With education and enrichment at the heart of the way we explore, it’s our pleasure to share our Special Guests Program that features experts in the fields of exploration, conservation, science, photography, art, culture and more to enrich your expedition with their unique perspectives, insights, and experiences.
We want to you to be inspired and connect more deeply to the places you visit, wildlife you encounter, and people on your expedition, so that you when you disembark, you are richer in your knowledge and understanding of our planet than you were when you stepped onboard. See who is joining us below.
Alesha Bradford & Jarryd Salem
Sony Digital Imaging Ambassadors & Travel Writers
Alesha Bradford and Jarryd Salem are Sony Digital Imaging Ambassadors and the co-founders of one of Australia’s largest independent travel publications, NOMADasaurus.
Travelling the world full-time for 16 years, their work as professional photographers, travel writers and tour leaders has taken them to nearly 100 countries and all 7 continents.
Alesha & Jarryd will be Special Guests on our Svalbard Odyssey voyage, departing 7 August 2025.
Tété-Michel Kpomassie
Explorer & Writer
Tété-Michel, author of ‘An African in Greenland’ left his Togo homeland in 1958, aged 16, for an improbable journey to the Polar regions.
He travelled along the west coast of Africa and crossed the whole of Europe doing temporary jobs including dishwashing in a restaurant in Copenhagen. There he bought his ticket onboard a cargo and passenger boat for Greenland and finally arrived at Qaqortoq in June 1965, eight years after his departure from Togo.
Tété-Michel spent 16 months travelling along the west coast from Qaqortoq to Upernavik staying in every town on the way but also in smaller places including Aappilattoq, living only in Inuit families. He spent the winter 1965-66 in Oqaatsut, then 160 inhabitants and 600 huskies.
Tété-Michel’s story has been the subject of a BBC documentary and his book ‘An African in Greenland’ originally written in French, has now been translated in over 10 different foreign languages.
Tété-Michel Kpomassie will be a Special Guest on our Wild Landscapes of West Greenland voyage, departing 15 August 2025.
Martin Gregus Jr
Photographer
Martin Gregus Jr is a photographer, filmmaker and guide currently living in Vancouver, Canada. Martin has dedicated his time to discovering the Earth’s secret troves, hidden treasures and honourable habitats, seeing patterns and movement in landscapes that were often ignored.
Martin captures the beauty of ordinary situations and never-before-seen moments and tells the story of our planet through his work. He can see things and stories far beyond the reality of everyday life, a gift which is reflected in his wildlife photographs, which are full of detail and natural dynamics. Martin’s work has been recognised in some of the world’s most prestigious contests – he received the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2021 Rising Star Award.
Martin Gregus Jr on our Northwest Passage expedition, departing 25 August 2025.
Maria Coffey
Author & Guest Speaker
Maria Coffey is an internationally published and award-winning author of thirteen books. Her first book, Fragile Edge: Loss on Everest, won two prizes in Italy including the 2002 ITAS Prize for Mountain Literature; Where the Mountain Casts its Shadow won the Banff Mountain Film Festival Literature Prize in 2003 and a National Book Award in 2004. For these titles, along with Explorers of the Infinite (2008) Maria was awarded the 2009 American Alpine Club H. Adams Carter Literary Award. Maria has also written extensively about her worldwide travels and expeditions with her husband Dag Goering, who is a veterinarian and photographer. Maria’s most recent book: Instead: Navigating the Adventures of a Childfree Life won the Adventure Travel Prize at the 2023 Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival.
Maria and Dag are co-founders of www.hiddenplaces.net, a boutique adventure travel company which is a three times winner of National Geographic Traveler’s 50 Tours of a Lifetime Award. Through the conservation branch of Hidden Places, they also run special trips to raise funds and awareness for endangered species. They are based in British Columbia and in Catalonia.
Maria Coffey will be a Special Guest on our Northwest Passage expedition, departing 7 September 2025.
Peter Eastway
Photographer
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).
