PROXY STATEMENT

FOR

ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS

TO BE HELD JULY 25, 2013

SOLICITATION OF PROXIES

Purpose, Place, Date and Time

This proxy statement is furnished in connection with the solicitation by the Board of Directors (our “Board”) of Mitcham Industries, Inc., a Texas corporation, of proxies from the holders of record of our common stock, par value $0.01 per share, at the close of business on May 28, 2013, for use in voting at the Annual Meeting of Shareholders (the “Annual Meeting”) to be held at our principal executive offices, which are located at 8141 SH 75 South, Huntsville, Texas 77340 at 9:00 a.m., local time, on Thursday, July 25, 2013, and any adjournment or postponement thereof. You can find directions to the Annual Meeting by visiting our website at http://www.mitchamindustries.com and clicking on the “Investor Relations” link.

The Notice of Annual Meeting, this proxy statement, the enclosed proxy card and our Annual Report for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2013 (“2013 Annual Report”) are being mailed together on or about June 7, 2013 to each of our shareholders entitled to notice of and to vote at the Annual Meeting.

Properly executed proxies will be voted as directed. If no direction is indicated therein, proxies received in response to this solicitation will be voted FOR: (1) the election of each of the six individuals nominated for election as directors; (2) the advisory vote to approve Named Executive Officer compensation; (3) the approval of the Amendment to the Plan; (4) re-approval of the material terms of the Amended Plan; (5) the ratification of the selection of Hein & Associates LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm by our Audit Committee for the fiscal year ending January 31, 2014; and (6) as recommended by our Board with regard to any other matters that properly come before the Annual Meeting, or if no recommendation is given, at the discretion of the appointed proxies.

Expenses of Solicitation

We will bear the entire cost of soliciting proxies, including the cost of the preparation, assembly, printing and mailing of this proxy statement, the proxy card and any additional information furnished to our shareholders in connection with the Annual Meeting. In addition to this solicitation by mail, our directors, officers and other employees may solicit proxies by use of mail, telephone, facsimile, electronic means, in person or otherwise. These persons will not receive any additional compensation for assisting in the solicitation but may be reimbursed for reasonable out-of-pocket expenses in connection with the solicitation. We have retained Broadridge Investor Communication Solutions, Inc. to aid in the distribution of proxy materials and to provide voting and tabulation services for the Annual Meeting. For these services, we will pay Broadridge a fee of approximately $17,000 and reimburse it for certain expenses. In addition, we will reimburse brokerage firms, nominees, fiduciaries, custodians and other agents for their expenses in distributing proxy material to the beneficial owners of our common stock.

Shareholders Sharing the Same Last Name and Address

We are sending only one copy of our proxy statement and 2013 Annual Report to shareholders who share the same last name and address, unless they have notified us that they want to continue receiving multiple copies. This practice, known as “householding,” is designed to reduce duplicate mailings and save significant printing and postage costs.

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If you received a householded mailing this year and you would like to have additional copies of our proxy statement and 2013 Annual Report mailed to you or you would like to opt out of this practice for future mailings, we will promptly deliver such additional copies to you if you submit your request to our Corporate Secretary in writing at Mitcham Industries, Inc., P.O. Box 1175, Huntsville, Texas 77342-1175, or call us at 936-291-2277. You may also contact us in the same manner if you received multiple copies of the Annual Meeting materials and would prefer to receive a single copy in the future.

VOTING OF SECURITIES

Record Date; Shareholders Entitled to Vote

Our Board has fixed the close of business on May 28, 2013 as the record date for determining the holders of shares of common stock entitled to notice of and to vote at the Annual Meeting. As of the close of business on May 28, 2013, there were 12,793,235 issued and outstanding shares of common stock, each of which is entitled to one vote on each item of business to be conducted at the Annual Meeting.

For a period of at least 10 days prior to the Annual Meeting, a list of the shareholders entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting will be available for inspection during normal business hours at our principal executive offices, which are located at 8141 SH 75 South, Huntsville, Texas 77340.

Quorum; Discretionary Authority

Our Third Amended and Restated Bylaws provide that a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock entitled to vote, represented either in person or by proxy, will constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. Consequently, holders of at least 6,396,618shares of our common stock must be present either in person or by proxy to establish a quorum for the Annual Meeting. If less than a quorum is represented at the Annual Meeting, a majority of the shares so represented may adjourn the Annual Meeting from time to time without further notice, and the persons named as proxies will vote the proxies they have been authorized at the Annual Meeting in favor of such an adjournment.

