others to capture images of these incredible scenes.

Michael also has a Bachelor of Science and is a Director of one of Australia's leading Environmental Consultancies, delivering innovative and practical environmental management solutions for a wide variety of clients.

Michael started guiding a couple of years after obtaining a degree as a naturalist in his home state of Michigan. Over the years, he found ways of combining his passion for wilderness travel with paddle sports. Sharing this passion is what drives him and has kept him evolving throughout his adult life. He’s led trips all over the world including Alaska, New Zealand, Greenland, Patagonia, Iceland and most of  Central America.

Michael is a British Canoe Coach, an ACA Level 3 Coastal Kayak Instructor Trainer and a Level 4 instructor. He also holds certifications in Canoe, SUP and whitewater kayak instruction. As a lifelong paddler, when other people peer at mountain peaks, Michael’s eyes will wander down to where they meet their neighboring mountains and know there is water flowing there drawing him like a magnet.

When he’s not guiding, you may find him with oars in his hands, rowing a wilderness river searching for trout with his fly rod. Since wilderness travel and backcountry fishing often result in some serious hunger, Michael has also developed interests and a reputation as a skilled wilderness chef, with a backcountry cookbook to his credit.

Michael’s teaching and demonstrations are among the most popular sessions at US kayak symposiums, and his articles appear in numerous paddling print on web media.

Peter Eastway is a contemporary Australian photographer who is known internationally for his landscape and travel work. A practicing professional photographer, he shoots editorially and works selectively in advertising and family portraiture, two diverse ends of the professional sphere.

Peter has been involved in photographic magazine publishing for over 30 years, establishing his own title, Australia’s Better Photography Magazine, in 1995. It is now one of Australia’s leading photography magazines.

Peter’s work has been published and exhibited internationally (USA, UK, Japan, Germany, Greece, India, New Zealand and Australia).

He was the author of the Lonely Planet’s Guide to Landscape Photography. His photography has recently featured on the cover of the Lonely Planet’s guide to Australia, in articles in the Qantas in flight magazine, and in an Apple television commercial. And he has worked with Phase One cameras, researching and promoting its high-end medium format cameras and Capture One raw processing software.

Peter Eastway is an AIPP Grand Master of Photography, a Fellow and an Honorary Fellow of the Australian Institute of Professional Photography, and a Fellow and Honorary Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Professional Photography. He won the 1996 and 1998 AIPP Australian Professional Photographer of the Year Award.

Join Peter on upcoming voyages in Antartica:

• Spirit of Antarctica, departing 9 January 2024
• South Georgia & Antarctic Odyssey, departing 19 January 2024
• In Shackleton’s Footsteps, departing 16 March 2025

Peter's career has taken him down several unusual paths, from a stint in the military, to Civil Engineering, to working on TV survival shows, and to life in a Tanzanian National Park working for a well-known wildlife conservation trust. But he now spends his winters heli-skiing as one of the head guides for Bella Coola Helisports and at several backcountry ski-touring lodges. In the fall he spends much of his time guiding guests to view grizzly bears in the Bella Coola valley.

He also guides rock climbing and sea-kayaking trips. Born in Montreal, and having lived and guided for many years in Europe, the lure of endless white-capped mountains and the pristine Pacific Ocean enticed Peter to British Columbia where he can live his passions everyday and share his love of wild untouched places with others. He spends every possible moment exploring and adventuring in the backcountry on skis, in a kayak, trail running, climbing or surfing.

Peter is always up for a new adventure, the more remote, the better. His down to earth, relaxed demeanour and wealth of experience make him a great companion in the mountains or on the sea. Peter loves practicing his Spanish.

He is certified through the British Canoe Union as a 5-star sea kayak Leader and through the SKGABC as a Level 3 guide. He has guided trips all over Canada, Scotland, Norway and Iceland.

Richard is a freelance travel photographer & Canon Master who has captured incredible images of people and places around the world for more than 35 years. His work has been published worldwide in books, magazines, newspapers, brochures, calendars, posters, cards and websites; from the size of a stamp right up to a tarpaulin covering a 53-foot truck trailer!

He has also published 12 books including five editions of Lonely Planet’s Guide to Travel Photography, was featured in the television documentary Tales By Light (available on Netflix) and is a Travel Photography Scholarship Mentor for World Nomads. Richard has won numerous awards over the course of his career but is most proud of gaining a Master of Photography and one gold bar from the Australian Institute of Professional Photography.

Richard is joining us as a special guest on the following expeditions:

• Across the Antarctic Circle (ANC009S), departing 24 February 2024.
• Costa Rica and The Panama Canal (CRP004G), departing 19 April 2024.

Russell grew up in a sea kayaking family on the rugged west coast of Canada with parents that pushed him and his brother to get out there and challenge themselves. He tries his best to do this on a regular basis, which has led him to have some truly incredible experiences in even more incredible places around the globe.

For the last decade, Russell has spent the winters working as a ski patroller in British Columbia, the summers guiding and being an outdoor educator, while pulling off some seriously large-scale expeditions in between – the most impressive of these being a sea kayak adventure from Brazil to Florida with his brother when he was only 19, which spanned 6,500-kilometres and seven months.

Russell has recently shifted gears in life and become a paramedic with the British Columbia Ambulance Service. While working part-time, he still manages to maintain his passion for the outdoors through guiding and exploring the world's mountains, rivers and oceans whenever possible.

Onboard, he encourages expeditioners to get to know the Expedition Team, because you can learn so much from them and are bound to have a good laugh!

Scott Portelli is an international award-winning wildlife, nature and underwater photographer. He’s a member of the Australian Institute of Professional Photography (AIPP) and is regarded as a leading professional in his field. Scott has spent thousands of hours in remote locations across the globe filming and photographing nature, wildlife, the underwater environment and wild places.