Peter Eastway will be a Special Guest on our Northwest Passage expedition, departing 7 September 2025 & on our Jewels of the Arctic voyage, departing 10 July 2026 & on our Svalbard Odyssey voyage, departing 23 July 2026.
Dr Sandra Magnus
Engineer & Former NASA Astronaut
Dr. Sandra H. “Sandy” Magnus most recently served as the Chief Engineer for the Traffic Coordination System for Space in the Office of Space Commerce in the Department of Commerce working to establish a civil space traffic coordination system. She is also affiliated with the Georgia Institute of Technology as part time of Professor of the Practice. Dr. Magnus retired from federal service as the Deputy Director of Engineering in the Office of the Secretary of Defense for the Undersecretary of Research and Engineering.
Prior to joining the DoD, she served as the Executive Director of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), the world’s largest technical society dedicated to the global aerospace profession. Selected to the NASA Astronaut Corps in April 1996, Dr. Magnus flew in space on the STS-112 shuttle mission in 2002, and on the final shuttle flight, STS-135, in 2011. In addition, she flew to the International Space Station on STS-126 in November 2008, served as flight engineer and science officer on Expedition 18, and returned home on STS-119 after four and a half months on board. She has extensive experience working with the global space community.
Dr Sandra Magnus will be a Special Guest on our Jewels of the Arctic: Greenland Solar Eclipse voyage, departing 2 August 2026.
Alison Mackay
Artist in Residence
Alison Mackay is an Australian artist whose work has been shown in numerous solo, group and prize exhibitions over the last 2 decades. Her approach to art is broad-ranging and adventurous, from large botanical oil paintings to tiny drawings of rainforests and reefs made on recycled packaging, Alison’s work covers the genres of still life, landscape and portraiture. It has been included in many prestigious art prizes including The Archibald and Portia Geach (for portraiture), The NSW Parliament’s Plein Air Painting Prize (for landscape) and the Dobell Prize for Drawing.
Balancing Alison’s studio time, her adventurous spirit has taken her to remote and unusual places around the world. Her base in Jervis Bay on the NSW south coast allows her to enjoy activities from kiteboarding and freediving to kayaking and bushwalking. Adventure, both artistic and physical, is at the heart of all her activities.
Alison Mackay will be a Special Guest on our In the Wake of Wallace voyage, departing 24 October 2026.
Richard Morecroft
Broadcaster, Author and Artist
Richard is one of the Australia’s best known media figures, having been the ABC’s nightly TV newsreader for 20 years, the host of many documentary and educational programmes as well as the popular SBS quiz show “Letters and Numbers”.
He has a long-standing commitment to wildlife and the environment. For some years, he hosted his own wildlife show “Richard Morecroft Goes Wild” on ABC-TV, as well as writing and presenting documentaries for the ABC’s Natural History Unit.
He has authored or co-authored several books on wildlife and has been a Trustee of WWF (The World-Wide Fund for Nature).
Richard has also conducted on-stage interviews with a wide range of outstanding individuals, from comedian John Cleese to Australian of the Year Ita Buttrose and even the late Gough Whitlam. He also works with the National Library in Canberra interviewing prominent Australians for its oral history programme – and his YouTube channel “Exhibition – with Richard Morecroft” is dedicated to interviewing visual artists.
His own artworks are in several public collections, including Parliament House, Canberra.
Richard Morecroft will be a Special Guest on our In the Wake of Wallace voyage, departing 24 October 2026.
Tracy Edwards MBE
Pioneering Sailor & Guest Speaker
Tracy Edwards embarked on her first Whitbread Round the World Race in 1985-86 at age 21, making history as the first woman to race on a Maxi yacht. She gained international fame in 1990 as the skipper of the first all-woman crew to compete in the 1989/90 Whitbread Race. Surviving icebergs, food shortages and sub-zero conditions, Tracy led her pioneering all-female crew to a hard earned second place. Their courage, strength and determination inspired thousands and made their vessel, Maiden, one of the most iconic yachts in the world. Maiden has since opened the door for a generation of female sailors, forever changing the world of sailing.