In the event a quorum is present at the Annual Meeting but sufficient votes to approve any of the items proposed by our Board have not been received, the persons named as proxies may propose one or more adjournments of the Annual Meeting to permit further solicitation of proxies. A shareholder vote may be taken on one or more of the proposals in this proxy statement prior to such adjournment if sufficient proxies have been received and it is otherwise appropriate. Any adjournment will require the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of those shares of common stock represented at the Annual Meeting in person or by proxy. If a quorum is present, the persons named as proxies will vote the proxies they have been authorized to vote on any other business properly before the Annual Meeting in favor of such an adjournment.

Our Board does not know of any other matters that are to be presented for action at the Annual Meeting. However, if other matters properly come before the Annual Meeting, it is intended that the enclosed proxy will be voted in accordance with the judgment of the persons voting the proxy.

Abstentions and Broker Non-Votes; Vote Required

Abstentions and broker non-votes are counted for purposes of determining the presence or absence of a quorum for the transaction of business. Abstentions occur when shareholders are present at the Annual Meeting but choose to withhold their vote for any of the matters upon which the shareholders are voting.

If you are a beneficial owner whose shares are held of record by a broker, you will receive instructions from your broker or other nominee describing how to vote your shares. If you do not instruct your broker or nominee how to vote your shares, they may vote your shares as they decide as to each matter for which they have discretionary authority. A “broker non-vote” occurs when a broker or other nominee does not have discretion to vote on a particular matter, you have not given timely instructions on how the broker or other nominee should vote your shares and the broker or other nominee indicates it does not have authority to vote such shares on its

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proxy. Although broker non-votes will be counted as present at the meeting for purposes of determining a quorum, they will be treated as not entitled to vote with respect to non-discretionary matters.

At the Annual Meeting, brokers will not have discretionary authority to vote on Proposal 1 (Election of Directors), Proposal 2 (Advisory Vote to Approve Named Executive Officer Compensation), Proposal 3 (Approval of the Amendment to the Plan) and Proposal 4 (Re-approval of the Material Terms of the Amended Plan) in the absence of timely instructions from the beneficial owners; however, brokers will have discretionary authority to vote on Proposal 5 (Ratification of Selection of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm).

Revocation of Proxies

If you are a registered shareholder (meaning your shares are registered directly in your name with our transfer agent) you may revoke your proxy at any time prior to the vote tabulation at the Annual Meeting by: (1) sending in an executed proxy card with a later date, (2) timely submitting a proxy with new voting instructions by telephone or over the Internet, (3) sending a written notice of revocation by mail to P.O. Box 1175, Huntsville, Texas 77342-1175 marked “Proxy Information Enclosed, Attention: Corporate Secretary” or (4) attending and voting in person by completing a ballot at the Annual Meeting. Attendance at the Annual Meeting will not, in itself, constitute revocation of a completed and delivered proxy card.

If you are a street name shareholder (meaning that your shares are held in a brokerage account by a bank, broker or other nominee) and you vote by proxy, you may change your vote by submitting new voting instructions to your bank, broker or other nominee in accordance with that entity’s procedures.

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CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

The following sections summarize information about our corporate governance policies, our Board and its committees and the director nomination process.

Our Governance Practices

General

We are committed to sound corporate governance principles. To evidence this commitment, our Board has adopted charters for its committees and a Code of Ethics. These documents provide the framework for our corporate governance. A complete copy of the current version of each of these documents is available on our website at http://www.mitchamindustries.com or in print, free of charge, to any shareholder who requests it by contacting us by mail at Mitcham Industries, Inc., P.O. Box 1175, Huntsville, Texas 77342-1175, Attention: Corporate Secretary, or by telephone (936) 291-2277. Our Board regularly reviews corporate governance developments and modifies our governance documents as appropriate.

Code of Ethics

Our Board has adopted a Code of Ethics that applies to all of our employees, including our Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and our Corporate Controller, to ensure that our business is conducted in a legal and ethical manner.

All of our directors, officers and employees are required to certify their compliance with the Code of Ethics. The Code of Ethics requires that any exception to or waiver for an executive officer or director be made only by our Board and disclosed as required by law and the listing standards of The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC (the “NASDAQ Listing Standards”). To date, we have neither received any requests for, nor granted, waivers of the Code of Ethics for any of our executive officers or directors.