Scott has spent over a decade working in the polar regions with a focus on Antarctica, the Subantarctic and Artic regions, producing a unique portfolio of fine art photography that showcases the intricate environment and its intriguing inhabitants. Working in extreme conditions, Scott’s photography provides a rarely seen glimpse above and below the surface in some of the harshest places on the planet.

As a professional nature, wildlife, underwater and aerial photographer, Scott spends a lot of time travelling the world to remote destinations in search of some of the most amazing creatures on the planet. For Scott, it is about the journey, bringing an idea to life by capturing a moment in time or by evoking an emotion. Each image has a unique story that is usually a very intimate moment that Scott may have shared with the subject.

“To create interesting concepts, it sometimes involves me immersing myself in an environment in order to research the location, subject matter and what opportunities may present themselves. I once spent two months on the back of a snow mobile in Baffin Island, Canadian Arctic in minus 37 degrees just to do a reconnaissance of the region for a series of photos I wanted to produce. In the end, I love what I do and I love sharing the natural world through photography.”

Scott was awarded at the prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year in London in 2016, announced National Winner of the Sony World Photography Awards 2016 and Winner at Travel Photographer of the Year 2015. More recently, he was awarded winner in the Animal Behaviour Category at the Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year ANZANG 2017, winner in the Underwater Category of the Asferico International Nature Photography Awards 2018 and runner up in the Behaviour Category at Underwater Photographer of the Year 2019. His conservation documentary also took out two awards at the prestigious French Underwater Film Festival in Marseille.

Scott's other notable awards include:

• 3^rd Prize - National Geographic Travel Photo Contest - Nature Category 2019
• Winner - 13^th Annual Black & White Spider Awards 2018
• Highly Honoured - Nature's Best, Windland Smith Rice International Awards 2018
• Winner - Sony World Photography Awards 2016

An accredited licensed RPAS/UAV Pilot, Scott has worked on aerial projects for some of Australia’s most sought-after tourism destinations.

Scott runs photography workshops and lectures to show enthusiasts and experts alike the best way to get the most out of their photography. On his Polar tours he specialises in Nature & Wildlife photography bringing the best tips and techniques for photographing in challenging locations.

Tarn works year round in the outdoors of NZ and is qualified as an IFMGA Mountain and Ski guide. Since visiting Antarctica for the first time in 1994 he has returned over 15 times and admits to being completely addicted.

He is based in Queenstown NZ, his home of 25 years. Tarn spends the winter months heli skiing and ski touring and during the long South Island Summers he guides and works on film and television productions as a safety officer. He is also contracted as the Crew Chief for the local Air Ambulance service and volunteers for the local Alpine Cliff Rescue Team.

In his spare time, Tarn gets out on his mountain bike or skis as much as possible to explore his home patch in the beautiful southern lakes of the South Island.

Michael is an experienced CEO with more than 25 years of experience successfully building and managing global international sports brands including Nike, Hurley, O’Neill and Surf Hardware International. His passion for the outdoors, the environment and surfing make for a great fit culturally with Aurora as well as his extensive global experience marketing to adventure focused consumers.

After completing university, Mick hopped on the well-worn Kangaroo route to the UK which ignited a life-long love of travel. Mick has backpacked extensively across most of Europe and visited many parts of Asia, North and South America and the Pacific Islands and has spent time living and working in London and Dublin. A trip to Antarctica remains elusive but hopefully he’s found himself at the right place to get the opportunity sometime in the future.

Mick has over 17 years’ experience in the travel industry having tried to weave a path that mixes his love of travel with his practical accounting qualifications! When he’s not in the office Mick is an avid lover of most sports and will be found playing or watching pretty much any game. Growing up in a camping family Mick also enjoys getting away from it all and getting out into the countryside or down to a beach, especially with his two young sons.

Andy’s passion for exploration and travel was ignited in his teenage years during school trips to China and Washington D.C. Experiencing new and different cultures left him eager to explore more of the world.

Since leaving school Andy has worked in a variety of roles in Hospitality and Tourism, from managing restaurants across the world to spending over a decade in luxury travel agencies and tour operators in the UK.

One of Andy's core values is sustainability, which attracted him to AE Expeditions. In addition to helping Aurora become the global leader in sustainable expedition travel, he continues to work within the wider travel industry to share and develop ways to improve sustainability across the industry.

Outside of work, Andy loves getting out of London to go hiking and enjoying a meal with friends in the bustling city's ever-changing restaurant scene.

David has always had a passion for travel and learning from experience. After graduating from the University of Montreal’s business school, he moved to China for a year to gain experience in Operations for Starwood Hotels & Resorts. After returning to Canada, he was introduced to expedition travel and spent the next 11 years working for a polar expedition operator promoting this unique type of travel to adventurous travellers and the trade community. In 2022, David completed his Master of Business Administration at Canada's Ivey Business School, and learnt the importance of implementing purpose into his career. Understanding the power of positive impact that tourism can promote, David is excited to be working for Aurora – a pioneer and global leader in sustainable expedition travel – as our Global Head of Sales.

Deeply passionate about working for purpose-driven companies committed to respecting the majestic beauty of our planet, Hayley Peacock-Gower and AE Expeditions are a perfect fit. With more than 20 years experience in strategic branding, marketing and media for an array of iconic Australian and global brands—such as Canon, Earth Hour | WWF, QANTAS, News Corp, Fairfax Media, Hong Kong Tourism Board, CommSec and PayPal, among others.

