Northern Europe Expedition Team

Luciano has been working on Expedition Ships across the globe for the last 15 years.  “Luqui" as most people call him, is particularly at home in both Polar Regions, after many expeditions sharing his passion for ice, glaciers and wildlife. He is part of Seabourn’s fulltime team since 2015.

Luqui is certified in a variety of specialties: as Ski Patrol with extensive training in skiing, snow safety, avalanche awareness and first aid; as a Birding Guide by Argentina’s National Ornithological Society, as a Mountain Guide and Rock & Ice Climbing Instructor by the Argentina Mountain Guide Association and Buenos Aires Alpine Club, not only does feel comfortable fin the mountains but also on the water. Growing up in a sailing family, he is certified by Argentina’s Coast Guard, and the RYA to operate sailboats, and small vessels. The Polar Tourism Guide Association (PTGA) has certified him and a qualified Senior Polar Guide. 

Birding and glaciers are his two main passions: a keen birder since a very early age, and many years of experience working around, on, under, and close to glaciers.

When he is not working, he is at home in Patagonia where he has lived and worked in the beautiful mountains and glaciers for the last 30 years. He has a wealth of experience in adventure travel and eco- tourism; leading, guiding, and lecturing to groups. From expeditions across the Patagonian Ice-Field and Ice Walks on the Perito Moreno Glacier to treks in Torres del Paine and Tierra del Fuego, Luciano has worked as a mountain guide, ski guide, tour leader, naturalist guide, and birding guide, across Argentina and in many other countries throughout the past 30 years.

Luciano is based in Los Glaciers National Park, Patagonia, Argentina and also works as Director and board member of GLACIARIUM/Museo del Hielo Patagonico – the largest and one of the very few Glacier museums in the world. Luciano’s diverse jobs and interests have taken him to many destinations and wilderness areas around the world. 

Cecilia Vanman is a Danish expedition leader, marine mammal & seabird biologist and explorer, whose work has taken her all over the world. She has planned and led expeditions for both scientific teams, environmental think tanks, private entities and natural history film crews such as National Geographic Society.

Cecilia has a special love for Scandinavia and the Arctic and her sailing expeditions have taken her to 84 degrees North in the Polar Sea near Eastern Greenland, on a circumnavigation of Iceland and of the Spitzbergen Archipelago, from the Southern tip of Greenland to Qaanaq in the Northwest and on submarine wreck searches off the Greenlandic west coast. Cecilia has also planned and led three private expeditions through the Northwest Passage from Alaska to Greenland and she has navigated the Norwegian coastline from the southernmost tip to the North Cape several times.

The sea and all its’ living creatures are her greatest passions and the driving forces behind her explorations and work adventures. The experiences in nature, wilderness, with wildlife and local cultures through various forms of expeditions, are transformed into presentations and Cecilia is a popular public speaker in Denmark, where she is based. Conveying stories from the wild to inspire others or lead to conservation efforts, is another passion of hers. Her favorite moment in expedition work thus far, is an hour long, intense encounter with a humpback whale who gently pushed Cecilia’s small zodiac with its’ jaw and looked her directly in the eye – an unforgettable experience.

Cecilia Vanman has lived, worked and studied in Italy, Indonesia, Great Britain and USA. She speaks Danish, Swedish, Norwegian and English fluently and Italian and German at conversational level. She also has a reasonable working knowledge of French. Cecilia was invited to join Women Adventurers Club Denmark in 2011 and is the first Danish woman to become a Fellow of The Explorers Club. 

A Johannesburg native, Greg was raised on a farm in South Africa, eventually moving to Cape Town where he developed an entrepreneurial spirit that had him owning a variety of business ventures while still in school. Following his schooling and military service, he fuelled his dual interests in business and adventure by starting a variety of business’s in Knysna one of which was a PADI SCUBA diving centre at the Heads in Knysna on South Africa’s Garden Route and later running a dive resort in Mozambique. He also acquired a Commercial 150 Ton Skippers & Yacht Master’s certifications along the way.

After eight years as a SCUBA diving guide and Instructor, he left the sea-coast behind and moved to a mountain town called Dullstroom, high in the Mpumalanga Province of South Africa where, along with running a tour business, he organized civic adventure events including mountain bike races and fly-fishing tournaments that have successfully attracted adventure and outdoor lovers to the area. Greg has explored almost every corner of Southern Africa and several of the Indian Ocean islands. He has over 5000 dives in the Indian Ocean and Red Sea; hiked most of South Africa’s trails; travelled over 14,000km by off-road motorbike through Southern Africa and has kayaked many of the country’s rivers. He has viewed much of the country from the air as a paraglider, the highlight of which was sharing a thermal with a pair of majestic black eagles.

