Seabourn Unveils 21-Member Expedition Team for 2026-2027 Antarctic Season

Seabourn announced the expedition team that will lead its 2026-2027 Antarctic season aboard the Seabourn Venture and Seabourn Pursuit. The group consists of 21 members made up of polar experts, scientists, researchers, naturalists, and historians, who will accompany voyages of 10 to 12 days operated between November 2026 and March 2027, departing from Ushuaia.

The team brings together specialists in marine biology, wildlife research, conservation, geology, environmental sciences, and polar history, with decades of experience in Antarctica and Patagonia. According to the companies that released the announcement, several team members have affiliations with GLACIARIUM, one of the world's leading glacier museums, and backgrounds that include work aboard Antarctic research vessels, marine mammal studies, and ocean education programs.

Antarctic operations will be headed by expedition leaders Luciano Bernacchi, Ignacio Rojas, Juan Restrepo, Dom del Rosario, and Fridrik Fridriksson, supported by assistant expedition leaders Joe Cockram and Sean Bercaw. Together, they bring more than 20 consecutive Antarctic seasons of experience and a track record coordinating expedition operations and planning shore excursions.

Among the experts joining the team during the season are marine mammal scientist Dr. Sean Todd, conservationist Brent Houston, ornithologist JJ Apestegui, archaeologist and Viking scholar Dr. Elizabeth Pierce, marine biologist Molly Gaughan, geologist Dr. Lori Snyder, astronomer Vishwa Rana, and seabird specialist Kim Stevens, along with Emily Fosbery, Will Wagstaff, Demetri Capetanopoulos, Rorie Duncan, and Dr. Jarrod McKenna. Robin West, Seabourn's vice president of expeditions, noted that these professionals' knowledge and field experience are key to the guest experience.

Between November 2026 and March 2027, the Seabourn Venture and the Seabourn Pursuit will operate 19 round-trip departures from Ushuaia to Antarctica, with itineraries ranging from 10 to 12 days, along with select 20-day voyages that will include South Georgia and the Falkland Islands. All voyages include a pre-cruise hotel stay in Buenos Aires and round-trip charter flights to Ushuaia, the port from which the ships depart.