Hayley is passionate about championing AE Expeditions’ perspective altering experiences that change people’s lives and believes the best outcomes in expedition travel are best achieved with an ongoing commitment to bold, dynamic and active environmental initiatives.

With a lifelong obsession for nature and the ocean, Hayley is always on the lookout for the perfect sunrise.

When Carolyn hit the backpacker trail straight out of high school it was the start of a 10-year adventure that saw her swim in the Dead Sea, sail down the Nile in a Felucca, and complete her Australian pilgrimage to Gallipoli in Turkey. The travel bug certainly bit hard: she's now traversed all seven continents, often with her UK husband and kids in tow.

Based on Sydney's northern beaches, Carolyn spent a decade overseeing the HR function at Surf Life Saving NSW before joining AE Expeditions. She's a true 'people person' who thrives on developing meaningful relationships and helping others succeed and grow. She's the person who ensures your expedition team is highly skilled, supremely qualified and dedicated to creating magical moments.

Sitting in the grass while looking into the eyes of a gorilla. Floating around a river bend while being greeted with the sounds of energetic chanting from New Guinea tribesmen. Spotting the red-flared tails of a Bird of Paradise mating ritual.

These are just a few reasons why Lisa has spent 25 years in travel. After graduating from the University of Washington, Lisa immediately went to work as a copywriter for Society Expeditions, a Seattle-based expedition cruise company.

From there she moved into public relations and advertising handling travel-related accounts such as Holland America and Westmark Hotels. She then spent the next 15 years at Virtuoso, the industry’s leading leisure travel network handling marketing and later cruise sales.

She moved to the supplier side in 2013 joining Zegrahm Expeditions as the Director of Sales responsible for developing revenue with outside sales channels including retail travel agents. She moved from expedition cruises to exotic land experiences when she joined the fabled 261-year-old tour operator, Cox & Kings, The Americas in 2017.

Lisa couldn’t be happier getting back into small-ship cruising and joining AE Expeditions in January 2020. One of the most favorite and rewarding aspects of her job is developing strong personal relationships within the travel advisor community.

When Lisa isn’t building the AE Expeditions' brand in North America, you can find her working on mosaics and gardening at her home on Whidbey Island in Washington State.

A leader in small-ship and destination led travel, Jos has 20+ years of experience in the industry, most recently as Global Managing Director for discovery cruise and tour company, Voyages to Antiquity.

Jos also spent many years managing the Antarctica product for heritage lines Voyages of Discovery and Swan Hellenic.

Jos is passionate about the environment and those authentic travel experiences that connect us with the real world that we inhabit and that also serve to educate our protection of it.

Jos grew up by the sea with a professional scuba diver father who instilled a great passion for the ocean and its diverse ocean life. A passion that has now settled firmly with expedition cruising, a topic on which Jos has widely consulted and written many articles.

Outside of work, Jos enjoys trekking with his golden retriever and exploring the UK coastline by kayak. He has also written and published a children’s book and played a double for Pierce Brosnan in the James Bond film, Tomorrow Never Dies.

Nicole Murray joined AE Expeditions, North America in February 2023. She lives in White Rock, BC which is named for a 486-ton white granite boulder on its beach that migrated south during the last glaciation.

Nicole has an extensive background in the Travel Industry which she is extremely passionate about. Her career spans over many years where she has gained experience in the Airline industry in reservations, at the airport and as a flight attendant. She worked in several foreign countries for a Tour Operator as a Destination Supervisor including Mexico and the Dominican Republic. On land, she has worked in both corporate, government and leisure travel agencies. She later became a District Sales Manager for another Tour company and managed a large chunk of Eastern Canada based in Ottawa, Ontario. From there she relocated to Vancouver, BC and got heavily immersed in the cruise line industry, including ocean vessels and river cruises, where she remained in various positions both on land and on-board ships for 20 years. When she landed her position with AE Expeditions, she found her passion and excitement reignited and is thoroughly enjoying her new role.

In her free time, Nicole enjoys travelling: the only continent she hasn’t been to is Antarctica. She likes the outdoors for hiking in all seasons as well as wine tasting and creating new menus while experimenting with her passion for cooking. If you wanted to know one thing about her that most people don’t know: she has been married to a professional comedian ventriloquist for 21 years!!

With a career spanning more than 30 years in the global travel and cruise industry – including leading brands such as Cunard, Ponant, Lindblad Expeditions, Orion and Oceania Cruises – Steve brings a wealth of experience, expertise and passion to AE Expeditions.

Travel is Steve's absolute passion, especially expedition cruising and he cannot wait to work closely with AE Expeditions’ loyal trade partners on our new expedition itineraries and remote destinations.

Tomas was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. After earning his Bachelor’s degree in Biology and Ecology he underwent a winter in Antarctica at the Polish Research Base of Henry Arctowski, as part of his PhD. Scholarship.

Since 1993 he has been involved in the Expedition Cruising industry, leading expeditions, on board various vessels, bound to Antarctica, the Arctic, Amazon River, as well as Iceland and Greenland. His broad experience in these areas has seen him lead the field in operations, itineraries and logistics for premium expedition cruise companies around the world.

During his career, Tomas has also supported as well as managed logistics for several Antarctic Research Bases as well as provided assistance to the Antarctic Heritage Trust, and the South Georgia Heritage Trust, in between others.

In his free time he enjoys sailing his yacht in the River Plate, rowing, playing tennis and cooking for friends.

For years now, travel has been part of Dominic's life. Ever since his first independent trip to Japan, he's always sought out new experiences and adventures. This quest has taken him to all 7 continents, with every trip bringing back bigger and better memories. From lion walks in Zambia to camping at Oktoberfest, he can proudly say I'm always up for something new. Antarctica is his final frontier, so you could say he fits perfectly at home in the AE Expeditions' team!