Greg has worked for Seabourn since November 2014 in the Antarctic, Chile, Patagonia, Brazil / Amazon, Alaska, Australasia, the South Pacific and in the Arctic region. Presently Greg owns a luxury Guest House in Dullstroom, Mpumalanga, South Africa en-route to the Kruger National Park.

Greg has used this passion for adventure and his wealth of outdoor experiences to accumulate tremendous knowledge about the natural world. He has developed a keen eye that benefits his photography. Naturally gregarious and an avowed “people person,” Greg’s respect, admiration and love for the natural world also make him a responsible adventurer. 

Mike Smith has a decade’s worth of experience within the ecotourism industry, working in the UK, Iceland and Antarctica. Primarily, Mike has been providing environmental education upon whales, dolphins and porpoises in situ, discussing the life histories, conservation status, threats and their importance to ecosystem health.

Mikes plan of working as a marine conservationist began in college. After spending the vast amount of his schooling and spare time dedicated towards a career in sport, he decided to change paths. Aside from sport, Mike had always had a passion for wildlife and chose to pursue this interest. Committed to finishing his college course in Sports and Exercise Science, Mike knew that in order to achieve his new plan of working in the conservation sector he would need to start from the beginning and enrolled on a foundation degree in Marine Science at Falmouth Marine School. Here, Mike studied a range of topics from oceanography and meteorology to biology and aquaculture. The huge range in topics provided an opportunity to understand his main areas of interest and decide which direction to take his studies. The Marine School, is also where Mike gained his first role within ecotourism, working for one of his lecturers, who owns Marine Discovery Penzance in Cornwall, UK. Mike conducted sea safaris around the stunning South West of the UK from a 10metre Sailing Catamaran in search of a variety of marine species, including; common, bottlenose and Risso’s dolphins, grey seals, basking sharks, minke whales and a plethora of seabirds. In total, Mike worked for Marine Discovery for three years during the high season, learning vital skills that would be the foundation for a future that took him further afield.

Once the foundation degree had come to an end, Mike undertook a BSc in Applied Zoology as he had a desire to work with animals in a more practical, hands-on approach. This course also included new elements, such as terrestrial conservation alongside more familiar marine studies that provided new challenges. Finishing with strong grades allowed for progression to the University of Exeter to study a Master’s degree in Conservation and Biodiversity. Here, he studied the effects of marine plastic pollution upon global seabird populations to create a systematic review of the literature.

After graduating, Mike was looking for a new challenge and moved to Iceland in March 2017 to work within the whale watching industry for Whale Safari and Elding. Mainly used as a guide upon RIBs due to his experience in small-scale tourism, Mike really developed a particular skillset that made sure he became a key figure within the company, being invited back each year to the present day to work during the operating period of April to October for Whale Safari. In Iceland, Mike has spent countless hours in the presence of humpback and minke whales, as well as white-beaked dolphins, harbour porpoises and Atlantic puffins. As a result of his strong conservation mindset, Mike always looked to impart some conservation knowledge for these species and ensure that the guests had an enjoyable and educational experience, raising awareness to marine conservation issues. Not content with just talking about conservation problems, Mike joined a small Non-Governmental Organisation committed to combatting plastic pollution to have a direct impact. He also acted as a field research assistant on a number of projects that centred around humpback whales, helping to collect biopsies for one assignment and attaching cameras and GPS recording devices on another.

During the winter months, he worked in different areas within the conservation industry, most notably as an assistant animal care manager at Seal Rescue Ireland. Here he was tasked with rehabilitating sick and injured seal pups whilst overseeing a team of interns.

In the winter of 2022, Mike joined his first expeditions. Starting in Canada he journeyed to Brazil and with a small break in-between then headed to Antarctica to work as a general naturalist and field research assistant scientist. This meant that Mike worked very closely with guests as a zodiac driver and guide, explaining the ecology of the area and also with the onboard chief scientist to obtain vital information that would help further our knowledge of this unique ecosystem.

Sabine was born in South Africa, but raised in eight different African countries, ultimately finishing school in Uganda. She went on to study Earth Sciences at Stellenbosch University, specializing in structural and tectonic geology. She later ended up completing a Master of Science in Geology from the University of Cape Town, with her dissertation focussing on water chemistry in aquifers in Mozambique.

During her holidays, Sabine has worked as a horse-back and walking safaris guide in numerous countries. In her professional life, she has worked as a geologist in Cape Town, Uganda, and Mozambique, working on water-related projects. During her time in Mozambique, she worked part-time as a Dive Master and Ocean Safaris guide, exploring the rich biodiversity that the Indian Ocean has to offer.

Growing up in Africa, Sabine has always been intrigued by the natural world and the accompanying cultures that depend on it. This has ignited an appetite for travel and sharing her knowledge and experiences with people.