Tracy was awarded an MBE and became the first woman in its 34 year history to be awarded the Yachtsman of the Year Trophy. She paved the way for other women to follow.
In 1998 she founded/skippered the first all-female crew to attempt the Jules Verne non-stop round the world record. They were on course for the record but were dismasted off Cape Horn. They jury-rigged the yacht and made it to Chile without assistance. During their attempt the team broke 7 world records.
In 2000/01, she managed the first mixed-sex professional crew, breaking the 24-hour speed record with Maiden II. In 2014, she rescued and restored Maiden, launching The Maiden Factor to promote the Empowerment of girls’ through Education.
In 2023, Maiden set off on her final race with the most diverse professional crew ever. By February 2024, Maiden had sailed around Cape Horn with the first three black female crew members and the first Afghan sailor. In April 2024, Maiden became the first all-female crew to win an around-the-world race, securing its place in yachting history.
Tracy Edwards will be a special guest on our In Shackleton’s Footsteps voyage departing 1 November 2025.
Richard I'Anson
Photographer
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 I'Anson will be a Special Guest on our In Shackleton’s Footsteps voyage, departing 1 November 2025 & our Spirit of Antarctica voyage, departing 19 November 2025 & our Subantarctic Discovery voyage, departing 2 January 2026.
Emma McEwin
Writer & Douglas Mawson’s Great-Granddaughter
Emma McEwin is a writer and a great-granddaughter of Douglas Mawson. She has a BA and Honours degree in English literature and a PhD in Creative Writing from the University of Adelaide.
Emma is the author of An Antarctic Affair (East Street Publications, 2008), which explores the reasons why Douglas Mawson survived a sledging journey in the Antarctic in 1912-13, and the role that her great-grandmother, Paquita, played in his survival. Her second book, The Many Lives of Douglas Mawson, (Australian Scholarly Publishing, 2018) explores the ways in which Mawson has been represented and remembered as a public figure while also reflecting on his private legacy, as a husband, father, scientist and academic.
Other publications include ‘Nancy Atkinson: Bacteriologist, Winemaker and Writer (1910-1999)’, published in The Australian Journal of Biography and History (2018), ‘Capturing the Subject: Virginia Woolf’s Battle with Biographical Boundaries’, (Fear of Theory, Brill Academic Publishers, 2021), ‘Atkinson, Nancy (1910-1999)’, published in the Australian Dictionary of Biography (online), 2022, and, most recently, ‘The Fêting of Douglas Mawson: Farewells, Homecomings and Other Notable Occasions’ (Bibliophile, 2024).
Emma McEwin will be a special guest on our Mawson’s Antarctica voyage departing 11 December 2025.
Daisy Gilardini
Photographer
Daisy Gilardini is a conservation photographer who specialises in the polar regions, with a particular emphasis on Antarctic wildlife and North American bears. She is originally from Switzerland, and is now based in Vancouver, Canada. She fell in love with Antarctica during her first trip there in 1997. She has since devoted most of her time to photographing the polar regions.
In 25 years of polar exploration, she has joined more than 90 expeditions to Antarctica and the Arctic. Among her accomplishments, she has skied the final degree to the North Pole. She is a member of the International League of Conservation Photographers (ILCP) and the SeaLegacy Collective, a fellow of the New York-based Explorers Club, and member of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society. She represents a number of prominent, industry-leading brands in the photography field. She is an ambassador for Nikon, Gitzo, Lowepro, Eizo, SanDisk and WesternDigital. Daisy’s images have been published internationally in leading magazines such as National Geographic, BBC Wildlife, Canadian Geographic, Nature’s Best and Outdoor Photography. Her images have also been used by high-profile NGOs such as Greenpeace and the World Wildlife Fund, among others.
Since 2018, she has been a photographer in residence with Canadian Geographic and she has been nominated Greenpeace Antarctic Ambassador. Her work has been recognized by some of the world’s most prestigious photography awards, including BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year, Travel Photography of the Year and the Nature’s Best Windland Smith Rice International Awards. Her childhood passion for the natural world has evolved into a lifelong commitment to spreading the message of conservation and the need to preserve what’s left of the world’s remaining wild places.