Dominic will be leading the Reservations and ATAS team, helping our passengers with all their expeditions needs.

Languages: English (Native), Afrikaans (Fluent)

What started out as a hobby working as a Photography Guide on whale watching and shark cage diving boats quickly progressed into a career after Jean-Pierre had the opportunity to work as a Divemaster on the Sardine Run off the Wild Coast of South Africa, known as The Greatest Shoal on Earth. Jean-Pierre Els qualified as a PADI Divemaster and Surf Launching Skipper in 2011 for the Sardine Run and this trip ignited an existing passion for wildlife and having a whole new world to explore. He was employed as a resident Divemaster and Skipper shortly after, specialising in shark diving and launching in surf as well as the Team Leader on the annual Sardine Run. As the Team Leader, Jean-Pierre was responsible for the setup of an offsite base, logistical planning and managing of the daily operations, team duties and coordinating water activities for the boats out on the water each season including coordination of the air support team.

Jean-Pierre was a General Manager of Zavora Lodge, a Dive Resort in Mozambique before he committed all his time to expedition cruising from December 2016 onwards. He worked as an Expedition Leader, Divemaster, Zodiac Driver and Naturalist from the Arctic to the Antarctic and the tropics in between. As an Expedition Leader, he lead teams of expedition experts in remote locations all around the world. Jean-Pierre feels privileged to have had the opportunity to lead or work on expeditions and dive trips in 57 countries and numerous destinations on every continent and ocean around our beautiful planet. In his Divemaster role, he designs tailored dive and snorkel programs, including operations management in leading intricate dive and snorkel programs for private charters as well as large commercial groups operating from land or onboard boats and larger vessels. Working as a Water Sports and Surface Activity Coordinator in the Seychelles and Adriatic Sea, he was responsible for establishing the onboard operations, crew training, schedules, logistics and development of SOP’s for a newly launched expedition vessel.

As the Expedition Team Manager at AE Expeditions, Jean-Pierre (JP) has a key role in building professional relationships and allocating expedition team members to AE Expeditions' programs. JP also works with the Operations department and Expedition Team to ensure all our team members are suitably qualified and hold relevant proficiencies. Coordinating the Citizen Science Program, AE Expeditions' training activities and special projects along the way, ensures AE Expeditions delivers the trip of a lifetime to our passengers.

With years of leading groups and travelling up her sleeve, Liz is always happy to help make your voyage the best it can possibly be! Having grown up in three different countries (the Philippines, USA and Australia), Liz caught the travel bug at an early age. Since then she has travelled widely throughout Australia, New Zealand, India, Vietnam, Nepal, Mexico, Europe, and Africa.

After finishing her PhD in Microbiology, Liz found herself leading overland safaris throughout Eastern and Southern Africa; and later managing a lodge in Botswana’s Okavango Delta. On returning to Australia, Liz satisfied her interest in conservation education and animals working at Sydney’s Taronga Zoo as an education officer for their ‘Roar & Snore’ program. Liz has also had a parallel career in the areas of medical communications, management and human resources.

Liz has been working with AE Expeditions in Antarctica since 2009-2010, as well as completing several seasons in the European Arctic. Liz has also worked on ship-based expeditions in Papua New Guinea, Scotland, the North-West Passage, Alaska’s Inside Passage, Far East Russia and the Kuril Islands.

In her role as an expedition guide and leader, she is particularly thrilled to be able to combine her curiosity of the natural world and her passion for sharing it with others.

Liz also works at the AE Expeditions head office as Operations Manager where she is accountable and/or responsible for matters relating to vessel deployments and expedition operations.

Amanda's passion for Antarctica began when she was Expedition Coordinator on a 2001 expedition to Macquarie Island, Cape Denison and Dumont d'Urville. A life changing experience for her, she has lived and breathed the Antarctic ever since, working as an Assistant Expedition Leader and Expedition Leader for 10 years with AE Expeditions. She also works in the High Arctic, and developed a passion for the northern climes, including Norway, Scotland and Greenland. Amanda has been onboard since the inception of our Papua New Guinea voyages, and loves the friendliness and wonders of this part of the world. Her desire is to share the life changing experiences of the Antarctic, Arctic and other remote wildernesses, and the joys and challenges of marine travel.

Armed with accounting qualifications, a diploma in photography, and marine qualifications, Amanda has a wide array of skills. She has worked in a variety of fields, including marine import and export, yacht production and yacht racing. She was part of the crew on the 'Survivor' television series in Panama and Vanuatu and her work as yacht delivery crew satisfied her adventurous nature. A keen sailor, Amanda has sailed the eastern Australian coast many times, worked as a deckhand and cook in the Whitsundays on a 55ft timber ketch, and sailed for several years on the tallships HMAV Bounty and SV Svanen. She has twice sailed to Lord Howe Island with Nuclear Free Seas and has actively participated in a number of Greenpeace campaigns.

Since the birth of her daughter, Amanda utilises her comprehensive knowledge of Aurora’s destinations and style, by managing and developing the expedition team… and living somewhat vicariously through their adventures!

Ania became fascinated by the idea of travelling when she saw her first Lonely Planet episode on the Discovery Channel as a teenager. She has dreamt about combining her passion for travelling with an inspiring job ever since.

The urge to explore the world prompted her to study foreign languages, specialising in Spanish and English linguistics at university. She has lived in Poland, Spain and Canada, working as a translator, language teacher, city guide and tour leader in her home town of Krakow, Poland.