Among other things, the Code of Ethics addresses:

It is our policy that there shall be no acts of retaliation, intimidation, threat, coercion or discrimination against any individual for truthfully reporting, furnishing information or assisting or participating in any manner in an investigation, compliance review or other activity related to the administration of the Code of Ethics.

Our Board

Determination of Director Independence

As required under the NASDAQ Listing Standards, a majority of the members of our Board must qualify as independent, as affirmatively determined by our Board. Our Board evaluated all relevant transactions and relationships between each director, or any of his or her family members, and our company, senior management and independent registered public accounting firm. Based on this evaluation, our Board has determined that John F. Schwalbe, R. Dean Lewis, Robert J. Albers and Peter H. Blum are each an independent director, as that term is defined in the NASDAQ Listing Standards. Messrs. Schwalbe, Lewis, Albers and Blum constitute a majority of the members of our Board.

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Billy F. Mitcham, Jr. is not independent because he currently serves as our President and Chief Executive Officer. Robert P. Capps is not independent because he currently serves as our Executive Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer.

Attendance at Board and Committee Meetings

During the fiscal year ended January 31, 2013, our Board held five meetings. Each individual serving as a director during such period attended all meetings of our Board and the Board committees on which he served during the fiscal year.

Attendance at Annual Meetings

Our policy is to encourage our directors to attend the annual meetings of our shareholders. All nominees who are currently serving as directors attended the annual meeting of our shareholders in July 2012.

Leadership Structure and Role in Risk Oversight

Our Board separated the positions of Chairman of our Board and Chief Executive Officer in 2004 and elected Peter H. Blum, a non-employee independent director, as our Chairman, and Billy F. Mitcham, Jr. as our President and Chief Executive Officer. Separating these positions allows our Chief Executive Officer to focus on our day-to-day business, while allowing the Chairman to lead our Board in its fundamental role of providing advice to, and independent oversight, of management. Our Board recognizes the time, effort, and energy that the Chief Executive Officer is required to devote to his position in the current business environment, as well as the commitment required to serve as our Chairman, particularly as our Board’s oversight responsibilities continue to grow. While our Bylaws do not require that our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer positions be separate, our Board believes that having separate positions and having an independent outside director serve as Chairman is the appropriate leadership structure for our company at this time and demonstrates our commitment to good corporate governance.

Risk is inherent with every business, and how well a business manages risk can ultimately determine its success. We face a number of risks, including economic, environmental and regulatory risks, and others, such as the impact of competition, technological changes and weather conditions. Management is responsible for the day-to-day management of risks our company faces, while our Board, as a whole and through its committees, has responsibility for the oversight of risk management. In its risk oversight role, our Board has the responsibility to satisfy itself that the risk management processes designed and implemented by management are adequate and functioning as designed.

Our Board believes that establishing the right “tone at the top” and that full and open communication between management and our Board are essential for effective risk management and oversight. Our Chairman has regular discussions with our President and Chief Executive Officer and other senior officers to discuss strategy and risks facing our company. Senior management attends the quarterly Board meetings and is available to address any questions or concerns raised by our Board on risk management-related and any other matters. Each quarter, our Board receives presentations from senior management on strategic matters involving our operations.

While our Board is ultimately responsible for risk oversight at our company, each of our Board committees assists our Board in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities in certain areas of risk. The Audit Committee assists our Board in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities with respect to risk management in the areas of financial reporting, internal controls and compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, and, in accordance with the NASDAQ Listing Standards, discusses policies with respect to risk assessment and risk management. The Compensation Committee assists our Board in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities with respect to the management of risks arising from our compensation policies and programs. The Nominating Committee assists our Board in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities with respect to the management of risks associated with Board organization, membership and structure, succession planning for our directors and executive officers and corporate governance. The Strategic Planning Committee assists our Board in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities with respect to the management of risks arising from our long-term strategy development and implementation.

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Shareholder Communications with Our Board

Our Board welcomes communications from our shareholders. Shareholders may send communications to our Board, or any director in particular, by contacting us by mail at Mitcham Industries, Inc., P.O. Box 1175, Huntsville, Texas 77342-1175, Attention: Corporate Secretary or via e-mail through our website at http://www.mitchamindustries.com . Each communication must (1) identify the sender, (2) identify the applicable director(s) and (3) contain the information necessary to enable the director(s) to contact the sender. Our Corporate Secretary will relay this information to the applicable director(s) and request that the sender be contacted as soon as possible.