Daisy Gilardini will be a Special Guest on our Antarctica Complete voyage, departing 20 December 2025.
David McEown
Artist in Residence
Canadian artist David McEown has dedicated the past three decades to harnessing the captivating medium of watercolour in his exploration and expression of the Earth’s pristine wilderness. His paintings, spanning from the icy landscapes of Antarctica to the remote reaches of the North Pole, grace collections worldwide. A graduate of the Ontario College of Art and Design, David is an elected member of the Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolour, where he was twice honoured with the prestigious A.J. Casson Medal in 2005 and 2018.
Additionally, David is a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society and an active member of the esteemed Explorers Club. His expertise as a sought-after teacher is exemplified by his extensive experience conducting workshops and multimedia presentations for numerous art societies, museums, and expedition voyages. Through these endeavours, he passionately shares his deep reverence for nature and his commitment to the creative artistry of painting.
Explore David’s work and learn more about his artistic journey.
David McEown will be a Special Guest on our Antarctica Complete voyage, departing 20 December 2025.
Philippa Ross
Human Ecologist & Sir James Clark Ross’s Great-Great-Great-Granddaughter
Philippa Ross is the great-great-great-granddaughter of Sir James Clark Ross, the renowned polar explorer who discovered the North Magnetic Pole in 1831 and the Ross Sea region in Antarctica in 1841. Inheriting his pioneering spirit, Philippa is driven by an insatiable curiosity to explore the interconnected forces that shape the wellbeing of people and the planet.
With a background in Psychology and extensive experience as a mentor, Philippa empowers individuals to chart their course in life by tuning into their internal compass, or what she calls the “Greater Personal Self” (GPS). Her mission is to inspire others to steer their lives True North, making sovereign and sustainable choices that positively impact both humanity and the environment.
As an Ambassador for Antarctica, Philippa played a part in the successful campaign to protect the Ross Sea, the last intact marine ecosystem on Earth. She is also the creator of the “Waste Not, Want Not” podcast, where she interviews global changemakers who are maximizing human potential while minimizing environmental waste.
Adopting her “less is more” philosophy, Philippa has downsized into a tiny home she built herself, continuing to lead by example as a speaker, writer, and energy healer dedicated to creating meaningful change.
Philippa Ross will be a Special Guest on our Ross Sea Odyssey voyage, departing 16 January 2026.
Angela Smith
Conservationist & Founder of Shark Team One
Angela is an award-winning conservationist, photographer, filmmaker and researcher specializing in endangered species. She is also the founder of the environmental nonprofit Shark Team One. Shark Team One’s programs help save endangered species globally through field research, community action, citizen science and marine protected area projects.
Angela has also been a writer and photographer for National Geographic, a contributing science editor and photojournalist for The Sylvia Earle Alliance and was recently inducted into the Ocean Artists Society for her conservation photography. As a filmmaker Angela’s wildlife documentaries have won awards at global venues such as Jackson Wild and Blue Ocean Film Festival. Her natural history broadcast portfolio includes work with Discovery Channel, BBC, PBS and National Geographic. She is also an Indianapolis Prize for lifetime achievement in conservation nominee for 2020 and has recently led Shark Team One to be a Disney Conservation Fund grantee.
Leading expeditions to Arctic regions since 2018, Angela fell in love with Antarctica on her first trip there with Aurora Expeditions in 2024. Her current polar work includes study of narwhal migration through ice floes in the Canadian Arctic, documenting the “carousel feeding” behavior of orcas in the Norwegian Arctic, marine mammal and ecosystem studies in Antarctica with a focus on the Weddell Sea.
Angela grew up on the coast of Maine learning about and working on the water at a young age and she’s been exploring the world’s oceans ever since. She can’t wait to meet you onboard to share her expertise in marine ecology and endangered species conservation.