After leading a semi-nomadic life for several years, which included road trips through the Rocky Mountains, West Coast of the United States and the Australian Outback, she decided to settle in Sydney, trading her beloved Polish mountains for the Australian sun and Pacific Ocean.

She decided to pursue the job opportunity at AE Expeditions after she found out that it was founded by Greg Mortimer, the first Australian to climb Mount Everest. The spirit of adventure Aurora was founded on resonated with her own need for adventure.

After working in our Sydney office as the Expedition Team Coordinator for over six years, Ania joined the Expedition Team as a Snorkel Guide. Whether onboard or in the office, she loves working with like-minded people, whose personal achievements and inspiring lifestyles are living proof that dreams can come true.

Outside work, Ania lives and breathes the great outdoors. She’s a certified SCUBA Divemaster, a keen snowboarder and runner. She enjoys MTB riding in the Snowy Mountains and hiking the infinite national park trails around Australia. She also writes a Polish blog about Australia.

Skye’s passion for Antarctica was sparked when she was 16 years old during an AE Expeditions trip to Heard Island and East Antarctica on the icebreaker, Kapitan Khlebnikov. During the one-month voyage, she experienced the wild Southern Ocean, visits to emperor penguin rookeries and the delight of working with Russians.

Graduating from Sydney University in 2005 with a Bachelor of Health Science in Rehabilitation Counselling, Skye was hired by AE Expeditions as ship’s Hotel Manager. In the 11 years since, she’s worked in both Antarctica and the Arctic, taking on the role of Assistant Expedition Leader. She’s worked in Scotland, Norway and the European Arctic from Svalbard to Greenland and Iceland. Skye was especially fortunate to work in the Russian Far East, and lists as a highlight Aurora Expedition’s inaugural (and only) North East Passage voyage, setting off from Murmansk and continuing across the top of Russia, Siberia, then down the Kamchatka coast and through the Kuril Islands.

As well as working for AE Expeditions, Skye has crewed on her partner’s two expedition support yachts, Australis and Philos, mainly in Antarctica, South Georgia and the Chilean Channels. She’s worked closely with scientists, documentary film makers (including the BBC, National Geographic, Discovery Channel and Red Bull), extreme sports athletes and the United Kingdom Antarctic Heritage Trust.

Skye's logged a season as crew in the Caribbean and travelled to Canada, Mexico, Tahiti and throughout South America. Her love of the ocean and wild places, and ability to perform under challenging circumstances has helped her develop a tremendous respect for nature in all its moods, whether it be polar, equatorial and anywhere in between. Skye is passionate about travelling, experiencing new adventures and meeting interesting people. And though her list of future trips is long, for the moment Skye is enjoying the wonderful adventure of motherhood and delighted to be working as Operations Coordinator for AE Expeditions.

Svet’s passion for travel developed at a young age via her interest in history, culture, and learning foreign languages. From her first trip to Europe with her parents aged 12 to living abroad in Germany as a university student, she has continued to travel internationally whenever given the chance. Svet loves honing her language skills and picking up the basics in each new destination and is driven by the potential of whatever tasty food is waiting around the corner, often letting the search for a specific dish guide her daily itinerary. Svet is both a nature and a city lover, thriving off spotting sloths and birdlife in the breathtaking Peruvian Amazon or hiking a granite dome in Yosemite National Park just as much as discovering small jazz bars and vintage clothing stores in the lively neighbourhoods of Tokyo.

It didn’t take Svet long in her PR career to gravitate towards the travel industry, and she has been lucky enough to work in the destination PR space for more than eight years, promoting destinations such as New South Wales, the USA, Peru, Los Cabos, and Germany with experience spanning PR and media relations targeted to driving awareness and visitation within both domestic and international markets.

Svet is proud to join a company that has curiosity, adventure and a respect for the environment at its core and looks forward to working with global media partners to help tell the story of the transformational experiences that AE Expeditions offers its guests.

Based in Vancouver Canada, Allison embraces the outdoor lifestyle of the Pacific Northwest. An avid camper, paddler, and SCUBA diver, she previously worked for a local sea kayaking outfitter and a national outdoor retailer. With over 15 years of marketing experience, Allison loves connecting people to outdoor experiences and sharing their stories.

Allison first started travelling by visiting the castles of Scotland with her grandmother. Since then, she has enjoyed many unique experiences including a safari in Botswana, cruising the Galapagos and a full year abroad in Australia. Observing and appreciating wildlife in their natural habitat is a highlight to any trip. Allison aims to inspire and encourage our North American guests to have amazing outdoor adventures.

From hiking the tropical rainforests and incredible landscapes of the Caribbean islands to discovering a troupe of three cheetah brothers gnawing the back of an unsuspecting four-wheel drive on an African savannah, Oksana seeks the experience of something entirely new on her travel adventures. It's about searching for the out-of-the-ordinary and wanting to encounter different cultures and landscapes that fuels her passion for travel.

Having worked in the Marketing field for well over 10 years, Oksana has experience with all forms of B2C and B2B marketing initiatives, specialising within the digital field. Her focus is on delivering exceptional customer and trade experiences through email marketing and CRM initiatives, to communicate authentic content, news and updates to AE Expeditions' wide array of followers. She also has extensive experience within the brand, web, content and social spaces, which helps to ensure a cohesive experience across all touchpoints of communication.

Outside of work and her passion for travel, you can find Oksana enjoying a few rounds of trivia with her friends, catching up on the latest cinematic and TV releases, and getting stuck into fantasy novels.

A natural-born creative, Alison has spent years refining her visual communications and art and is now the AE Expeditions resident graphic designer. From a young age, she was writing novels and illustrating before taking up photography and painting.

