QUEST
OCEAN EXPEDITIONS
From the tropical waters of the Caribbean to the icy reaches of the Arctic
Where Experience Meets the Horizon — Led by a Life at Sea
Quest Ocean Expeditions is proudly family-run, offering a personal touch and genuine passion in every voyage. At the helm is Captain Goeran, a seasoned mariner with decades of experience navigating the world’s oceans, and by his side is his wife Hilda, who started early life on a sailboat. Captain Goeran's expertise isn’t just legendary among our guests—he’s even featured in the BBC documentary Horizon: Freak Waves, where he recounts the dramatic rescue of an expedition cruise ship and 120 passengers from a rogue wave in the Southern Ocean. With Captain Goeran guiding the journey, you’re not just sailing—you’re in the hands of someone who has weathered more than most, and has a deep understanding of the ocean's power.
Captain Goeran Persson
Goeran started on a fishing trawler in Sweden at the age of 16, and has since spent most of his life at sea. After graduating from the Merchant Marine Academy in 1979 he has worked as captain and chief officer in commercial shipping throughout the world, including 11 years on an expedition cruise ship covering Indonesia, The South Pacific, and later Antarctica and the Arctic. He has also been captain on 160 foot Mega yachts and a live aboard dive vessel. When he hasn’t been working on ships he has been sailing his own yachts, including six Atlantic crossings.
Goeran is also a certified marine guide, and a Dive Master. He took his Dive master certification in Antarctica while working there.
During 15 years when not working at sea he designed and built S/Y Quest to the highest specifications to operate as an expedition yacht and live aboard dive yacht.
Since 2011 he has operated S/Y Quest full time. After leaving Sweden in June 2011 he first sailed to the Arctic for an expedition to Svalbard before heading south to a warmer climate.
Responsible Tourism
Goeran Persson is a partner of the World Cetacean Alliance working with a global network of tourism and conservation partners to protect whales, dolphins and porpoise in the wild
Hilda Christensson, First Mate & Chef
Hilda developed a passion for life at sea at an early start. She attended a maritime school at the age of 15, and sailed onboard a tall ship going from Sweden, to the coast of Portugal. The year 2008, at the age of 18 she bought her first sailing yacht. She lived on it for four years in the fishing harbour in Malmö Sweden, while rebuilding the whole deck and parts of the interior.
At the Maritime Academy she earned her yacht master offshore at the age of 23. After working as a teacher in language, literature and history, working on her farm and her property business, she has now returned to work at sea as a full time First Mate onboard Quest.
Hilda brings a deep passion for quality food, and has many years of experience cooking a variety of international cuisines — including Scandinavian, Malaysian, and Jamaican. She is also experienced in vegan and vegetarian cooking.
In September, Hilda will begin Culinary Arts training under Chef Gaja Dudkiewicz, who has studied at the renowned César Ritz Colleges in Switzerland, among other acclaimed institutions.