Angela Smith will be a special guest on our Across the Antarctic Circle: Fly the Drake voyage departing 8 February 2026.
Peter Eastway
Photographer
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).
Peter Eastway will be a Special Guest on our South Georgia & Antarctic Odyssey ft. the South Sandwich Islands voyage, departing 4 March 2026.
Nigel Danson
Photographer
Nigel Danson is a YouTube creator and landscape photographer. Being dyslexic, photography had a profound impact on Nigel’s early life, when he uncovered the joys of developing images in a makeshift darkroom. He discovered his love of light and how it could create infinite possibilities of what was otherwise a static landscape. Nigel’s philosophy is to seize the moment, to capture the essence of his experiences. He runs workshops all over the world to share his knowledge and passion for landscape photography.
Nigel Danson will be a special guest photographer on our Antarctica: Through the Lens voyage, departing 1 February 2026.
Rachel Bigsby
Photographer
Considered to be a leading wildlife photographer amongst her contemporaries, Rachel Bigsby specialises in seabirds natural artistry.
She is a winner in five of the world’s most prestigious competitions as the winner of ‘Natural Artistry’ in Wildlife Photographer of the Year and the portfolio winner in Bird Photographer of the Year. She is also a Nikon creator, a published photographer by National Geographic, and a photographer for the RSPB and the National Trust.
Rachel Bigsby will be a special guest photographer on our Antarctica: Through the Lens voyage, departing 1 February 2026.
James Popsys
Photographer
James Popsys is a British Outdoor Photographer and Youtuber who lives in Wales. Before YouTube he worked as a commercial conceptual photographer but being a firm believer that all the best stuff in life happens outdoors, he prefers to send his time in the field rather than in Photoshop these days. James is drawn to documenting nature but also the human impact on it, for better and for worse.
James Popsys will be a special guest photographer on our Antarctica: Through the Lens voyage, departing 1 February 2026.
Mads Peter Iversen
Photographer
Mads Peter Iversen, is a photographer living in Denmark. An educated schoolteacher with a master degree in educational philosophy, after trying out other photography genres, such as headshot photography and commercial videography with great success, he settled on fine art landscape pictures. Mads started out as a photographer in 2011 and his experience with video editing goes back to 2002. Mads finds inspiration all over the world but he’s especially drawn to the nordic, cold and harsh yet stunningly beautiful nature.
Mads Peter Iversen will be a special guest photographer on our Antarctica: Through the Lens voyage, departing 1 February 2026.
Jeroen Van Nieuwenhove
Photographer
Jeroen Van Nieuwenhove is a full-time Belgian Icelandic nature photographer working out of Reykjavík, Iceland. Being inspired by extremes, he has largely dedicated his photography to documenting the Arctic, with a special focus on volcanic eruptions & the Icelandic Highlands. Most recently, he received international attention for his dedication to documenting the Fagradalsfjall & Svartsengi volcanic eruptions in Iceland. With his work surrounding volcanoes, he focuses on showing the exceptional beauty within the chaos, whilst highlighting the creation within the destruction. Jeroen is also a self-published author and teaches photography through workshops & ebooks.
Jeroen Van Nieuwenhove will be a special guest photographer on our Antarctica: Through the Lens voyage, departing 1 February 2026.
Jack Lodge
Photographer
Jack Lodge is a professional landscape and nature photographer from Wimborne, Dorset in the South West of England, UK. Through his photography, Jack strives to capture the change of each season, documenting the ever changing landscape and nature around us. His photography varies from enchanting ancient woodlands in the heart of the Dorset countryside, to dramatic seascapes and snow-capped mountains in Italy and Norway.
Jack Lodge will be a special guest photographer on our Antarctica: Through the Lens voyage, departing 1 February 2026.
Roman Fox
Photographer
Roman is a photographer from London with a focus on travel and light. He doesn’t have a specific niche or subject but likes to shoot anything that catches his eye. He also runs a travel photography blog and YouTube channel.
Roman Fox will be a special guest photographer on our Antarctica: Through the Lens voyage, departing 1 February 2026.