With an interest in developmental and social psychology, she finished school and began a psychology degree before transferring into graphic design. After graduating Alison moved into fashion where she worked with a number of different labels.

Alison has loved being part of a company that is like a family with exploration and adventure at its core. She joined the AE Expeditions team with a love of helping bring people’s dream holidays to life and drawing from their adventures and creating beautiful aspirational pieces that reflect the magical and life-changing experiences AE Expeditions provides.

The travel industry and seeing the world was a lifelong interest for Kelli, having grown up along the east coast of the USA, surrounded by beaches and outdoor life.  

After attending college in Pittsburgh, USA with a focus on travel and tourism, she spent seven years as a travel consultant with a local retail chain. While in her next role as a BDM within an international host agency, she gained that first-hand knowledge of the travel agencies throughout different areas of the USA and Canada and enjoyed helping other advisors succeed. 

Her love of adventure and experiential travel led her to the supplier side of the industry, spending 4 years covering various areas of the USA and Canada as a sales director in expedition cruising.  

Looking to continue her career goals with sustainable tourism and responsible travel at the top of mind, Kelli was able to find her final home at AE Expeditions, a company that aligns with her core values.

Alex caught the travel bug from a very early age. Growing up in Belgium, her family made the most of being so close to everywhere and took her on numerous holidays. She was instantly hooked and up to this day, still spends her life looking forward to her next trip.

She lived a few years in the UK where she studied Tourism and had a stint with PR – she loves her puns!

She then spent the next few years working for Club Med in the UK Head office, as well as a few months in one of their resorts in France, putting together conferences and incentives and sometimes escorting groups around the world.

Looking for ‘a sunnier version of London’, she landed in Sydney and has not looked back since! After Translation studies, she missed travel too much and worked for a wholesaler promoting Europe and the South Pacific for over 5 years.

Ready for a new challenge, she joined the Aurora family in November 2017 and is very excited to tell everyone about our stunning and unique destinations!

When she is not at work, she loves to spend time catching up with friends, looking for unusual fun activities, or working out behind the ‘barre’!

Amelya has over 20 years' experience in the cruise industry. Growing up New Zealand she finished her Advanced Diploma in Travel Management before embarking on her journey in the travel industry. Working for a small cruise wholesaler, she was fortunate to start with her very first cruise aboard the legendary QE2 but later realised her passion to explore the world by sea can only be via an expedition.

Having worked for a number of cruise and expedition travel companies within the Sales teams, she shares her many stories of kayaking amongst the ice of Alaska, climbing to the top of King George Falls in Australia’s Kimberley or being mesmerised by comical penguins of the south. Amelya loves meeting new people and immersing herself into local cultures and even though worlds apart experiences, she fell in love
with the gorgeous kids of Papua New Guinea but also the big bright lights of New York City.

When she is not at work she loves to be outdoors – enjoying Waka Ama (outrigger canoeing), catching up with friends and family and cheering on the mighty All Blacks even though she has been living in Australia for nearly 20 years - she will always be a "Kiwi girl".

Hannah's passion for travel has lead her to over 20 different countries and has always reflected in her line of work. Receiving a bachelor’s degree in management majoring in Tourism, Hannah has a particular draw to immersive travel and loves adventuring amongst nature uncovering new landscapes, flora and animals. Her first introduction to the polar regions in her early days of her career invoked an adoration for the stunningly pristine and otherworldly environments and spectacular wildlife attached to the regions. From this has stemmed a love for not just sending people on a simple holiday but encouraging travel with a purpose highlighting preservation and sustainability.

Hannah loves being a part of a team so dedicated to the places they travel to and looks forward to supporting the sales team in getting people out and exploring this incredible world full of natural wonders.

Ross joins AE Expeditions with 15 years of travel and tourism experience both in Australia and North America. Whilst completing his MBA from Edith Cowan University, Ross established his own boutique travel agency in Canada, which focused on sending clients on wild and crazy adventures. Having recently sold his business, he is now utilising his experience to assist us grow the AE Expeditions brand in the Americas.

Living in Vancouver, Canada with his wife and young family, Ross is happy to be based in beautiful British Columbia where both himself and his family can take advantage of all the adventurous activities that B.C has to offer.

Ross is primarily responsible for building valuable relationships with the travel trade and assisting them with learning more about our unique product. Polar Tourism is a unique vertical within the Adventure Tourism portfolio, Ross is excited to share his enthusiasm for expedition cruising with the travel trade at large.

Passionate about Adventure Tourism, he is excited to be starting his next career adventure with AE Expeditions.

Katie has firsthand experience of remote nature travel, having worked onboard cruise ships sailing around the Arctic to destinations like Greenland and Iceland. This sparked an appreciation for experiencing the natural world at its most pristine. Her passion for sustainability, and doing what we can to protect these natural destinations aligns with Aurora's values of respectful exploration and discovery.

Katie brings a keen drive to grow Aurora’s market share within the UK and an understanding extensive lead generation skills from her varied travel industry experience, including work with tour operators, a small ship startup and onboard cruise ships.

Melissa was born in New York City and raised in Rye, NY. A devout Boston Red Sox, New England Patriots and Boston Celtics fan, she has been in the travel and hospitality business for the past 31 years. Starting her career in hotels down in Palm Beach Florida, she eventually was hired on by Delta Airlines as a Special Member Service consultant in Boston and Los Angeles, where she worked with the elite members who flew on Delta.  From there she went to renting villas in Italy and learned all about the country that is her favorite destination. She has since worked for AAA Travel in Newport Beach and Laguna Hills, California, Israel’s Express Tours based out of Boston and most recently Scenic Luxury Cruises, where she was top in sales during her whole tenure there. Melissa has been to over 25 countries and 40 United States.  She has lived and gone to school in Gstaad, Switzerland and studied and received her BA in Visual Media (TV, Film and Video) as well as Journalism and Photography at The American University in Washington DC. She was also hired by Warner Brothers and worked in TV production for several years out in Burbank, California.