Committees of Our Board

As of the date of this proxy statement, our Board has standing Audit, Compensation, Strategic Planning and Nominating Committees. Our Board, in its business judgment, has determined that each committee, other than the Strategic Planning Committee, is comprised entirely of independent directors as currently required under the NASDAQ Listing Standards and applicable rules and requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Each committee is governed by a written charter approved by the full Board.

Audit Committee

The Audit Committee has been established to assist our Board in:

In connection with these purposes, the Audit Committee annually selects, engages and evaluates the performance and ongoing qualifications of, and determines the compensation for, our independent registered public accounting firm, reviews our annual and quarterly financial statements and confirms the independence of our independent registered public accounting firm. The Audit Committee also meets with our management and external registered public accounting firm regarding the adequacy of our financial controls and our compliance with legal, tax and regulatory matters and significant internal policies. While the Audit Committee has the responsibilities and powers set forth in its charter, it is not the duty of the Audit Committee to plan or conduct audits, to determine that our financial statements are complete and accurate or to determine that such statements are in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“U.S.”) and other applicable rules and regulations. Our management is responsible for the preparation of our financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S. and our internal controls. Our independent registered public accounting firm is responsible for the audit work on our financial statements. It is also not the duty of the Audit Committee to conduct investigations or to assure compliance with laws and regulations and our policies and procedures. Our management is responsible for compliance with laws and regulations and compliance with our policies and procedures.

During the fiscal year ended January 31, 2013, the Audit Committee held six meetings. The Audit Committee currently consists of Messrs. Schwalbe (Chairman), Lewis and Albers. Our Board has determined that all members of the Audit Committee are independent as that term is defined in the NASDAQ Listing Standards

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and Rule 10A-3 promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Our Board also has determined that each member of the Audit Committee is financially literate and that Mr. Schwalbe has the necessary accounting and financial expertise to serve as chairman. Further, our Board has determined that Mr. Schwalbe is an “audit committee financial expert” following a determination that Mr. Schwalbe met the criteria for such designation under the Securities and Exchange Commission’s rules and regulations. For information regarding Mr. Schwalbe’s business experience, see “Proposal 1 — Election of Directors — Information About Director Nominees. The report of the Audit Committee appears under the heading “Audit Committee Report” below.

Compensation Committee

Pursuant to its charter, the purposes of our Compensation Committee are to:

In connection with these purposes, our Board has entrusted the Compensation Committee with the overall responsibility for establishing, implementing and monitoring the compensation for our executive officers. In general, executive compensation matters are presented to the Compensation Committee or raised with the Compensation Committee in one of the following ways: (1) at the request of the Compensation Committee Chairman or another Compensation Committee member or member of our Board, (2) in accordance with the Compensation Committee’s agenda, which is reviewed by the Compensation Committee members and other directors on an annual basis, (3) by our Chief Executive Officer or (4) by the Compensation Committee’s outside compensation consultant, if a consultant has been engaged by the Compensation Committee.

The Compensation Committee works with the management team and our Chief Executive Officer to implement and promote our executive compensation strategy. The most significant aspects of management’s involvement in this process are:

Our Chief Executive Officer is instrumental to this process. Specifically, our Chief Executive Officer assists the Compensation Committee by:

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Our other executive officers do not play a role in their own compensation determination, other than discussing individual performance objectives with our Chief Executive Officer.

Pursuant to its charter, the Compensation Committee has the sole authority to retain and terminate any compensation consultant to be used to assist in the evaluation of the compensation of our executive officers and directors and also has the sole authority to approve the consultant’s fees and other retention terms. Beginning in March 2010, the Compensation Committee has engaged Longnecker & Associates (the “Consultant”) annually to assist in evaluating and designing the compensation program for our executive officers and directors. The Consultant is engaged directly by the Compensation Committee and does not provide any other services to us outside of matters pertaining to executive officer and director compensation. The Consultant reports directly to the Compensation Committee, which is solely responsible for determining the scope of services performed by the Consultant and the directions given to the Consultant regarding the performance of such services. Services performed by the Consultant for the Compensation Committee during fiscal 2013 included evaluating levels of executive officer and director compensation as compared to general market compensation data and peer group data (as discussed below), evaluating proposed compensation programs or changes to existing programs, providing information on current executive compensation trends, and providing updates on applicable legislative matters.

