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At the helm of our fleet stands a team of Captains with decades of experience behind them. Understanding that expedition travel requires the flexibility to change course at a moment’s notice, our Captains bring expertise, excellent safety records, and an intimate knowledge of the regions we explore to the bridge of each Lindblad Expeditions vessel. Meet a few of them below.
 Captain Leif Skog, NG Endeavour/NG Explorer
Vice President of Marine Operations
Captain Skog has been Master aboard some of the most celebrated expedition ships: Lindblad Explorer, Polaris, Frontier Spirit. In 1997 he joined Lindblad as Master of National Geographic Endeavour. His experience in polar waters runs deep, navigating vessels in Antarctica nearly every season since 1979 on more than 100 Antarctic voyages. As Chairman of the IAATO Marine Committee (International Assn. of Antarctic Tour Operators), he was a primary architect of the IAATO Emergency Contingency Plan for all vessels operating in Antarctica.
Captain Oliver Kruess, NG Endeavour/NG Explorer 
Captain Kruess has been working at sea for two decades. His early experience was sailing aboard large cargo ships. Since 1991 he has been aboard expedition vessels, including the World Discoverer first as 2nd Officer then as Chief Officer. He rose to command as a ship’s Master in 1995. For nearly 20 years Captain Kruess has been navigating the polar waters of the Arctic and Antarctic, logging well over 100 polar expeditions. Captain Kruess has also served as a representative at IAATO (International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators).
 Captain Philip Dieckmann, NG Endeavour/NG Explorer
Captain Dieckmann has been on the bridge of expedition vessels since 1996, serving as Chief Officer and Master since 1999. He’s navigated the challenging waters of the Amazon and Orinoco and has sailed in the polar regions for over 20 seasons on more than 50 polar expeditions, gaining an immense amount of in-depth knowledge and experience in destinations such as Antarctica, the Canadian Arctic, Kamchatka, Aleutian Islands, Alaska, Greenland and Svalbard, as well as a groundbreaking voyage through the Northwest Passage.
Captain Olaf Hartmann, NG Endeavour/NG Explorer 
With over two decades of expedition vessel experience, Captain Hartmann has been a ship’s Master since 1990 and has sailed the world’s wild and remote locations. He is an experienced expedition Captain, yet also has sailed on a variety of ships. He is especially experienced in the polar regions, having sailed in the Arctic and Antarctic virtually every year for the past seventeen years. His vast experience in the polar regions and the challenging navigational realities of the ice, ensures you are in the best possible hands not just from a safety standpoint, but also to experience the region in the most impressive way possible.
 Captain Mark Graves, NG Sea Lion
For nearly two decades, Captain Graves has stood at the helm of National Geographic Sea Lion’s itineraries, from Southeast Alaska to Baja California, Mexico and the Pacific Northwest. He began his career as a deckhand working on small ships out of Boston, MA. From 1986-1990 he worked his way up to Chief Mate while sailing the waters from New England to the Caribbean and Central America. He came to Lindblad Expeditions in 1990 as a Chief Mate and moved into his current position as Captain one year later.
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ADVENTURE EXPEDITION CRUISES