Melissa is excited about this new chapter of her life in expedition cruising and learning something new. She is so happy to be with a wonderful company like Aurora who really cares about their people who work here as well as their passengers.

After graduating from Sydney University with a Bachelor of Arts (Art History and Spanish), Mark was a lost soul. Having backpacked around Europe after high school, he decided to again escape to Europe for a one-year working holiday and although he didn’t find himself, he felt somewhat qualified to pursue a career as a travel agent after returning to Australia. However, a nine-month stint at STA Travel proved he wasn’t resilient enough to be on the frontline as a retail agent, whereupon he retreated into the world of horticulture and garden design for five years.

But after a holiday to Indonesia, which sparked a passion for Asia, Mark returned to the travel industry working for Asia specialist tour operator Travel Indochina, where he stayed for almost 12 years taking on various roles in sales before settling down in his ideal role as a product manager. An incurable bout of wanderlust took him to South Africa, North America, and Latin America where he stayed for nine months practising Spanish, including two months volunteering as an English teacher in the Ecuadorian Amazon, teaching English to staff at Napo Wildlife Centre and to the local indigenous community.

Mark’s a self-confessed ‘tennis tragic’ who loves playing and watching tennis, and aspires to attend all four grand slam tournaments. Wimbledon and US Open are the remaining two tournaments yet to be ticked off the list. He also loves to write and isn’t afraid to be the first clown to get out on the dance floor.

Heidi was fortunate enough to start her travelling adventures from a young age, with her father working in the travel industry (as well as many school holidays “working” in his office).  Her first independent trip was to Japan for 3 months as a teenager, and since then has spent much of her time travelling or planning her next adventure.

Her first professional role in tourism was a specialist in car rental and leasing, working a variety of roles from reservations to a pricing analyst.  She then worked as a Product Coordinator specialising in North America, Africa and the Middle East, before landing the role of North America Product Manager, which she did across two global businesses.  In addition to North America, she was heavily involved in worldwide small ship cruising.  She has a love for adventure travel, not just her own experiences, but opening up new destinations and opportunities for others.

She got her first job in travel at a crucial and difficult time for the industry, July 2001.  Though an uncertain time for travel, she was lucky enough to be a part of a small company who valued their people above all else.  After working for larger businesses, she’s happy to come full circle and be working again at a company who views their people as their best asset. She’s excited to be a part of Aurora’s bright future.

In her spare time, Heidi can be found volunteering for the Rural Fire Service, rehearsing for amateur theatre shows or enjoying time with her young family.

Bonnie grew up living in seven different countries and was bitten by the travel bug at an early age.  After graduating from Pepperdine University she went to work for a travel agency and has worked in the travel industry ever since.  Her vast experience includes working for British Airways, Virtuoso, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, SeaDream Yacht Club, and Brendan Vacations.  She thrives on cultural learning, experiential travel and discovering remote corners of the world.

After her first trip to Antarctica eight years ago she fell in love with expedition travel.  Some of her favorite destinations in addition to Antarctica include India, Borneo, Kenya, and Peru.  She is passionate about environmental sustainability and the AE Expeditions experience and commitment to responsible, respectful travel is aligned perfectly with her core values and goals.

When not traveling to exotic places she enjoys spending time outdoors and taking care of her rescue dogs.

Jacqui is a passionate marketeer and content creator, who has specialised in travel marketing for the last five years, managing campaigns for global brands in the adventure and luxury spaces. She is passionate about digital marketing and crafting inspiring content that sets the dreaming wheels in motion.

She has lived and travelled all around the world, including spending a year studying French in Normandy, half a decade in London, extensive travels throughout Asia and a year backpacking in South America.

An avid adventurer, some of her favourite memories include weekend hiking trips in England’s South Downs, hiking to the ‘Lost City’ in Colombia, a string of multi-day treks in Peru, summiting Bolivia’s 6,088m Huayna Potosí, a cycle and sail holiday in Croatia, walking the last 100km of the Camino de Santiago in Spain, and annual hiking trips closer to home in Tasmania.

When the world was locked down she re-discovered paddling and the joys of experiencing places from the water, and is still diligently working her way through the waterways of NSW on weekends.

Leani recognised her passion for all things travel at an early age, studying tourism during her final years at high school. Even after brief forays into the worlds of hairdressing and television, not even the celebrities she encountered could sway her interest away from a career in travel.

Her first job in the industry was with tour company Globus/Cosmos, where she spent five years honing her skills as part of the reservations team. During this time she traveled extensively; exploring Western Europe, Asia and the Pacific islands.

When not busy helping our passengers with their additional travel arrangements, Leani can be found, worshiping the sun at the beach, shopping or relaxing back with a mudpack watching the latest comedy release.

With 20 years' experience in expedition cruising as well as travel to Africa, Chantelle has been fortunate enough to travel to some of the most remote, wildlife and historically rich destinations. From king penguins to polar bears, mountain gorillas to puffins and Wandjinas in the Kimberley to Skara Brae in the Orkney’s, she is thankful to be given access to some of the most amazing places on the planet. With a passion for art and history, Chantelle would love to be able to spend most weekends at art galleries and museums, but her twin boys don’t quite yet share the love!

Karen's passion for travel started early in life. When she left school, her first job was working in a boarding school high up in the mountain town of Crans-Montana, Switzerland. This started her love affair with mountains, travelling and adventure.