For the last completed fiscal year, the Compensation Committee determined that the Consultant was independent of management (and continues to be independent of management) and therefore, the Consultant was able to provide (and continues to be able to provide) the Compensation Committee independent and objective advice. Accordingly, the Compensation Committee determined that the services provided by the Consultant to the Compensation Committee for the last completed fiscal year did not give rise to any conflicts of interest. The Compensation Committee made these determinations by assessing the independence of the Consultant under the six independence factors adopted by the SEC and incorporated into the NASDAQ Listing Standards. Further, in making this assessment, the Compensation Committee considered the Consultant’s written correspondence to the Compensation Committee that affirmed the independence of the Consultant and the partners, consultants and employees who provide services to the Compensation Committee on executive and director compensation matters.

Together with management and any counsel or other advisors deemed appropriate by the Compensation Committee, the Compensation Committee typically reviews and discusses the particular executive compensation matter presented and makes a final determination.

To the extent permitted by applicable law, the Compensation Committee may form and delegate some or all of its authority under its charter to subcommittees when it deems such action appropriate.

During the fiscal year ended January 31, 2013, the Compensation Committee held two meetings. The Compensation Committee currently consists of Messrs. Schwalbe, Lewis, Albers and Blum (Chairman). The report of the Compensation Committee appears under the heading “Compensation Committee Report” below.

Strategic Planning Committee

The purpose of the Strategic Planning Committee, as stated in its charter, is to assist our Board and the Chief Executive Officer in their oversight of our long-term strategy development and implementation. In fulfilling this role, from time to time, the Strategic Planning Committee reviews with management the key issues, options and external developments impacting the our strategy. In addition, the committee monitors enterprise risks that may affect us and assists management in addressing such risks in our strategic plan.

During the fiscal year ended January 31, 2013, the Strategic Planning Committee did not meet. The Strategic Planning Committee currently consists of Messrs. Mitcham, Capps, Lewis, Blum and Albers. Through July 2012, Mr. Albers served as Chairman. Subsequent to July 2012, Mr. Blum has served as Chairman of the Strategic Planning Committee.

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Nominating Committee

The purposes of the Nominating Committee, as stated in its charter, include the following:

During the fiscal year ended January 31, 2013, the Nominating Committee did not meet. The Nominating Committee currently consists of Messrs. Schwalbe, Lewis and Blum (Chairman).

Director Nomination Process

The Nominating Committee is responsible for establishing criteria for selecting new directors, actively seeking individuals to become directors and recommending such individuals to our Board. In seeking candidates for our Board, the Nominating Committee will consider the entirety of each candidate’s credentials. Currently, the Nominating Committee does not require director candidates to possess a specific set of minimum qualifications, as different factors may assume greater or lesser significance at particular times, and the needs of our Board may vary in light of its composition and the Nominating Committee’s perceptions about future issues and needs. However, while the Nominating Committee does not maintain a formal list of qualifications, in making its evaluation and recommendation of candidates, the Nominating Committee may consider, among other factors, diversity, age, skill, experience in the context of the needs of our Board, independence qualifications and whether prospective nominees have relevant business and financial experience, have industry or other specialized expertise and have high moral character. As set forth above, the Nominating Committee may consider diversity as one of a number of factors in identifying nominees for director. It does not, however, have a formal policy in this regard. The Nominating Committee views diversity broadly to include diversity of experience, skills and viewpoint as well as traditional diversity concepts such as race or gender.

The Nominating Committee may consider candidates for our Board from any reasonable source, including from a search firm engaged by the Nominating Committee or shareholder recommendations, provided that the procedures set forth below are followed. The Nominating Committee does not intend to alter the manner in which it evaluates candidates based on whether the candidate is recommended by a shareholder or not. However, in evaluating a candidate’s relevant business experience, the Nominating Committee may consider previous experience as a member of our Board.

Shareholders or a group of shareholders may recommend potential candidates for consideration by the Nominating Committee by sending a written request to our Corporate Secretary at Mitcham Industries, Inc., P.O. Box 1175, Huntsville, Texas 77342-1175. For additional information regarding the submission of shareholder recommendations, see “Shareholder Proposals and Director Nominations.”