Since then, she worked for British Airways for over 15 years in various roles – mainly within corporate communications and the London Gatwick press office. After leaving British Airways, Karen lived in Virginia, USA with her family for 4 years. Returning back to the UK, Karen then worked for a Canadian luxury train operator, before joining AE Expeditions.

Karen's motto is ‘I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list!’

Karen has four children, and her parental advice amounts to ‘ travel – go and see the world!’

When not travelling or working, you can find Karen clay shooting, paddle boarding along the River Wey, horse riding in the Surrey Hills, or just walking and enjoying the beautiful countryside she is lucky to call home.

Danna started her career in Polar Expeditions 10 years ago. She has been all over the polar regions by ship and on foot. She loves Antarctica and all its glory. She can talk endlessly about her experiences there, and her friends live vicariously through her expeditions. But Danna has a deep seeded passion and respect for the Arctic.

Growing up in the mountains of British Columbia Canada, and being close to the Arctic, she felt it was an easy reach. She spent her young adult years listening to Canadian folk singer Stan Rogers, who sang passionately about Canadian history, the Northwest Passage, and the Bluenose Ship. She says his baritone voice, and traditional songs, lead her to where she is today. She still gets goose bumps when she talks about the History of Franklin and how she feels when she stands on Beachy Island in the Canadian Arctic.

Danna has an arctic library that she uses for inspiration and exploration daily. She worked with a team of Explorers in 2014 to assist with the great find of the HMS Erebus. Her knowledge both past and present in the Canadian arctic is extensive.

Danna believes that sustainability, education, and passion are the most important part of travel. You must see it to believe it, and you must believe it to care. And to Care is to protect. Danna wants to explore and travel to many more remote places in the world. And she believes that traveling by ship is one of the best ways to do that.

During the last 25 years she has raised two children, hiking them around the mountains in BC, and living close to her large family. When they travel, she tells them “Check in with me, explore passionately, and don’t come home until you’re done” and she says they almost always listen to her.

Jane started her career in Property Management but soon developed a love of travel when she travelled throughout Canada and the USA. After a break from the workforce to have her three gorgeous children, Jane soon felt the need to re-join the ranks of the workers.

She initially joined the AE Expeditions team in a casual position and was such an enthusiastic worker, with a great eye for detail, that she took up the offer of a permanent part-time position in the busy accounts department. Since late 2012 she has moved to the challenging role of Office Administrator which involves working in many areas of the company. Her most important task is organising manifests and liaising information for Ship Operations.

Jane can't wait until her children are old enough while she indulges in her passion for travel. She loves bears and realised her dream when she travelled on the Spitsbergen voyage in 2011.

Hans has over three decades’ experience working as an Expedition Guide, Kayak Guide, Medic, Captain and Environmental Educator. He attributes being raised in Phoenix, a city in the in the middle of Arizona’s Sonoran Desert, to his fascination with water. It started with raising tropical fish as a child, then scuba diving as a teen, and has continued to strengthen throughout his life. After earning a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Biology, he worked as a scientist on research vessels in the North Atlantic and Caribbean, kayak guiding between stints in Mexico. He then attained his Captain’s License and captained research and small passenger vessels in Central California and Alaska, which he still counts as his favourite destination. Hans is addicted to exploring different ecosystems, and understanding the inter-relationships that exist. He maintains that the more he learns, the less he knows.

On expeditions, Hans has some sound advice for expeditioners: "Observe and be in the moment. Get rid of your pre-conceived ideas of how nature works and attempt to formulate for yourself a narrative of what you are observing and experiencing. Appreciate the little things, for they are the reason the big things exist."

Meet Piotr, a fearless adventurer who has been exploring the world since the age of 18. His love for raw Arctic landscapes, rich personal histories and unique wildlife led him to venture to the Arctic Circle in 2014, where he worked as a musher in Svalbard, caring for 100 polar dogs and guiding people around the archipelago. Living remotely without running water, he developed a unique skill set to guide, tell stories and share his knowledge about the Arctic. Piotr is now working between Iceland and Greenland, studying a Masters in Arctic Tourism and leading dog sledding, kayaking, and hiking trips. 

Languages: English (Native), German (Limited), Spanish (Limited)

David has been with the fire service for the past 25 years, training and working as a medical first responder. For him, coming to people’s aid in an emergency can be extremely challenging but also incredibly rewarding. He has been fortunate enough to have spent two years working at three different research stations in Antarctica. During his stint at a research station at the South Pole, he had the opportunity to work alongside research scientists and explore the Ross Sea, the world’s largest marine protected area.

His favourite destination is South Georgia for its grand mountains and abundant wildlife, its historic whaling stations frozen in time and its history of exploration. He reminds expeditioners not to miss the opportunity to do a polar plunge. They are a blast – always a mix of apprehension and jubilation!

Russell grew up in a sea kayaking family on the rugged west coast of Canada with parents that pushed him and his brother to get out there and challenge themselves. He tries his best to do this on a regular basis, which has led him to have some truly incredible experiences in even more incredible places around the globe.

For the last decade, Russell has spent the winters working as a ski patroller in British Columbia, the summers guiding and being an outdoor educator, while pulling off some seriously large-scale expeditions in between – the most impressive of these being a sea kayak adventure from Brazil to Florida with his brother when he was only 19, which spanned 6,500-kilometres and seven months.

Russell has recently shifted gears in life and become a paramedic with the British Columbia Ambulance Service. While working part-time, he still manages to maintain his passion for the outdoors through guiding and exploring the world's mountains, rivers and oceans whenever possible.

Onboard, he encourages expeditioners to get to know the Expedition Team, because you can learn so much from them and are bound to have a good laugh!